Beside the asphalt path, north side of Monument Drive, about 40 yards west of West Ox Road, facing Ox Hill Battlefield Park across Monument Drive to the south.
Beside the asphalt path, north side of Monument Drive, about 40 yards west of West Ox Road, facing Ox Hill Battlefield Park across Monument Drive to the south.
Beside the asphalt path, north side of Monument Drive, about 40 yards west of West Ox Road, facing Ox Hill Battlefield Park across Monument Drive to the south.
Confederate Line of Battle
Here, along this line, Confederate infantry from Hays’ Louisiana brigade of Ewell’s (Lawton’s) division crouched in the woods behind a rail fence at the edge of a large open field. To your left, continuing across Ox Road, was Trimble’s (Brown’s) brigade of Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina troops. As artillery shells exploded around them, the Confederate front rank fired into a wave of Union troops attacking up the slope (directly toward you).
At 5 p.m., as a terrific thunderstorm burst upon the field, the advancing Union infantry reached the rail fence. Led by Brig. Gen. Isaac Stevens, the 79th New York regiment threw down the fence and crashed into the woods, driving the Louisianans back in disorder. Soon the panic spread to Trimble’s brigade, which also fell back.
Amid bolts of lightning and torrents of rain, General Isaac Stevens’ division penetrated about fifty yards into the woods and threw up a breastwork of logs, branches and fence rails. However, General Jubal Early’s Virginia brigade, in reserve, counterattacked with three regiments driving the Federals back into the open field. From there they withdrew, carrying the lifeless body of General Stevens with them.
For the Louisiana Tigers, this humiliating encounter was costly. The brigade lost 132 men killed and wounded. The loss was attributed to Col. Strong being new to brigade command and trying to reposition his regiments just as the Union attack reached the fence. With many troops in no position to stem confront the attack, they fell back in disorder. In the panic, writes author Terry Jones, “Charles Behan of the 5th Louisiana, had a bullet splinter his musket stock… four balls rip through his clothing and most of his pants blown off by a shell.” He emerged unscathed but was later killed at Sharpsburg (Antietam).