The Confederate Defense

Confederate troops commanded by General Richard S. Ewell arrived on this ridge line on the morning of May 5. Ordered by General Lee not to initiate a battle, Ewell placed 10,000 men along this high ground on either side of the Orange Turnpike (present day Route 20) and prepared earthworks. None of the Union attacks on this side of the road succeeded, although the 140th New York briefly grappled hand-to-hand here with their opponents from North Carolina and Virginia. The Federals did break Ewell's line across the highway, killing Confederate General John M. Jones in the process. A Southern counterattack, however, drove the Unionists out of the woods and back across Saunders' Field.