The Decisive Moment

The Decisive Moment (HMT36)

Location: Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Hanover County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 34.488', W 77° 17.639'

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Inscription
"Dashing up the steep bank, being within thirty yards of the enemy's works, we flew towards the breastworks, cleared them, and slaughtered the retreating devils as they scampered up the hill towards their battery." Decimus Barziza, 4th Texas Infantry

The decisive moment of the Battle of Gaines' Mill came around 7:00 p.m. where you are standing. Frustrated by the unsuccessful piecemeal assaults, Lee approached Brigadier General John Bell Hood and asked "Can you break this line?" Hood replied, "I will try."

Approaching the creek, Hood waved his sword and shouted, "Forward! Forward!" The Texans and Georgians broke into a run, screaming the piercing Rebel Yell. Federals along the front line found Hood's line unstoppable. They turned and fled up the hill, crashing into the second and third lines. Retreat turned to rout.

A mile away on the Confederate left, another breakthrough occurred at nearly the same time, initiating an argument about who penetrated the Union line first. Perhaps it was Lee's presence in this sector of the battlefield that pinned the recognition on Hood's brave men.
Details
HM NumberHMT36
Tags
Year Placed2011
Placed ByRichmond National Battlefield Park
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 30th, 2014 at 8:33pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 297423 N 4161113
Decimal Degrees37.57480000, -77.29398333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 34.488', W 77° 17.639'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 34' 29.28" N, 77° 17' 38.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6339 Watt House Rd, Mechanicsville VA 23111, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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