Longstreet's Flank Attack in the Wilderness Accessibility

[Chattahooch33]

Does anyone know if it is possible to find the unfinished RR that Longstreet used to get around the Federal left and launch his attack? I'd love to walk it, and looking at Google maps I think I see it but it appears to be within a big community bordering the woods. Hopefully someone in the area is aware and can answer.

 

[Woods-walker]

Does anyone know if it is possible to find the unfinished RR that Longstreet used to get around the Federal left and launch his attack? I'd love to walk it, and looking at Google maps I think I see it but it appears to be within a big community bordering the woods. Hopefully someone in the area is aware and can answer.

Yep - at least part of it is accessible on NPS land.
I re-traced Wofford's brigade for @lellott19 back in January 2022. The flank attack assembly point initiated at the unfinished RR bend.
Here's a picture I took of the old RR bed. If you follow the snow line, you will see the bend in the RR bed turning north, just as period maps indicate as the assembly point.

Also the elevation is a little higher there than at the Union line - equaling easier marching/charging for the Southerners. If you walk straight from the RR bed towards the Union line, you'll soon come to the Ni River (stream) just as period maps show. The Ni "river" was the point where Wofford struck the Union.

If you PM me when you are ready, I will be more than delighted to take you there.
I recommend late fall - winter for several reasons (1) you can see the unfinished RR bed better (2) it's a good hike if you want to follow Longstreet's path (3) there are plenty of copperheads in that area in the summer
(4) chiggers & mosquito are plentiful.
With that said, if you still want to go in the summer, my offer is still good - just have some good snake boots.

The big development that borders the unfinished RR is Fawn Lake, developed by Joe Gibbs (Washington Redskins and NASCAR fame ) and a Mr Meadows. During the war, all of the development was a part of the Greenfield plantation, ancestral home of my friend Pat Sullivan ( Spotsylvania Memory blog).

 

[Woods-walker]

PS - the large community that borders the unfinished RR is a gated community- accessed by residents and guest only

 

[Chattahooch33]

Yep - at least part of it is accessible on NPS land.
I re-traced Wofford's brigade for @lellott19 back in January 2022. The flank attack assembly point initiated at the unfinished RR bend.
Here's a picture I took of the old RR bed. If you follow the snow line, you will see the bend in the RR bed turning north, just as period maps indicate as the assembly point.
View attachment 474961
Also the elevation is a little higher there than at the Union line - equaling easier marching/charging for the Southerners. If you walk straight from the RR bed towards the Union line, you'll soon come to the Ni River (stream) just as period maps show. The Ni "river" was the point where Wofford struck the Union.
View attachment 474960
If you PM me when you are ready, I will be more than delighted to take you there.
I recommend late fall - winter for several reasons (1) you can see the unfinished RR bed better (2) it's a good hike if you want to follow Longstreet's path (3) there are plenty of copperheads in that area in the summer
(4) chiggers & mosquito are plentiful.
With that said, if you still want to go in the summer, my offer is still good - just have some good snake boots.

The big development that borders the unfinished RR is Fawn Lake, developed by Joe Gibbs (Washington Redskins and NASCAR fame ) and a Mr Meadows. During the war, all of the development was a part of the Greenfield plantation, ancestral home of my friend Pat Sullivan ( Spotsylvania Memory blog).

That is absolutely fantastic. We will certainly take you up on your offer. I estimate we will be in that area around October 5-6.

 

[Woods-walker]

That is absolutely fantastic. We will certainly take you up on your offer. I estimate we will be in that area around October 5-6.

That'll be fine. Just give me a PM shout when you're a couple of weeks away and I ll give you my mobil phone number and we can coordinate your visit with recommended lodging etc. There will most likely be considerable foliage in early October, but I think you will be able to make out the RR bed with a little more effort than in say January. If there's anything else, or a particular brigade of special interest to you, let me know that too so I can plan better.

