The federal attack seemed like insanity, but when the Confederates atop the ridge used their rifles, they hit more of their own men, coming up, than Yankees. Panic seized the men atop the ridge, and the more they attempted to depress the muzzles of their cannon, the clearer it became that this was a hopeless endeavor. All of a sudden, the Confederates at the top began to run, and when their comrades from the rifle pits reached the top, they, too, took to their heels.