The Battle of the Wilderness from May 4-7, 1864 was the first major battle between Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee since Grant took command of the Union army. The battle occurred in a densely forested area called the Wilderness that made tactics difficult. Over the two days of fighting, there were around 25,000 total casualties as the armies battled through the woods, often resorting to hand-to-hand combat. Neither side gained a decisive victory, but Grant continued his strategy of applying pressure on Lee's army by maneuvering south rather than retreating north as other Union generals had typically done.