The Great Skedaddle

Around 5 p.m. on February 6, Confederate Brig. Gen. Joe Finegan, with five elite brigades, arrived at Dabney's Mill. They spearheaded an assault on the Union position, which soon sent the Federals running back in a frantic stampede. Only nightfall and the nearby sanctuary of new earthworks saved Warren's force from severe damage. With first-hand accounts from both sides, I explore in depth the events surrounding this spectacular assault. I describe the fallout of this “disaster” within the Union command and the creation of a face-saving, false narrative that has echoed through to modern times.