Confederate Counterattack

Confederate General Richard S. Ewell responded quickly to Upton’s breakthrough at Dole’s Salient. Wading into the melee, he shouted to the outnumbered defenders, “Don’t run, boys. I will have enough men here in five minutes to eat up every damned one of them!” Within minutes, thousands of Confederate soldiers converged on the spot. Although initially successful, Upton’s attack quickly turned into a fight for survival as Confederate lines coming across the fields pressed against ragged Union battle lines. Without help, Upton’s men could not hold out for long. As darkness settled over the battlefield, the Confederates drove Upton’s men from the salient and recaptured the cannons they had lost earlier in the evening. In the initial charge, Upton captured 950 Confederates, and Union soldiers hurried the prisoners to the rear under heavy fire.

Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia · United States