After the carnage on Laurel Hill on the 8th both sides extended their lines and further entrenched their positions. Grant held Hancock’s II Corps in reserve at Todd’s Tavern and ordered Burnside’s IX Corps to the east to try and find another route into Spotsylvania Court House. On the 9th Hancock’s II Corps would try and get around the Confederate left by advancing toward the Po River. He reached the river late in the day and was hesitant to cross and halted there with Meade and Grant’s permission. Later that day Brigadier General Horatio Wright was appointed head of the VI Corp to replace Sedgwick. General Ewell’s Second Corps was placed on the Confederate right extending their line in the same direction as the Federals.

However, when Lee inspected his line he noted that there was an entrenchment that extended northward from it like a large semicircular bubble called a salient. The problem with a salient is that it can be bombarded on three sides by converging artillery fire. It came to be known as the “Mule Shoe Salient” because of its shape. In reality, it stuck out like a sore thumb waiting to be attacked. To try and mitigate the damage of converging fire the men built what they called pens to hold a small groups of men protected by traverses, which were earthen walls that were perpendicular to the main walls blocking fire from the sides. The Third Corps now led by Major General Jubal Early, its former commander AP Hill was ill, aligned to the right of Ewell and extended east across the Fredericksburg Road that led to Spotsylvania Court House.

A Colonel in the VI Corps, Emory Upton, developed a plan for attacking the Mule Shoe. Instead of an attack across a long line as had occurred at Laurel Hill two days ago, he proposed a strike in a narrow column three regiments wide and four regiments deep advancing quickly across the open field without firing. They would punch a hole in the line, widen it, and use reserves and reinforcements to hold their position. Upton was positioned in an ideal location for the attack. His brigade was in the woods near a farm lane. Two hundred yards from the edge of those woods was the Mule Shoe salient. The first line was made up of the 121st NY, 96th PA and 5th MA. Their job was to race across the field without firing and punch a hole in the Confederate line. Their target was a place called Doles Salient, named after Brigadier General George Doles who commanded the four Georgia regiments there. Once inside they were to move along the wall to the left and right extending the breach. The second (49th PA, 6th MA, 5th WI) and third lines (43rd and 77th NY, and 119th PA) were to add their weight to the first line. The fourth and last line (2nd, 5th and 6th VT) were the reserves. Upton’s alignment and area of attack is shown below.

Grant planned other assaults and maneuvers on the Federal right to coincide with Upton’s attack on the left. The first would take place on the Federal’s far right where he would have three of Hancock’s divisions cross the Po River in a feint. Grant hoped that seeing three divisions with their backs to the river would be too enticing and that Lee would send some of his forces in that direction which he did. Lee sent two Third Corps divisions to meet them. By the time the Confederates arrived two of Hancock’s three divisions were already back across the. river. With Lee having moved two divisions to his far left Grant planned an attack across the whole line (on the Federal right at Laurel Hill, and on the left at the Mule Shoe both to begin at 5:00 PM) hoping to find a weakness. Warren’s V and Wright’s VI Corps would attack on the right at Laurel Hill supported by two of Hancock’s divisions on Warren’s right. Another of Hancock’s divisions would assist Wright and the fourth division would remain on the Confederate side of the Po River. Grant and Meade not happy with Warren’s performance two days earlier placed Hancock in charge on the right. The alignment of the forces are shown below.

An acute problem developed on the far right requiring Hancock’s attention, when his division isolated across the river came under attack and Hancock personally supervised moving another division to aid them. With Hancock gone Warren took advantage of the situation and sent a dispatch to headquarters stating he saw a weakness in the Rebel line and attacked 90 minutes early at 3:30 PM! On the left Upton was running late and the II Corps division that was to support him, commanded by Brigadier General Gershom Mott, attacked right on time at 5:00 PM. Mott’s two brigades were easily repulsed. By the time Upton had his men ready to move forward at 6:30 PM he would have no support.

Upton’s men ran from the tree line toward the Mule Shoe at 6:30 PM. The first line punched thru the salient capturing the guns of the Richmond Howitzers. The second line stormed over the works and headed for the reserve earthwork line. General Lee rode forward to rally his men but was moved back to safety by them as they cried out “Lee to the Rear” as the Texas brigade had done at the Battle of the Wilderness. Ewell also rode to the front encouraging his men by yelling out that reinforcements would arrive within 5 minutes. Brigadier General Stephen Ramseur’s brigade arrived in addition to others forcing the Federals out of the Mule Shoe. With the disjointed Federal attacks along the line there was no one to support Upton, whereas Lee could get plenty of troops to the Mule Shoe to drive Upton and his men back to their lines. Upton had managed to hold his position for about an hour and capture 950 Confederates including 37 officers. Grant had seen first hand the weaknesses of the Mule Shoe and promoted Upton to Brigadier General. Next he would repeat the same maneuver but instead of a brigade he would send a whole Corps. Upton’s attack is interpreted at Stop #2 of the driving tour.

Across the street from the start of the trail is a trench line dug by the VI Corps we’ll cover that on the driving tour.

They would attack at Doles Salient. The small brown sign marking the salient is no longer there but the pictures below were taken from the same GPS coordinates looking toward the Confederate line starting looking left to right.

Next- Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Driving Tour- Stops 1 and 2