Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
McGowan's Brigade
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 9, 2009
1. McGowan's Brigade Monument
McGowan's Brigade
Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan
1st S.C. Infantry
Col. Comillus W. McCreary
Orr's Rifles
Lt. Col. George McD. Miller
12th S.C. Infantry
Maj. Thomas F. Clyburne
13th S.C. Infantry
Col. Benjamin T. Brockman
14th S.C. Infantry
Col. Joseph N. Brown
(Back):
In the rainy gloom of May 12, 1864, Brigadier
General Samuel McGowan's brigade of South
Carolinians battled their way into the disputed
earthworks here, near the apex of the Muleshoe
Salient. For eighteen hours the 1,300 South
Carolinians defended these works against
relentless attacks by thousands of Federals,
sometimes engaging in hand-to-hand fighting.
By battle's end, 451 men of the brigade were
killed, wounded, or missing. The slight angle in
the works they defended would forever be
known as the Bloody Angle.
To the brave and heroic men of
McGowan's Brigade
this monument is dedicated
Erected by the State of South Carolina and the
Brig. Gen. Samuel McGowan Camp 40
Sons of Confederate Veterans of
Laurens County, South Carolina, 2009
Erected 2009 by State of South Carolina.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this
this page online
Location. 38° 13.392′ N, 77° 36.007′ W. Memorial is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. It is on Bloody Angle Drive. Located at tour stop three (Bloody Angle) on the driving tour of Spotsylvania Battlefield unit of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Spotsylvania VA 22553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 49th New York Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); 15th Regiment New Jersey Volunteers (within shouting distance of this marker); Aftermath (within shouting distance of this marker); The Confederate Earthworks (within shouting distance of this marker); Struggle for the Bloody Angle (within shouting distance of this marker); Bloody Angle, Crowded Ravine (within shouting distance of this marker); Attack on the Muleshoe (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Muleshoe Salient (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Other markers no longer nearby. Spotsylvania Campaign
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 9, 2009
2. Back of Monument
Also see . . . Samuel McGowan. Civil War in the East website entry (Submitted on December 15, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Craig Swain, May 9, 2009
3. Monument Prior to Unveiling
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,203 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 16, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