 

[Chattahooch33]

That'll be fine. Just give me a PM shout when you're a couple of weeks away and I ll give you my mobil phone number and we can coordinate your visit with recommended lodging etc. There will most likely be considerable foliage in early October, but I think you will be able to make out the RR bed with a little more effort than in say January. If there's anything else, or a particular brigade of special interest to you, let me know that too so I can plan better.

Thanks. Like @lelliott19, Wofford's brigade are my people.

 

[lelliott19]

That is absolutely fantastic. We will certainly take you up on your offer. I estimate we will be in that area around October 5-6.

I can testify that @Woods-walker is an amazing guide! He's lived in the area forever and knows every nook and cranny. He spent three days with us showing us all over Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania - right in the middle of the pandemic. He showed us a ton of backroads that really helped me understand how the parts of the battlefield connect. He is one of those historians that will happily entertain outlandish theories; not laugh (at least not in your face); and even eat crow if he finds out it actually happened. And he will even investigate those "theories" in rain and sleet and snow and dead of night. Get him to tell you the story about the backside of Marye's Heights. He spent a week there one day

 

[Woods-walker]

Thanks. Like @lelliott19, Wofford's brigade are my people.

Okey-dokey- If you've never been here, I suggest we start at their position along Longstreet's line on Dec 10, drive their route to Deep Run, hit Deep Run were your boys fought gallantly on Dec 11 and then their position on Telegraph Road on Dec 13th then head over to their initial position at Chancellorsville, then their attack at Chancellorsville then directly over to the Wilderness flank attack then their initial position at Spotsylvania Courthouse their position at Laurel Hill and end with their position for the remainder of the Spotsylvania CH battle. We can do that in a full day or we can spread it out over several days if you haven't been here and want to see other sites (civil war and or colonial or one or two of the civil war cemeteries).

 

[Woods-walker]

I can testify that @Woods-walker is an amazing guide! He's lived in the area forever and knows every nook and cranny. He spent three days with us showing us all over Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania - right in the middle of the pandemic. He showed us a ton of backroads that really helped me understand how the parts of the battlefield connect. He is one of those historians that will happily entertain outlandish theories; not laugh (at least not in your face); and even eat crow if he finds out it actually happened. And he will even investigate those "theories" in rain and sleet and snow and dead of night. Get him to tell you the story about the backside of Marye's Heights. He spent a week there one day

 

[Woods-walker]

. Get him to tell you the story about the backside of Marye's Heights. He spent a week there one day

 

[Woods-walker]

Yea. Sometimes it takes someone living 700 miles away to show a native something "new"

 

[lelliott19]

Okey-dokey- If you've never been here, I suggest we start at their position along Longstreet's line on Dec 10, drive their route to Deep Run, hit Deep Run were your boys fought gallantly on Dec 11 and then their position on Telegraph Road on Dec 13th then head over to their initial position at Chancellorsville, then their attack at Chancellorsville then directly over to the Wilderness flank attack then their initial position at Spotsylvania Courthouse their position at Laurel Hill and end with their position for the remainder of the Spotsylvania CH battle. We can do that in a full day or we can spread it out over several days if you haven't been here and want to see other sites (civil war and or colonial or one or two of the civil war cemeteries).

You forgot about the Wilderness

 

[Woods-walker]

You forgot about the Wilderness

Nope - I said Chancellorsville then directly over to the Wilderness flank attack

 

[Chattahooch33]

Okey-dokey- If you've never been here, I suggest we start at their position along Longstreet's line on Dec 10, drive their route to Deep Run, hit Deep Run were your boys fought gallantly on Dec 11 and then their position on Telegraph Road on Dec 13th then head over to their initial position at Chancellorsville, then their attack at Chancellorsville then directly over to the Wilderness flank attack then their initial position at Spotsylvania Courthouse their position at Laurel Hill and end with their position for the remainder of the Spotsylvania CH battle. We can do that in a full day or we can spread it out over several days if you haven't been here and want to see other sites (civil war and or colonial or one or two of the civil war cemeteries).

