‘ [516] Angle.’ It was a piece of bad engineering and certain to invite an attack as soon as the enemy understood it. This it required a few days for them to do, for our sharpshooters prevented any close reconnoissance. Meanwhile, however, our men found that the sides of the salient angle were enfiladed by the musketry fire of the enemy's sharpshooters coming over the parapets, and, for protection, traverses were erected every few yards along them. On the 10th, all the features of this salient had not been understood, but on its western face the enemy had found a place where a large force could approach within 200 yards of our intrenchments, entirely unobserved, and would have but that distance under fire to enter them. It was here that the carefully planned effort was made at 5 P. M. The assault was made under Col. Upton commanding a brigade in Russell's division of the 6th corps. He was a graduate of West Point of the class of 1861, and had already shown himself distinguished as a tactician and a leader of troops. His command included three brigades, comprising 12 regiments which were formed in four lines. No commands were given while moving into position. All had bayonets fixed and guns loaded, but only the front line had them capped. On reaching our works, the 1st line would divide, half going to the right and half to the left, to sweep in each direction. The 2d line would halt at the works and open fire to the front. The 3d would lie down behind the 2d, and the 4th would lie down at the edge of the wood, whence they charged, and awaited the result. In the charge, all officers would constantly repeat the shout ‘forward,’ and the men would rush forward with eyes on the ground they were traversing. The attack fell upon Doles's Ga. brigade of Rodes's division, and Upton thus describes how the charge was met:—
‘Here occurred a deadly hand-to-hand conflict. The enemy sitting in their pits with pieces upright, loaded, and with bayonets fixed ready to impale the first who should leap over, absolutely refused to yield the ground. The first of our men who tried to surmount the works fell pierced through the head by musket balls. Others, seeing the fate of their comrades, held their pieces at arm's-length and fired downward, while others, poising their ’
