Arriving on the scene just in time Field’s Brigade, at the head of the Anderson’s Confederate First Corps, moved up the back of Laurel Hill. They had traveled east on Shady Grove Road and crossed the Block House bridge before heading north on Old Court House Road arriving a little before 8:00 AM, see map below. Major General JEB Stuart was there and directed them into position. Stuart’s initial goal was to protect the intersection where the Old Court House Road joined the Brock Road. There he placed Colonel John Henagan’s South Carolinians across the center of the road extending to the left. General Benjamin Humphries brigade would be on their right extending the line northeast. He also positioned artillery here on the high ground. Anderson learned that a division of cavalry had already made their way to town and were in his rear. Union Brigadier General James Wilson’s cavalry division, having swung far to the east, was headed north up the Brock Road toward Laurel Hill. Fitz Lee sent a cavalry regiment down the road to slow them while Anderson ordered Brigadier General Joseph Kershaw’s division to follow and deal with the threat. Wilson, who had performed so poorly at the Battle of the Wilderness, continued to disappoint when he withdrew without putting up much of a fight. Fields approach and the fighting for the day are shown in Hal Jespersen’s map below.

Warren’s V Corps at the head of the Union column were the first Federals to arrive at the base of the Laurel Hill. The large advancing Union army on the narrow Brock Road had created a log jam and it was difficult for Warren to deploy his men. Rather than wait to fully deploy his lines, perhaps as a result of his poor performance in the Wilderness, he decided to attack immediately and advance his divisions as they arrived, resulting in a piecemeal assault on a Confederate force rapidly digging in on top of a ridge south of the Sarah Spindle house. Robinson’s division at the head of the column was the first to move forward.

On a trip this past summer to Spotsylvania Court House I was hoping to get some pictures showing the topography of Laurel Hill but was disappointed to see that it was planted with corn. Then looking at the field from across the street at the Sedgwick monument I realized that the corn told the story better than any picture I could take on the hill.

Getting across the open ground of the hill after a long march would be a tall task. Despite this Colonel Peter Lyle’s brigade managed to get within 30 feet of the enemy line before falling back down around 9:00 AM under the heavy frontal and flanking fire of the Mississippians opposing them. Brigadier General James Robinson was shot in the left knee in the process. Brigadier General Charles Griffin’s division followed to the right of Robinson and fared a little better. The 44th NY and the 83rd PA of Joseph Bartlett’s brigade reached the Confederate lines but by this time Griffin was attacking alone since Robinson had already retreated and with no one to reinforce him Griffin too pulled back. The piecemeal nature of Warren’s attack was their undoing, and it would continue. Brigadier General Samuel Crawford’s division of Pennsylvania regulars suffered the same fate in the 10 o’clock hour. Brigadier General Lysander Cutler’s brigade would fare much the same. When General Meade arrived on the scene, he was furious and attributed Warren’s piecemeal attacks to a lack of nerve. Meade ordered a halt to them until reinforcements from Sedgwick’s VI Corps were available, which would not occur until the afternoon. Although Warren certainly had his problems during the Battle of the Wilderness this accusation was unfair. In the meantime, on the Confederate side of the field all of Anderson’s First Corps was now on the field and Ewell’s Second Corps was arriving.

In addition to Warren, Meade had another problem when Sheridan arrived to see him. Sheridan was angered over the treatment of his cavalry by Meade. Words were exchanged and Sheridan stormed out stating that he could whip Stuart if only Meade would let him. This dysfunction between Meade, Warren and Sheridan would have a profound impact on the coming battle and campaign. Warren had a passive aggressive nature and did not cooperate well with others, which would become even clearer in the coming days.

The rift with Sheridan would never heal for the remainder of the war. The problem for Meade was that Sheridan was one of Grant’s favorites. When Meade relayed Sheridan’s comment about Stuart to Grant. Grant’s comment was “Did Sheridan say so? Well, he generally knows what he is talking about. Let him start right out and do it.” And that’s exactly what Sheridan did over the coming weeks and in the process deprived Meade of his cavalry during the coming battle. This also was the starting point of a deteriorating relationship between Meade and Grant. Meade was not happy that Grant did not support him in the squabble with Sherman and when writing home to his wife stated that he was thinking of resigning from the army.

Over the course of the afternoon Sedwick’s VI Corps moved into line on Warren’s left extending the Union line to the northeast. But, as shown in Jespersen’s map, Ewell was also filing on to the field to Anderson’s right and the Confederates were improving their earthworks. The Federals would not be in position until after 6:00 PM. Even though Sedwick was senior to Warren, Sedwick was willing to let Warren command the assault. Finally, for the first time all day the Federals would launch a coordinated attack over a one-mile-long front with about 10,000 men. The fighting was fierce as the Union reached and breached the Confederate line in some places in hand-to-hand combat. However, the Confederates were able to continue to add reinforcements and hold the line. With two Union Corps fighting two Confederate Corps, the advantage went to the side that was at the top of the hill fighting on the defensive behind fortifications.

The day’s fighting is interpreted on the Laurel Hill walking trail.

Text- Although not as famous as the “Bloody Angle,” the fighting at Laurel Hill played an important role in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Here the battle began, and here more than 5,000 soldiers suffered or died. The Laurel Hill Trail leads to some key sites in that struggle. The trail begins across the road. Be careful in crossing—traffic here can be heavy and sight distance limited.

Text- [The] Federal assaults were not only easily repulsed, but the forces making them were simply slaughtered. Private John Coxe, 2nd South Carolina Infantry

Before you lies Laurel Hill, one of the most important but least understood areas of the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield. On three separate days—May 8, 10, and 12—Union troops charged across these fields, from right to left, in an effort to break the Confederate army’s hold on the wooded ridge to your left. Each attack ended in bloody failure. With each repulse, the Union soldiers’ enthusiasm for attacking the ridge diminished. “Every man in the ranks saw the folly of the attempt,” wrote a soldier in the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, “and judging from the undercurrent of their conversation, it is not probable that they would have made a very determined effort, or gone far.” In all, some 5,000 Union soldiers fell here—all to no purpose. On May 1

Text- Many Spotsylvania families lost property during the war, but Sarah Spindle nearly lost her life. The 36-year-old widow and her family had just sat down to breakfast on May 8, 1864, when the popping of rifles announced the presence of hostile troops. Confederate soldiers started digging protective earthworks on one side of the farm (in front of you). Minutes later Union infantry appeared on the other side of the farm, behind you. They soon charged into Mrs. Spindle’s yard and orchard. Fighting raged. For the rest of the day Mrs. Spindle’s farm would become the most contested piece of ground in North America. Fearing that the Federals would use the house as cover, Confederate artillery pummeled it with explosive shells, setting it on fire. Mrs. Spindle and her family ran screaming into the bedlam outside. They dodged their way southward (to your right) and crossed the Po River to safety. The house burned to the ground. Sarah Spindle escaped with her life but lost everything else.

Between the monument and the road is a line of Confederate earthworks. I followed the trench east for a short time along Pritchard Road (38.2116129, -77.6154216).

At the base of Laurel Hill along Hancock Street is a Union earthwork.

Next- The Death of John Sedgwick and the Changing Technology of War