Rice in Amelia County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Assaulting the Confederate Battle Line
— Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park —
"The men pressed forward, holding their fire with wonderful self control till they were in plain site of the enemy almost face to face."
As the Federal troops realigned themselves after the creek crossing, and because of the shorter distance General Frank Wheaton’s 1st Division had to cover in doing so, they would be the first to make contact with General Richard S. Ewell’s entrenched Confederate forces along the ridge above you. As the Union soldiers neared their opponents, they were told not to “open fire until within two hundred yards or less of the enemy.”
When Wheaton’s men were within 100 yards, the nearing Federals began “showing handkerchiefs as an invitation to the men to surrender.” To this a Confederate officer responded by calling out, “Ready!...the men rose, all together, like a piece of mechanism, kneeling on their right knees and their faces set with an expression that meant everything Aim!’ The musket barrels fell to an almost perfect horizontal line leveled about the knees of the advancing line. “Fire!”
The first Confederate volley “swallowed up” the advance Federal line, with the second line wavering and finally breaking by the repeating volleys” Two Union regiments, the 2nd Rhode Island and 49th Pennsylvania, were involved in this retreat to the creek.
Erected 2012 by Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 37° 18.294′ N, 78° 13.625′ W. Marker is in Rice, Virginia, in Amelia County. Marker can be reached from Saylers Creek Road (Virginia Route 617) 0.6 miles north of Scuffletown Road (Virginia Route 620), on the right when traveling north. Located along the Confederate overlook loop trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6541 Saylers Creek Road, Rice VA 23966, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Final Clash: With Fate Against Them (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ewell’s Line of Defense (about 600 feet away); Crossing Little Sailor's Creek (about 700 feet away); Victory or Death (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battle of Sailors Creek (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battle of Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek (approx. half a mile away); Overton / Hillsman House (approx. half a mile away); Hillsman House (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rice.
Also see . . . Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park. Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation (Submitted on April 15, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,040 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 15, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.