General Gouverneur K. Warren led the Army of the Potomac’s march to Spotsylvania and at dawn was optimistic he could take the village, believing the opposition amounted to little and that if there was nothing but cavalry his troops would scarcely halt. When Union troops reached this ridge, however, they encountered Confederate infantry and artillery rather than cavalry. Warren urged them forward, and the Maryland Brigade charged across the field behind this position and engaged the Confederates here in hand-to-hand combat over a hasty barrier made of fence rails, loose timber, and even household furniture. Their momentum was spent after a brief struggle, and the Marylanders and the rest of Warren’s command retreated. The Maryland Brigade lost 189 men in its assault on Laurel Hill, and as the survivors streamed toward the rear, Warren seized a flag and tried to rally them.