Merritt’s cavalry, formed the southern leg
of the triangle. Facing northeast toward VI
Corps, Ewell’s men formed the opposite
side. Although the two Confederate forces
were not far apart, there was a gap of sev-
eral hundred yards between Anderson’s left
and Ewell’s right. The base of the triangle
was open to the west, but the best escape
route was blocked by Crook’s cavalry. Brig.
Gen. J. Irvin Gregg’s men, dismounted, held
the Deatonsville Road. Also dismounted,
the 1st Maine Cavalry and the rest of
Smith’s brigade were deployed to Gregg’s
right. Davies’s brigade waited on horseback.
While Johnson and Pickett turned back
several attacks by Merritt, Ewell rode a
mile to the rear of his line to confer with
Anderson. The latter proposed trying to
break through the Union cavalry while
Kershaw and Custis Lee held off VI Corps.
Meanwhile, Anderson launched an attack,
but the effort failed and the men were dri-
ven back to their entrenchments. Ewell
and Anderson parted, each riding back to
his troops.
About 5 PM, Merritt’s divisions pushed
against the Confederate line along the
Deatonsville Road, while Custer broke
though Pickett’s division at Marshall’s
Crossroads. Hardest hit were two com-
mands on Pickett’s left, those of Brig. Gens.
Montgomery Corse and Eppa Hunton.
Both generals were taken prisoner along
with a large portion of their men. Else-
where, Picket’s regiments crumbled away.
Without Pickett’s division in place,
Bushrod Johnson came under fire on his
left. Crook’s dismounted men turned John-
son’s right and rushed into the entrench-
ments, while Davies’s brigade charged on
horseback and rode into the enemy works.
Beset on their front and both flanks, John-
son’s brigades broke. Many of Johnson’s
men reached safety with the main body of
the army, but the greater portion of Pick-
ett’s division was cut off and captured.
Another 2,600 Confederates, 300 wag-
ons, and 15 guns fell into Union hands.
As the Union cavalry attacked at Mar-
shall’s Crossroads, Wright’s bombardment
lashed the Rebels at Little Sayler’s Creek for
half an hour. When the big guns ceased fire,the divisions of Truman Seymour and Frank
Wheaton stepped forward, pushing into the
flooded bed of the creek. The 7,000 Feder-
als slogged through water up to four feet
deep, carrying their muskets and cartridge
boxes high above their heads.
On the Union right, Wheaton’s men
moved in a broad, single line to cover as
much of the front as possible. Their
advance was irregular and disordered
because of the swampy terrain. Lt. Col.
John Harper of the 95th Pennsylvania
reported that at the bank of the stream
“some little delay took place, it being dif-
ficult to cross in some parts.” Staff officer
Lt. Col. Miles L. Butterfield noted that
Wheaton’s division shifted some distance
to its left to find a fordable passage of the
creek. Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Hamblin’s
brigade, on Wheaton’s extreme left,
crossed the stream, climbed onto the oppo-
site bank, and reformed their ranks before
hitting the Confederate line.
Some distance to Hamblin’s right,
Colonel Oliver Edwards’s brigade crossed
the creek and moved headlong toward
Custis Lee’s division. To their left, Com-
modore Tucker was within sight of the
approaching Federals and ordered his meninto action. Holding their fire until the
enemy was within 100 yards, the Confed-
erates delivered two volleys that broke up
and threw back the Union advance. The
retreating Yankees also took friendly fire
from the guns near the Hillsman House.
Carried away by the sight of their fleeing
foes, some of Ewell’s men counterattacked,
Crutchfield leading his former artillerists.
The jubilant Confederates chased their
enemies as far as the bank of the creek. Lt.
Col. Joseph C. Hill, commander of the 6th
Maryland Union Infantry, and several of
his men were captured. The countercharge
soon went too far. Now far from their
entrenchments, the Confederates were
within easy range of case shot hurled from
Cowan’s guns. Some men of Edwards’s
brigade were armed with Spencer rifles,
and they poured in a concentrated and
rapid fire. Those Confederates who could
rushed back to their line. Among the dead
left behind was Crutchfield, killed by a
bullet through his head.
Wright’s troops readied themselves for
another charge. This time, Colonel
William S. Truex’s brigade got behind
Custis Lee and turned his left flank. As
Lee’s men scattered, more Union troopsABOVE: A sketch by battlefield artist A.R. Waud shows Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer preparing for his
third charge of the day. Custer, like most of the Union commanders, felt that the war could be ended with one
last push. OPPOSITE: Waud sketched several of the concluding actions at Sayler’s Creek. Here, Confederates
in the rear guard raise their rifles in surrender to onrushing Union cavalry at Amelia Court House.CWQ-Sum16 Sayler's Creek_Layout 1 4/20/16 4:29 PM Page 21