It was a very calm morning and everything was very settled on May 5, 1864 in the State of Virginia, until a great power battle broke out on a very open and vulnerable terrain which extended for 70 meters. miles wide and 30 miles long. The battle ended two days later on May 7. In the end, more than 3,700 soldiers lost their lives, and of what remained, more than 4,000 were missing or captured. The 162,000 lives involved were transformed for the benefit of a battle deemed inclusive. What was this useless battle called? This is called “the battle of the desert”. This battle was between the Potomac, the IX Corps (Yankees) and the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederates). The Yankees were led by Ulysses S. Grant and George G. Meade and the Confederates were controlled by Robert E. Lee. The three generals who led the Battle of the Desert were very brilliant generals. Robert Edward Lee (Confederate leader) was born in Stratford Hall, Virginia on January 19, 1807 and died on October 12, 1870 in Lexington City, Virginia. Robert was raised by Anne Hill Carter Lee (mother) and Henry Lee III (father). He grew up with his sister Sydney Smith Lee. After Robert graduated from West Point Military Academy (he finished second in his class). He married Mary Anna Custis in the summer of 1830. Together they had 7 children. Robert was favored to do great things in the army, as was his father (“Lighthorse Harry”). He fought in the Mexican-American War (in 1864) and was a Confederate general in many Civil War battles, including the Battle of the Wilderness. Lee was joined by his horse Traveler. Two days before the first attack began, sparking the start of the Battle of the Wilderness, Robert E. Lee had already begun scouting George G. Meade's troops. On May 4, L...... middle of paper ......ps. One of Meade's greatest victories in the Civil War occurred when he was only three days into his command. The IX Corps of the Potomac entered the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, and just three days after it began, he and his men defeated those of Robert E. Lee and his troops. George Meade also served in The Battle of the Wilderness and played an important role alongside Ulysses S. Grant in letting Grant take the lead in the battle and pursuing Robert E. Lee and was in charge of the movement of the army . This ultimately led to the signing of the Treaty between the Potomac, the IX Corps and the Army of Northern Virginia. Even though the Battle of the Desert was an unnecessary battle and was deemed inclusive, 3,700 casualties still lost their lives. The battle was part of the story of the Union (Yankees) winning the war against the Confederates, which at first seemed to be no one's game..