Existing comment:
(Stop 7[a]) Defense of Parsons' Ridge:
Union Brigadier General William Terrill was nearly panic-stricken. To his surprise, thousands of Confederates swarmed over the fields in front of you, moving toward the Federal lines. The shouts of attacking Southern troops and the crescendo of gunfire echoed among these hills. Terrill's soldiers, mostly new recruits, were still maneuvering into position as they faced the terror of their first battle.
Terrill ordered the eight cannon on this ridge to fire into the Confederate ranks. As the ground shook from the cannon blasts, Confederate troops suddenly appeared at a split-rail fence at the base of the hill. Fearful that his artillery would fall into enemy hands, Terrill ordered a bayonet charge by the 123rd Illinois Infantry. It was a poor decision. Outnumbered, they were driven back with heavy casualties.
Even with reinforcements, Terrill's inexperienced men could not withstand the persistent Confederate attackers who had now leapt the fence. Seasoned by battle, the Confederates determinedly loaded and fired, forcing the Federals from the hill and delivering a brutal initiation to the horrors of warfare.
"[T]he rebels had the start of us by two rounds while we were forming and loading our pieces. There was no cessation of firing... it was a perfect hail storm of balls all the time." -- Union soldier Bliss Morse, 105th Ohio Infantry
"Most of the bullets went over our heads, and sounded like a swarm of bees running away in the hot summer air overhead."
-- Union Major James A. Connolly, 123rd Illinois Infantry |