Thoburn's Flank Attack

After turning back two Union assaults, Confederate Gen. William E. Jones shifted troops for a counterattack, but the move opened a gap in his line along the road. From near the Shaver House, Union Gen. David Hunter and his staff saw Confederate Gen. John C. Vaughn's Tennesseans moving to reinforce Jones's left, and when Lt. John R. Meigs pointed out the opening, Hunter ordered Col. Joseph Thoburn to strike it. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., Thoburn marched his men through low ground east of the road while Union artillery battered the woods and pinned down the Confederates. Reaching a point opposite the Confederate flank, Thoburn's troops formed line of battle in the low ground, crossed the road, climbed the slope unseen, and then hit the crest in a sudden attack. Jones ordered the 60th Virginia to face the assault, but it broke under heavy Union rifle fire. The 12th West Virginia's flagbearer, Corp. Joseph Halstead, mounted the Confederate rail fortifications with the regimental flag and urged his comrades forward before being shot down, and the Mountaineers surged over the works and routed the Thomas Legion in vicious hand-to-hand fighting. At the same time, the 54th Pennsylvania and 34th Massachusetts charged through the woods behind the Confederate line, deepening the confusion.

Virginia · United States