Morning of May 6

On the morning of May 6, the main focus of the battle shifted more than two miles south to the Orange Plank Road. North of the Orange Turnpike, both armies planned early morning attacks as diversions to prevent the enemy from detaching more troops to the Plank Road sector. The Confederates struck first at 4:30 a.m., when the Wilderness erupted with artillery and small arms fire. The Southerners closed with their blueclad opponents but were hit by Union volleys fired at point blank range. Ewell's men fell back to this line of trenches, where they repulsed Federal counterassaults. By mid-morning this area had grown relatively quiet while the armies clashed in earnest a few miles south.

Lake of the Woods, Virginia · United States