This is amazing, lets do it. Definitely buying you lunch that day.

(@CheathamHill)

 

[Woods-walker]

Are you thinking one day? We can do it but just wanted to know what you're thinking

I m working on plotting out the unfinished railroad that is left and accessible
I was over at the Wilderness battlefield yesterday and spent time around Parker's Store where the rr stopped construction due to war. I ll send you a pm when I get what we can access mapped out
But at a minimum I know we can get to Wooford's rallying point on the RR and walk to where he hit Hancock - I ve done that.
Hope to get the rr accessible parts mapped and to you this week

 

[Chattahooch33]

Are you thinking one day? We can do it but just wanted to know what you're thinking

I m working on plotting out the unfinished railroad that is left and accessible
I was over at the Wilderness battlefield yesterday and spent time around Parker's Store where the rr stopped construction due to war. I ll send you a pm when I get what we can access mapped out
But at a minimum I know we can get to Wooford's rallying point on the RR and walk to where he hit Hancock - I ve done that.
Hope to get the rr accessible parts mapped and to you this week

One day was my thought, we have a lot to see and do in just a few days. I am 100% into following Wofford around all of Virginia but my buddy probably wants to see some other things .

 

[Woods-walker]

Okay, we'll plan to hit all of the points I mentioned earlier in the order I suggested. It will be a full day, but relatively easily to do.
Traffic can be a little tough to navigate around Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. But once we clear those two, it's rural and traffic is much lighter.
I didn't mention it, but we will take the same roads (Catharpin and Shady Grove) Lee used to get from the Wilderness to Spotsylvania CH. It is sill 99% the same road, except for modernization of course.
My friend Patrick Sullivan posted an essay pertaining to the Unfinished RR, on his blog Spotsylvania Memory. Here is the link if you are interested. In it, he made a point about A.P. Hill advancing down the Orange Plank Road past Parkers Store. It was also Longstreet's route when he entered the battlefield.

http://spotsylvaniamemory.blogspot.com/2014/11/death-on-virginia-central.html,

One day was my thought, we have a lot to see and do in just a few days. I am 100% into following Wofford around all of Virginia but my buddy probably wants to see some other th

 

[Chattahooch33]

Okay, we'll plan to hit all of the points I mentioned earlier in the order I suggested. It will be a full day, but relatively easily to do.
Traffic can be a little tough to navigate around Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. But once we clear those two, it's rural and traffic is much lighter.
I didn't mention it, but we will take the same roads (Catharpin and Shady Grove) Lee used to get from the Wilderness to Spotsylvania CH. It is sill 99% the same road, except for modernization of course.
My friend Patrick Sullivan posted an essay pertaining to the Unfinished RR, on his blog Spotsylvania Memory. Here is the link if you are interested. In it, he made a point about A.P. Hill advancing down the Orange Plank Road past Parkers Store. It was also Longstreet's route when he entered the battlefield.

http://spotsylvaniamemory.blogspot.com/2014/11/death-on-virginia-central.html,

Sounds great. I just finished Sears' Chancellorsville and I am halfway through a re-read of Rhea's Wilderness and will re-read his Spotsylvania book next. I want to be as prepared as possible so let me know if you have suggestions to help "study"

 

[Woods-walker]

Sounds great. I just finished Sears' Chancellorsville and I am halfway through a re-read of Rhea's Wilderness and will re-read his Spotsylvania book next. I want to be as prepared as possible so let me know if you have suggestions to help "study"

Nope they are two of the best!
Mackowski's & White's Season of Slaughter and O'Rielly's Fredericksburg are my favorites but we're not gonna have time get into those two battles and explore Wofford's brigade in a day.

 

[Chattahooch33]

Nope they are two of the best!
Mackowski's & White's Season of Slaughter and O'Rielly's Fredericksburg are my favorites but we're not gonna have time get into those two battles and explore Wofford's brigade in a day.

Sounds good. I read O'Rielly a few years ago and have your other one on order for my son.