Battle of Spotsylvania • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments & Markers • The Armies
The “Dawn Assault” and “Fatal Mistake at the East Angle” wayside markers are along a walking trail that starts at Stop 3 on the Spotsylvania Battlefield Auto Tour (see map below).
The Dawn Assault (right) and “Fatal Mistake at the East Angle” wayside markers. The bridge behind them carries the foot trail leading to the Landram House site over the fragile remains of Confederate earthworks.
Dawn Assault wayside marker
Dawn Assault
In the dank, pre-dawn light of May 12, 1864, Confederates huddled along these muddy works could hear the rumble of Union troops coming toward them. Moments later the first of 20,000 Union soldiers poured over the works like a wave, engaging Confederate defenders here in furious hand-to-hand combat.
Nearly 400 yards of the Confederate line fell into Union hands as the blue-clad masses surged even deeper into the Salient. The Union breakthrough here threatened Lee’s army. While Union troops pushed forward into the woods behind you, Lee scrambled to find troops to resist them. He needed time—time enough to build a new line farther to the rear.
Well aware of the crisis, Confederate troops contested the Union advance and then pushed it back, eventually recapturing the works near the Bloody Angle. For the rest of the day they stubbornly held on, buying Lee the time he so desperately needed.
The figures of the men seen dimly through the smoke and fog seemed almost gigantic, while the woods were lighted by the flashing of the guns and the sparkling of the musketry. The din was tremendous and increasing every instant.
Lieutenant George D. Buswell
33rd Virginia Infantry
Fatal Mistake at the East Angle wayside marker
Fatal Mistake at the East Angle
The sharp turn in the Confederate works here is called the “East Angle.” It marks the apex of the Muleshoe Salient and was one of the most vulnerable points on Lee’s line. Lee fortified the place heavily and placed upwards of 30 cannon in and around the works here. But on the night of May 11, fearing the Union army was about to march south, he pulled those guns out of the line. For Lee, it was a rare and grave misjudgment.
The Federals were not leaving Spotsylvania, but instead were moving into position to attack the Muleshoe. General Edward Johnson ordered the guns back to their places, but they arrived just in time to be captured by swarming Union soldiers. Two Confederate generals (including Johnson), 3,000 men, and 20 cannon fell into Union hands. It was one of the greatest disasters ever to befall Lee’s army.
Location of the markers
The markers are about 400 yards from the parking area at Stop 3. They are at the apex of the Mule Shoe where one of the the foot trails leading to the Landram House site branches off from the Bloody Angle Drive trail on a bridge over the earthworks. (38°13’26.4″N 77°35’52.5″W)
(go to the main Tour Stop 3 page)
(go to the main Battle of Spotsylvania Auto Tour page)