Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/241

Rh and longer than Jackson's, and at 3:30 p. m. advanced to the attack, just as Jackson had placed his men in position and was advancing to flank Sullivan's right. Tyler's vigorous onset was unexpected, but Fulkerson, on Jackson's left, behind the stone fence, met it with a withering fire, at short range, and the two attacking regiments were repulsed with severe loss and broke to the rear, the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania so demoralized as to be of no further use that day. Tyler, with his other regiments, soon renewed the attack, which Fulkerson again repulsed from his front, but which fiercely continued for two hours in front of Garnett. Shields says of it: "Here the struggle became desperate, and for a short time doubtful."

Observing that the great contention was now on his right, and that there was no fighting force to detain him on the left, Kimball hastened six of his and Sullivan's regiments to Tyler's left, extending his line so that in advancing it would overlap Jackson's right and turn that flank. Jackson made heroic efforts to meet this superior force, inciting his thin line of weary veterans to stubborn resistance, bringing up the Fifth Virginia, which had been held in reserve, ordering up the Forty-second and sending for the Forty-eighth, which had been left to guard his train, that he might throw the last man and the last gun into the final struggle. Tyler did not wait for Jackson to get even these small additions to his force, but with added strength, again led forward his men and by their vigorous charge, the front of which fell on Garnett, caused the Confederate line to waver, and then, by order of its brigadier, to fall back.

Jackson, who was directing the artillery on his right and forcing back the advancing Federals, knew nothing of this order, and was highly indignant, when, just about dark, his army, which he tried in vain to rally, swept by him in retreat. Fulkerson was easily holding his position on the left when Garnett's retreat exposed his right and forced him to retreat, stubbornly fighting the superior numbers now rushing to attack him. The Fifth Virginia was coming to his relief in this emergency when Garnett ordered that also to retreat, but Jackson met and halted it in the edge of a wood in rear of his former position, and ordered the retreating infantry to form behind that. The Forty-second, coming up, was placed