One-Sided Slaughter
Fate of the 5th New York
The 5th N.Y. Infantry thought they had gotten off easy that day. The trees screened them from Confederate artillery fire, and most of the fighting was a mile off to the right near Deep Cut.
Suddenly they heard heavy musket fire up ahead. Terrified Union skirmishers came running out of the woods, followed by a tremendous crashing of brush and leaves - the sound of a large army approaching.
Unable to see what was coming, but knowing it was going to be very bad, the 5th New York hurried to form a battle line along the crest of this slope. Panicked skirmishers kept getting in the way. By then, thousands of Confederates were at the edge of the trees firing volley after volley.
In five minutes, the 5th New York lost nearly 300 killed and wounded out of about 500 men. From a distance, the scene was deceptive: the grassy slope, covered with the bright red and blue uniforms of fallen Zouaves, reminded one Southerner of a field of Texas wildflowers.
Marker is on New York Avenue 0.3 miles south of Lee Highway (U.S. 29), on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
