The Union Army Escapes

After dark on May 5, 1863, Union soldiers left their trenches and made their way toward U.S. Ford as a cold rain soaked them and turned the woodland roads to mud. At the ford, the Rappahannock River rose five feet in three hours and overflowed its banks. Union engineers hastily dismantled one of the three pontoon bridges to lengthen the other two. Although Hooker's generals advised him to cancel the movement, the retreat continued. At dawn, Confederate troops advanced from these trenches and found that the Federals were gone. Lee ordered immediate pursuit, telling Brig. Gen. Dorsey Pender to damage them all he could, but it was too late. By 8 a.m., the last Union brigade had crossed the river safely, and engineers cut the bridges free. The Army of the Potomac survived to fight another day.

Lake Wilderness, Virginia · United States