Rats in a Cage

The Union army refused to give up despite the Federals' stronghold on Bolivar Heights coming under increasing pressure. Frustrated, "Stonewall" Jackson ordered cannons to the mountain tops and nearby plateaus. After a day and a morning of Confederate bombardment, Union soldiers felt the strain. Union Private Louis B. Hull wrote of "a general feeling of depression observable in all the men" and that "all seem to think that we will have to surrender or be cut to pieces," while Captain Edward Ripley of the 9th Vermont said, "We are as helpless as rats in a cage." After counsel with his officers, Union Commander Colonel Dixon Miles ordered white flags displayed, signaling the Union surrender. While riding to tell his artillery to cease fire, Miles was struck by a Confederate shell fragment and fell from his horse. Before his death the next day, he said, "I have done my duty. I am an old soldier and willing to die."

West Virginia · United States