The Worm Fence

"We gained a slight rise in the land behind an old worm fence. The enemy had fallen back under cover of a piece of woods well in our front. Soon they came out in splendid battle array, with waving banners, and charged our position. It was a desperate effort to dislodge us." — Sgt. John R. King, 6th Maryland Infantry, USA

"The skirmishers in the center of my line being upon the crest of a hill and directly in line of fire from both lines, I ordered them to fall back upon our line of battle and reform in its rear." — Capt. Charles H. Stewart, 2nd Virginia Infantry, CSA

Exhilarated by their first taste of battle, the men of Union Gen. Joseph B. Carr's division advanced to this position and pushed back the strong Confederate skirmish line on top of this rise. With the arrival of Col. J. Warren Keifer's brigade, the Federals assembled a formidable line in the woods along the worm fence. From this position, they beat back two Confederate assaults. When Carr's men were almost out of ammunition, elements of Gen. David B. Birney's division advanced and held the line until the battle's end.

The third brigade of Carr's division under the command of Col. Benjamin F. Smith became greatly disorganized while moving through the tangled brush and timbers and into the low ground of a miry creek, known as Russell's Run, several hundred yards to your left. The fire of Confederate skirmishers convinced Smith that he was outflanked. He pulled his men back to a position of safety and, with the exception of a single regiment, did not engage the Southerners.

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