As Cooke's Brigade charged toward the railroad, it raced Union reinforcements to the position, but Union troops arrived first and poured fire into the Confederates, who were cut down in large numbers. Near the intersection of the railroad and Brentsville Road, Cooke's men achieved a limited breakthrough against the 42nd New York, whose line partly gave way because many in the regiment were recently arrived draftees and lacked the railroad's protection. Colonel James Mallon rallied the New Yorkers and restored the line, but he soon fell mortally wounded. The road trace ahead marked the farthest point many of the North Carolinians reached here. With their numbers shattered and no chance to continue, the Confederates faced surrender or retreat; many made a dangerous dash for safety, while hundreds surrendered along the railroad embankment.