The Assault Falters

The Assault Falters. . , Beaten federals entrenched within 30 yards of the Confederate earthworks., As the Union attack stalled, two surviving Federal colonels hastily discussed retreat. Realizing that withdrawal under heavy fire would invite more bloodshed, they decided to dig in along this brow of the hill not covered by fire from the Confederates earthworks only 30 yards away., While half of the Federals fired towards the earthworks, the rest furiously scooped shallow trenches with their bayonets and tin cups. After nightfall, the Federals brought up tools from the rear and built two lines of entrenchments., With the next six days, both sides exchanged sniper fire, expecting an attack at any moment. Only a seven-hour truce to bury the dead on June 29 interrupted this tense stalemate., Caption: , As the standoff continued, the Federals started a tunnel here, intending to blow up the Southern earthworks on July 4. But during the night of July 2, the Confederates quietly slipped away, forced to retreat as Sherman's Union Army outflanked them again. A small stone arch, erected in 1914, marks the tunnel entrance.