|
(1984)
Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield
The apex of the Mule Shoe Salient. The
trees and fields in the background are the scene of the Union attack on
May 12, 1864. This is the position taken by the Union troops of BG Francis
Barlow's 1st Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac |
|
(1984)
Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield
No other place on the battlefield of
Spotsylvania illustrates the sheer savagery of the battle as this one
does. Sometime during the night of May 12, 1864, a 22-inch diameter oak
tree standing approximately 300 yards west of the apex of the Mule Shoe
collapsed; it had been chewed in two by small arms fire. Some time later,
the stump was removed and taken to the War Department where it was
displayed for many years |
|
(1984)
Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield
This photo was taken from the
Confederate position at the Mule Shoe, looking out at the scene of the
Union Attack |
|
(1984)
Spotsylvania Courthouse Battlefield
This shot is looking back at the Bloody
Angle; the monument to the left is to the 15th
N.J. Volunteers
The longest sustained intense fight of the Civil War occurred at the Bloody
Angle, a slight bend on the west side of the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania. For
up to 20 hours men were engaged in a hand-to-hand and close in fight that
not even darkness put an end to
Marker (May 2013) courtesy of
Walter Kasperczyk, NY
Information Marker: Struggle
for the Bloody Angle |
