On May 4, 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant launched the Overland Campaign by crossing the Rapidan River, initiating a fierce and prolonged duel with Confederate General Robert E. Lee. While Grant’s main forces engaged Lee in the bloody Wilderness battles, a lesser-known but critical front was unfolding under Major General Benjamin Butler. Commanding the Army of the James, Butler included nearly 1,800 Black cavalrymen and multiple regiments of Black infantry. Though often sidelined in historical accounts, these soldiers—many formerly enslaved—played a pivotal role in seizing key Confederate positions and disrupting supply lines. Butler, a vocal advocate for Black troops, gave them front-line responsibilities and publicly praised their valor, further validating their place in the Union war effort.