— Battle of Spotsylvania Court House —

Throughout May 12, Confederates here waged a battle for critical minutes and hours. When Union troops swarmed over the east face of the Muleshoe Salient before dawn, Robert E. Lee knew instantly that the position - even if regained temporarily - could not be held permanently. But to build a new line farther to the rear, he needed time.

Though driven away in the first hour of the battle, the Confederates fought their way back into these works by 7 a.m. For the rest of the day they weathered repeated attacks, as Union troops built ragged, impromptu works to their front in an effort to close on the Confederate position. The fighting here transformed the landscape; the scars remain.

Ultimately the Confederates held this line long enough for Lee to establish a new line, a mile behind you. The cost: hundreds killed and wounded, all for nothing more substantial than ticks on the clock and a few inches of ravaged landscape.

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

A Mass Capture
The Confederate Line
Containing the Enemy, Reclaiming the Works
Spotsylvania Campaign
Spotsylvania Campaign
Dawn Assault
Fatal Mistake at the East Angle
The McCoull House
McCoull Spring
Mayhem in the Muleshoe

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