The decisive moment of the Battle of Gaines’ Mill came around 7:00 p.m. at this point on the field. Frustrated by unsuccessful piecemeal assaults, Lee approached Brigadier General John Bell Hood and asked, “Can you break this line?” Hood replied, “I will try.” Approaching the creek, Hood waved his sword and shouted, “Forward! Forward!” The Texans and Georgians broke into a run with the piercing Rebel Yell, and Federals along the front line found Hood’s line unstoppable. They turned and fled up the hill, crashing into the second and third lines, and retreat turned to rout. At nearly the same time, a mile away on the Confederate left, another breakthrough occurred, starting an argument over who penetrated the Union line first. Lee’s presence in this sector of the battlefield may have fixed recognition on Hood’s men.
