Wilson's Cavalry Charge
By 6pm General James H. Wilson had moved the 4th U.S. Cavalry, down Summerfield Road through the outer works and had ordered Captain Robinson of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery to do the same. After the main assault most of the regiments of Long's 2nd Division had lost unit cohesion. Their commanders lay wounded or dead. Mixed Confederate units fell back to a second defense line along the Alabama and Mississippi Railroad track. One stronghold on this line was Interior Redoubt III. Wilson decided that all the fleeing Confederates needed was one strong push. In one of the last cavalry charges of the Civil War, the 4th U.S. Cavalry drew sabers and in a column of fours charged the Redoubt. By this time No. III was bristling with guns. The attack was stopped as it hit the railroad tracks. Wilson riding his favorite horse 'Sheridan' was thrown to the ground when the horse was shot. Unhurt Wilson called for reinforcements for a second charge. The 4th Michigan Cavalry formed dismounted to the East of the Summerfield Road about 330 yards from the railroad track, the 3rd Ohio Cavalry mounted formed to the west of the road and the 17th Indiana formed to their right. Captain Robinson's 10 pound Parrots about 1,100 yards away were now shelling the Redoubt. About 6:30 pm this second charge succeeded in taking Redoubt No. III. In the darkness these Units followed the fleeing Confederates into the town.| HM Number | HM1JQZ |
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| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 2015 |
| Placed By | The April 1865 Society |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Wednesday, March 25th, 2015 at 9:03pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 16S E 497039 N 3586634 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 32.41678333, -87.03148333 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 32° 25.007', W 87° 1.889' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 32° 25' 0.4200" N, 87° 1' 53.3400" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 334 |
| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling South |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 1120-1198 Lapsley St, Selma AL 36701, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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