Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Forming for the Attack
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 17, 2018
1. Forming for the Attack Marker
Inscription.
Forming for the Attack. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Had you been here in 1864, you would have been standing at the edge of a field that stretched from here to the Confederate works. Upton's men advanced four abreast in a column up this road. When they reached this point, they silently deployed into a line of battle just inside the wood line, to the left and right of the road.
To reach the Confederate line, Upton's men would have to charge across 200 yards of open ground, claw their way through a barrier of fallen trees purposely placed, and overrun a stout earth-and-log defensive line, all the while exposed to the artillery and infantry fire of the foe. At 5:50 p.m. Upton gave the order to advance.
I felt my gorge rise, and Iny stomach and intestines shrink together in a knot, and a thousand things rushed through my mind....l looked about in the faces of the boys around me, and they told the tale of expected death. Dulling my cap down over my eyes, I stepped out.... , Corporal Clinton Beckwith , 121st New York Volunteers
(caption) One of Upton's regiments, the 96th Pennsylvania, drilling early in the war.
Had you been here in 1864, you would have been standing at the edge of a field that stretched from here to the Confederate works. Upton's men advanced four abreast in a column up this road. When they reached this point, they silently deployed into a line of battle just inside the wood line, to the left and right of the road.
To reach the Confederate line, Upton's men would have to charge across 200 yards of open ground, claw their way through a barrier of fallen trees purposely placed, and overrun a stout earth-and-log defensive line—all the while exposed to the artillery and infantry fire of the foe. At 5:50 p.m. Upton gave the order to advance.
I felt my gorge rise, and Iny stomach and intestines shrink together in a knot, and a thousand things rushed through my mind....l looked about in the faces of the boys around me, and they told the tale of expected death. Dulling my cap down over my eyes, I stepped out....
Corporal Clinton Beckwith
121st New York Volunteers
(caption) One of Upton's regiments, the 96th Pennsylvania, drilling early in the war.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location.
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38° 13.342′ N, 77° 36.305′ W. Marker is in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. Marker can be reached from Grant Drive, 0.7 miles north of Brock Road (County Route 613), on the right when traveling east. Located along Upton's Trail off of Grant Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9550 Grant Drive, Spotsylvania VA 22553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Upton's men would have formed in a line of battle to the left of the marker (view shown in the this photo) and to the right of it.
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 17, 2018
3. Wartime Woods Road Used By Upton
The marker can be reached by a short walk down this trail.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 162 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 29, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 3. submitted on April 1, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
