Slaughter Pen Farm

When Gen. George G. Meade's division surged unexpectedly forward through the fields, Gen. John Gibbon's men scrambled to advance on Meade's right. Gibbon arranged his forces and ordered Gen. Nelson Taylor's brigade to attack the Confederates. The attack had little chance of success, with the Confederates on a hill in the woods and the Union troops on a level plain below without shelter. Taylor's four regiments advanced over the prone skirmish line, but one regiment that had never seen combat fired a volley and then apparently retreated in fright. Taylor helped stem the retreat, yet the rest of the brigade fared little better. As his men topped a rise, North Carolinians poured fire into them, bringing Gibbon's attack to a standstill and forcing the need for more troops.

Virginia · United States