Crisis in the Wilderness wayside marker on the Wilderness battlefield

Battle of the Wilderness • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • The Armies

Tour Stop 6 on the Wildeness Battleifled Auto Tour The Crisis in the Wilderness wayside marker was along the Tapp Field walking trail on the south end of Tapp Field, about 70 yards from the pulloff on Orange Plank Road and 700 yards from the Stop Six parking area.

NOTE: The marker has been removed and is included here for historical reference.

The Crisis in the Wilderness wayside marker in Tapp Field on the Wilderness battlefield

Text from the marker:

Crisis in the Wilderness

A celebrated battlefield episode of the Civil War happened here at the Widow Tapp Field on the morning of May 6, 1864. The Army of Northern Virginia and its commander, R.E. Lee, face disaster on the Orange Plank Road as a powerful Union attack swept A.P. Hill’s Confederate divisions from the woods one-half mile in front of you. James Longstreet’s long-expected Confederate reinforcements had not yet arrived, so only a thin line of artillery stood between the approaching Federals and decisive victory in the Wilderness.

This trail leads a short distance into the Widow Tapp Field to exhibits that describe the dramatic events that saved the Confederate army, and perhaps its famous commander. From there, a 30-minute loop trail visits three other points of interest.

Closeup of the Crisis in the Wilderness wayside marker in Tapp Field on the Wilderness battlefield

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