On this day in the Civil War, the Battle of Spotsylvania becomes one of the bloodiest days of the war. A Federal soldier says, “This has been the most terrible day I have ever lived.”
On the previous day, Union General U.S. Grant wrote to General Halleck, “I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.”
General Ulysses S. Grant
(Photo Credit: Library of Congress)
The Civil War Book 
I just read about this today in Army Life by Theodore Gerrish. If you haven’t already you should give that a read. His writing is incredibly descriptive.
He fought with the 20th Maine.