The opening against the Confederate left, before referred to, was led by French’s division of the Second Corps, about 10:30. The Eighteenth and Twenty-fourth Georgia Regiments, Cobb’s Georgia Legion, and the Twenty-fourth North Carolina Regiment were in the sunken road, the salient point. On Marye’s Hill, back and above, was the Washington Artillery, with nine guns, Ransom’s and Cooke’s North Carolina brigade in open field, the guns under partial cover, pitted. Other batteries on Taylor’s and Lee’s Hills posted to this defense as many as twenty guns, holding under range by direct and cross fire the avenues of approach and the open field along Cobb’s front.
French’s division came in in gallant style, but somewhat hurried. He gathered his ranks behind the swell of ground near the canal and moved to the assault. An intervening plank fence gave the troops some trouble in crossing under fire, so that his ranks were not form after passing it to the attack. Hancock, coming speedily with his division, was better organized and in time to take up the fight as French was obliged to retire. This advance was handsomely maintained, but the galling fire they encountered forced them to open fire. Under this delay their ranks were cut up as rapidly as they had collected at the canal, and when within a hundred yards of the stone wall they were so thinned that they could do nothing but surrender, even if they could leap to the road-bed. But the turned, and the fire naturally slackened, as their hurried steps took them away to their partial cover. The troops behind the stone wall were reinforced during this engagement by two of Cooke’s regiments from the hill-top ordered by General Ransom, and General McLaws ordered part of Kershaw’s brigade in on their right.
After Hancock’s engagement some minutes passed before arrangements were made for the next. Howard’s division had been feeling for a way to get by Cobb’s left, when he was called to the front attack, and ordered over the same ground. he arranged his forces with care, and advanced in desperate fight. Under the severe fire of the Confederates his troops were provoked to return fire, and during the delay thus caused his ranks were so speedily decimated that they in turn were obliged to return to cover. The confederate commander, General Cobb, was killed. General Kershaw, with the other regiments of his brigade, was ordered to the front. The Washington Artillery, exhausted of ammunition, was relieved by guns of Alexander’s battalion. The change of batteries seemed to give new hope to the assaulting forces. They cheered and put in their best practice of sharp-shooters and artillery. The greater part of Alexander’s loss occurred while galloping up to his position. General Ransom advanced the other regiments of his brigade to the crest of the hill. At the suggestion of General Lee the brigades of Jenkins and Kemper of Pickett’s division were called up and assigned, the former to General McLaws and the latter to General Ransom. A supply of ammunition was sent down to the troops in the road in time to meet the next attack, by Sturgis’s division of the Ninth Corps., which made the usual brave fight, and encountered the same damaging results. Getty’s division of the Ninth Corps came to his support on the left, but did not engage fiercely, losing less than eight hundred men. Carrol’s brigade of Whipple’s division, Third Corps, came in on Sturgis’s left, but only to brace that part of the fight.
As the troops hurried forward from the streets of the city for the Telegraph road, they came at once under the fire of the long-range guns on Lee’s Hill. The thirty-pound Parrots were particularly effective in having the range and dropping their shells in the midst of the columns as they dashed forward. Frequently commands were broken up by this fire and that of other long-range guns, and sought shelter, as they thought, in the railroad cut, but that point was well marked, and the shots were dropped in, in enfilade fire, with precision, often making wide gaps in their ranks. The siege guns of Stafford Heights gave their especial attention to our heavy guns and put their shots over the parapets very often.
One shell buried itself close under the parapet at General Lee’s side, as he sat among the officers of his staff, but failed to explode. Soon after this our big Parrot gun burst into many fragments. it was closely surrounded by General Lee and staff, officers of the First Corps head-quarters, and the officers and gunners of the battery, but the explosion caused no other damage than the loss of the gun.
Griffin’s division was next ordered to attack, and made the usual desperate struggle. The Confederates meanwhile had accumulated such force in the road that a single division, had it reached that point, would have found its equal in numbers, and of greater vigor, with Ransom at the top of the hill prepared to rush down and join in the melee. At that hour we could have safely invited one division into our midst, if assured it was to be the last.
The next attack was made by Humphreys’s division. Its commander was a man of superior attainments and accomplishments in the walks of civil as well as military life. He measured justly the situation, and arranged his battle in the only order by which success could have been made possible, but he had only two brigades with which to take a position not assailable and held by more than three brigades of superior troops. His troops were new, so that he felt called to personal example as well as skillful handling. He ordered the attack with empty muskets, and led with his brigade commanders, but half-way up towards the goal his men stopped to load and open fire, which neither he nor his officers could prevent, so they were driven back. Then he made a like effort with his other brigade, under special orders from General Burnside and Hooker that the point must be carried before night,--and the dew was then falling. (Just then our second big Parrot gun went into fragments, but without damage to the men.) The troops that had been driven back from previous attacks joined in trying to persuade Humphreys’s men not to go forward. Notwithstanding the discouraging surroundings, he led his men on, encountered the same terrific and death-dealing opposition, and his men retired in greater confusion, going beyond his control to the vicinity of the city before he could get them again in ranks. . .”
. . .At that time there were three brigades behind the stone wall and one regiment of Ransom’s brigade. The ranks were four or five deep,-- the rear files loading and passing their guns to the front ranks, so that the volleys by brigade were almost incessant pourings of solid sheets of lead.
Two brigades of Syke’s division, First and Second Regulars, were sent to the front to guard the line. It was some time after nightfall, so that their line could only be distinguished by the blaze of their fire. Some of the batteries and infantry engaged against their fire till night was well advanced.”
Source: From Manassas to Appomattox
Commentary
From his memoirs, Longstreet's description of the action in his front during the battle of Fredericksburg