In front of the farms of Richard and Isaac Sykes, soldiers from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia under Gen. James Longstreet attacked Union troops under Gen. Philip Kearny. Kearny's division brought Longstreet's attack to a grinding halt before the Federals threatened the Confederate flank. Sensing the danger, Gen. A.P. Hill's division rushed into the fight. South Carolinians led by Gen. Maxcy Gregg launched an assault but were unable to break through the Union position. Meanwhile, on the Long Bridge Road, four brigades from Hill's division finally captured the Federal line but could advance no farther as darkness fell and Union reserves proved too strong. Lee lost a great opportunity because Gens. Benjamin Huger, Theophilus Holmes, and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson failed to attack, allowing Union forces to shift reserves to threatened points and fend off Confederate assaults. Lee also moved his reserve division to the River Road, keeping 12,000 men out of the fight. The fighting resumed the next day at Malvern Hill, where Lee attempted one last time to destroy Gen. George McClellan's army, but the Confederates failed and suffered even greater losses.
