The Mule Shoe Line: Spotsylvania, Part II
The first of our men who tried to surmount the works fell pierced through the head by musket-balls. Others, seeing the fate of their comrades, held their pieces at arms length and fired downward, while others, poising their pieces vertically, hurled them down upon their enemy, pinning them to the ground. [Our] numbers prevailed, and like a resistless wave, the column poured over the works. Colonel Emory Upton, Brigade Commander, Wright's VI Corps
The weak Union attacks of May 8 rendered the Confederates capable of remaining in and strengthening their lines. "The spade had become almost as important for defense as the rifle," and most of the morning of May 9 was spent digging in creating the "strongest fieldworks in the war so far" (McPherson, 1988, p. 728). Captain James Caldwell of the 1st South Carolina noted that "the neighboring fences were robbed and the rails piled up before us. Earth was then thrown over these, from the inner side, so that by night we had a pretty good trench and breastwork to cover us (Jaynes, 1986, p. 87).
The Confederate line was fully in place by 4 p.m., resembling a ragged V, "The flanks bent back to meet attacks from either left or right and a strong salient in the center, protruding northward" (Jaynes, 1986, p. 87). The bulk of the Rebel line was shielded by trees and high vegetation. The made it difficult for the Union troops to figure out just where their line was exactly, and contributing to that difficulty were a number of well-hidden snipers keeping up a pesky fire on those behind Federal lines.
One of the sniper's work paid off. General Sedgwick was moving about overseeing the placement of his troops when the sniper fire began. Some of his men were made nervous by the gunfire. Upon attempting to reassure them by saying, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," he was struck down with a bullet piercing through his face just under his left eye. "Uncle John" died almost instantly. Grant commented later that losing Sedgwick was as costly as losing a division. General Horatio Wright replaced Sedgwick as commander of the VI Corps.
The other side of the field was also bustling with activity. Hancock's corps was moving in to the right of Warren, Sedgwick's to the left. Burnside's independent divisions were to swing around and approach the village from the northeast. Sheridan's cavalry was continuing southward to engage Stuart and cut supply lines. Grant had determined by late afternoon that Lee's weakness was on his left and ordered Hancock to take three divisions across the Po River and circle around Anderson's exposed flank.
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