The 26th Virginia and Indian Hollow

In the early afternoon, Confederate forces paused on the line where River Road crossed Manor's Hill after driving Federals from the ground and then realigned their units before renewing the advance. Skirmishers from the 30th Virginia Battalion stood to the front, with half of the 51st Virginia on the right and the other half in wooded ground on the left, alongside Hart's Engineers, a small 37-man unit fighting as infantry, while the 26th Virginia Battalion held the far left end of the line 500 yards away. At the beginning of the battle, the 26th Virginia, commanded by Col. George Edgar, had been behind the main line on Shirley's Hill, 3/4 mile to the rear, but Gen. John C. Breckinridge shifted them to the left end of his front after the Confederates pushed down that hill and paused in the valley below this height. After waiting about an hour to align his command and make sure the town was clear of Federals, Breckinridge ordered the advance to resume around 2pm. On this part of the front, skirmishers from the 30th Virginia under Maj. Peter Orey moved first and exchanged fire with Union skirmishers from the 18th Connecticut, and the main line soon followed. On the left flank, the 26th Virginia advanced through the narrow valley called Indian Hollow, named for Native tribes that had once traveled through the area, where ankle-deep mud from heavy rain and water washing down the ravine made the route difficult, but wooded terrain and rising ground on their right screened them from enemy view and enemy fire.

Virginia · United States