This view, taken from the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, looks west across the valley or ravine to downtown Fayetteville. The cemetery is located on the lower slopes of East Mountain (Mt. Sequoyah), where Cabell's men formed their line of battle and placed their two field pieces.
The first attack went left to right across the low ground visible in the distance and surged up against the Union defenders hastily assembling in line of battle. The immediate objective seems to have been Col. Harrison's command post at Headquarters House, but his men were able to drive back the Confederate assault in hard fighting.
The first attack repelled, the Federals were working feverishly to strenghten their position when Cabell suddenly opened on them with his two pieces of artillery. Damage was done to the camp of the 1st Arkansas U.S. Cavalry and to surrounding buildings, but according to Harrison's report, no Union soldiers were killed during the shelling.
By 8 a.m., the Union line of battle was fully established and the Confederate artillery ammunition was already showing signs of running low. The critical moments of the battle had arrived.
Our series on the Battle of Fayetteville will continue. To read more before the next post, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/battleoffayetteville.
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