After the capture of the Confederate picket line on March 25, the Union high command began preparing to attack the Confederate lines on the Boisseau Plantation, and final orders for a dawn assault arrived on the afternoon of April 1. Major General Horatio G. Wright, commanding the Union Sixth Corps, tried to ensure success by assigning axmen and sharpshooters to go ahead of the infantry to remove obstructions and pick off enemy riflemen, ordering soldiers not to stop and return fire during the charge, and opening an artillery bombardment of 150 guns at 10:00 p.m. on April 1 that continued until after midnight to soften enemy resistance and knock out Southern cannon positions. Even with these measures, many Federal soldiers believed the attack orders were a death warrant, and some pinned papers bearing their names and hometowns to their uniforms so their bodies could be identified if they were killed, as one commander acknowledged that all knew bloody work lay ahead.