The Rock Fight

Yankees were pinned down on the far side of the embankment, only ten yards away. After twenty minutes of continuous shooting, Confederates here were running out of ammunition. Frantically, they searched their dead and wounded comrades for cartridges. Others pried stones from the railroad grade and hurled them down on the enemy. Already shell-shocked, some bewildered Federals threw the stones right back. The rock fight lasted only a minute. Reinforcements arrived and drove off the Federals. The rock-throwing had no effect on the battle’s outcome; the Federal attack had already weakened—yet the incident grew legendary, an image of the desperate, close-quarters fighting at Deep Cut.

Haymarket, Virginia · United States