The Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse

With the fighting at the Bloody Angle at an impasse, Grant and Lee looked elsewhere for opportunities to attack. Coincidentally, both men turned their attention to Heth's Salient, here on the eastern face of the Muleshoe. Grant sought a weak point in the Confederate defenses, while Lee hoped that an attack here might relieve pressure on Confederate troops fighting at the Bloody Angle.

The two sides unexpectedly collided in these woods. A wild scramble ensued. Men threw one another to the ground, brained each other with the butts of their rifles, and exchanged shots at point-blank range. In 30 minutes it was over. The Confederates straggled back to their line with 800 prisoners in tow. The Federals licked their wounds and dug in. The earthworks that they built line this road.

(captions)
Men of the 17th Michigan, who lost heavily in the attack on Heth's Salient. Courtesy Charles T. Joyce

Heth's Salient was a sharp turn in the Confederate works defended by General Henry Heth's (pronounced "Heath") division.

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Show me all markers in:  Spotsylvania, VA  |  Spotsylvania County  |  22553  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The Ninth Corps
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Heth's Salient Battle Site
Containing the Enemy, Reclaiming the Works
Fighting for Time
The Fredericksburg Road
"If It Takes All Summer"
A Mass Capture

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