Fighting in the Cemetery

Fighting in the Cemetery. "Taking Shelter Behind a Tombstone". , Early Morning , On the morning of the Battle of Cross Keys, the 15th Alabama was posted here as an advance picket for the Confederate army, isolated from and far north of other southern troops. Most of the regiment was initially positioned on the other side of Keezletown Road, to your left, while two companies were deployed as skirmishers a short distance up the road, 175 yards to your left front., When the first Union troops arrived at the crossroads ¾ of a mile to your front, they turned down Keezletown Road and advanced towards this location and the Alabamians here. Gunfire crackled out, and "All at once," Pvt. William McClendon recalled, the skirmishers were "attacked with such overwhelming numbers" that they were forced to retreat. They pulled back through the cemetery in front of you, "frequently taking shelter behind a tomb-stone long enough to fire and load.", The men who had been across the road joined them here as the Federals crept closer. "When the Yankees reached the opening near the cemetery," McClendon recalled, "they halted for awhile; a deathly stillness prevailed in our ranks while we were waiting for the Yankees to come in reach, for we were anxious to get a shot.", Confederate Capt. William Oates described how, "A skirmish line of the enemy appeared... The men were anxious to fire, and I could hear the click, click, click of locks along the line" as the men cocked their guns., But before the two sides opened fire, the 15th Alabama's commander, Col. James Cantey, abruptly ordered his men to retreat. Spotting other Union troops moving on their right and fearing his men might be cut off, he ordered them to pull back to the main Confederate line on Mill Creek Ridge, a mile to your right , a withdrawal that would turn into a harried, hellish retreat under fire., This marker was made possible through the generosity of the Cross Keys-Mill Creek Ruritan Club, (captions) , Pvt. George Bailey, Co. D, 15th Alabama. Bailey was wounded three times during the war, including at Fredericksburg and Chickamauga. , Pvt. Preston Sellers, Co. L, 15th Alabama. Sellers was later captured at Gettysburg. , Capt. Isaac Feagin, Co. B, 15th Alabama. Feagin commanded the regiment for a short time after Second Manassas until he was wounded at Antietam. He was severely wounded and had his leg amputated at Gettysburg.