But General Stone had not completed the development of his plan, and he again reinforced to 1,700—by the Twentieth Massachusetts, 340; Forty-second New York (Tammany), 360; First California (Colonel Baker’s own) 600, with two howitzers and one 6-pounder rifle gun. This looks by the figures given in official records like more than two thousand, but all other estimates put it at 1,700, about.
General Edward D. Baker[7] had now arrived and taken command of the Federal troops, making ready for a renewal of the conflict, and at 12:30 p.m. Colonel Hunton moved forward into the heavy timber, where Colonel Jenifer’s fight had left the Federals.
The battle opened again severely, the Virginians fighting straight ahead, with Jenifer’s force covering their left, which gave them opportunity for aggressive battle, although but one to three, with no artillery to answer the salutes of Baker’s guns.
The firing was rapid and the fighting stubborn, the Federals standing up to their work well, giving and receiving bloody blows with high courage; but, notwithstanding their superiority of force, amply sufficient to have swept the Confederates from the field at one rushing charge, they failed for lack of a proper leader, the result proving that Baker was as inferior to Hunton in skill and promptness on the battle line as was Stone to Evans in general conduct of the field operations.
The regimental and company officers did their duty well, but General Baker gave up almost without an effort the only strong military position on the field, and then so placed his reserves on rising ground immediately in view of his main line that Confederate lead, flying high, could find victims there.
It was well for Hunton, perhaps, that Devens[8] was not his antagonist, in view of the skillful, steady and hard fighting record subsequently made, when, as a cavalry commander, he gave Hampton, Fitz, Lee and Rosser a great deal of trouble; and withal he was a gallant gentleman, who, by considerate kindness, won the respect of Loudoun’s citizens while he camped his brigade among them the last winter of the war.
Colonel Baker was a chivalrous, high-toned gentleman, of fine attainments in politics and statesmanship, but, as was said of another, “God Almighty did not make him a general,” a lack which could not be supplied by a commission. Colonel Hunton saw and appreciated the advantage of the position which Baker had neglected, and steadying his line for the work, threw it in splendid aggressive battle—still one to three—against the volleying rifles and blazing cannon before him, sweeping infantry and artillery back to the bluff overhanging the river, where they staid, and the Confederates withdrew to the edge of the woods to rest and replenish cartridges for the final effort.