For two weeks in May 1864, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant fought Gen. Robert E. Lee near Spotsylvania Court House after maneuvering southeast from the Wilderness in an effort to drive the Confederates from their earthworks, cripple Lee’s army, and leave Richmond vulnerable to capture. Lee met him there, and both sides quickly built extensive earthworks, with the Confederate line stretching north around the Mule Shoe Salient and then turning southwest. Along these lines, the armies traded repeated blows without lasting gains. The fiercest fighting occurred at the Mule Shoe Salient on May 12, when Union forces broke through, captured thousands of Confederates, and briefly gained a foothold but could not exploit it. Throughout the battle, whenever Grant tried to outflank Lee, Lee extended his earthworks, forcing Grant to choose between costly attacks or stalemate, a style of combat that characterized the war’s last year.