Existing comment:
Lee Renews the Attack:
Within an hour after Hooker had abandoned Hazel Grove, Confederate artillerists planted 30 guns on this hill and began to pound the center of the Union line at Fairview, 1200 yards ahead of you. Southern batteries on the Orange Turnpike and Orange Plank Road joined the bombardment, blanketing the Union army in a three-way crossfire.
Meanwhile, "Stonewall" Jackson's corps, now led by J.E.B. Stuart, struck the Union line head on. For five hours, the battle raged fiercely in the woods around you, as opposing troops attacked, retreated, and attacked again through the brush-choked thickets. More than 17,000 men fell victim to the carnage. Those who continued to fight ran low on ammunition. At 10a.m., Union commanded Joseph Hooker ordered a retreat. |