Henry E. Handerson

A graduate of Hobart College in Geneva, New York, Henry E. Handerson found a position as a tutor for the family of Washington Compton, a cotton planter of Alexandria, Louisiana, in 1859. When the Civil War broke out, Handerson found that his service in the Confederate army was expected. His diligence and ability came to the attention of his commanders, and eventually Handerson became a staff officer, with a rank and surroundings he found more suitable to his social position.

In May 1864, Handerson and the Confederate army found themselves under attack by General Ulysses S. Grant, the newly promoted overall commander of the Union army. Grant's offensive took his Army of the Potomac directly into a tangled, confusing, and rugged region of Virginia hills and forests known as the Wilderness. The Battle of the Wilderness that followed pitted two desperate and...