Near Spotsylvania Courthouse in Spotsylvania County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Ninth Corps
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
— Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park —
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, June 23, 2013
1. The Ninth Corps Marker
To support Hancock’s May 12 assault at the East Angle, Grant ordered General Ambrose E. Burnside’s Ninth Corps to attack the Muleshoe Salient here along its eastern face. Shouldering their way through wet woods, Burnside’s men reached this spot shortly after dawn. Ahead, at the top of the hill, General James H. Lane’s North Carolina brigade waited to meet them behind substantial trenches made of earth and logs.
As the Federals approached, the Carolinians let loose with “prolonged cheers and death dealing volleys.” Some Union soldiers halted to return the fire; others pressed forward to the works, engaging the Confederates in a lethal hand-to-hand fight. It lasted just a few minutes. When Confederate reinforcements appeared, the Union soldiers retreated back down the slope and dug in here. For the rest of the day they remained pinned down, taking 2,500 casualties to no purpose.
(captions)
Formerly the leader of the Army of the Potomac, General Ambrose Burnside had resigned command after his defeat at Fredericksburg in December 1862. By May1864, he commanded the Ninth Corps.
View toward Spotsylvania Court House from Burnside’s front along the Fredericksburg Road.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical
this page online
Location. 38° 12.946′ N, 77° 35.493′ W. Marker is near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, in Spotsylvania County. Marker is on Burnside Drive, 0.4 miles south of Gordon Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Spotsylvania VA 22553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Spotsylvania Campaign (here, next to this marker); Heth’s Salient (approx. ¼ mile away); 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Spotsylvania Campaign (approx. ¼ mile away); Containing the Enemy, Reclaiming the Works (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fighting for Time (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Mass Capture (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Confederate Line (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spotsylvania Courthouse.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location also titled "Spotsylvania Campaign".
Also see . . . Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. National Park Service (Submitted on June 24, 2013.)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, June 23, 2013
2. The Ninth Corps Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 496 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 24, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
