The Fight at Spangler's Spring

The Fight at Spangler's Spring. July 3, 4:00 am—11:00 am. Before first light, Union batteries opened fire on Confederates holding this position. About 7:00 am, the 2nd Massachusetts and the 27th Indiana received orders to attack the breastworks on the wooded slopes in front of you. Colonel Charles Mudge, commander of the 2nd Massachusetts, could not believe the command, a frontal assault over open ground against an entrenched position. He replied, "Well, it is murder, but it's the order," and led his men forward at the double quick. Both units surged across the open, marshy ground behind you, toward the height above Spangler's Spring to your left. Confederate troops, protected by a stone wall, decimated the Union forces, forcing their retreat. The fighting here lasted until 11:00 am, when the Confederates finally withdrew., (captions) , Spangler's Spring, a water source for both sides during the battle, was a popular picnic area where cool water bubbled up through a hole in the ground. The memorial spring was erected in 1905., Upon enlisting, Charles R. Mudge wrote, "I fully made up my mind to fight; and when I say fight, I mean win or die." Wounded at Winchester and grazed at Antietam, Lieutenant Colonel Mudge died here leading his men into battle.