 Reaching the open fields again , the 21st was ordered by Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny to fill a hole in the center of the Union line . As the 21st advanced , Kearny rode out in front of the regiment , strenuously urging them to hurry , and refuting warnings that Confederates were close by . Kearny was killed by a volley from a force of Confederates concealed just inside a nearby tree line . Now in very close range to the enemy , a tense standoff ensued with leveled muskets as the 21st and the Confederate regiment each demanded the surrender of the other . Finally , the Confederate regiment charged on the 21st . It was the first time and last time , according to the regimental historian , that the 21st gave wounds with the bayonet . The hand @-@ to @-@ hand fighting was severe and great confusion resulted . Col. Clark was separated from the unit when most of the men around him were killed and he found himself lost in the Virginia countryside for four days before finding the unit again . This resulted in the mistaken printing of his obituary in Amherst . 
