The Fight at Spangler's Spring

Before first light, Union batteries opened fire on Confederates holding this position. About 7:00 am, the 2nd Massachusetts and the 27th Indiana were ordered to attack breastworks on wooded slopes. Colonel Charles Mudge, commander of the 2nd Massachusetts, believed the order meant a murderous frontal assault over open ground against an entrenched position, but led his men forward at the double quick. Both units crossed open, marshy ground toward the height above Spangler's Spring, where Confederate troops protected by a stone wall decimated the Union forces and forced them to retreat. Fighting here continued until 11:00 am, when the Confederates finally withdrew. Spangler's Spring served as a water source for both sides during the battle and had been a popular picnic area where cool water bubbled up through a hole in the ground. Charles R. Mudge had written upon enlisting that he meant to fight and to win or die; after being wounded at Winchester and grazed at Antietam, Lieutenant Colonel Mudge died here leading his men into battle.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · United States