Brigadier General Williams, perhaps attempting to redeem his reputation, was in the forefront of his small contingent as they crept up the side of the small mountain. Trying to keep an interval of three or four paces from the men to his right and left and slipping from tree to tree, Ethan approached the rounded brow of the hill. He and the others stopped when they could just see the heads of the British troops. Only a few minutes later, they heard the first rebel rifles fired to the south, and Ethan was amazingly calm as he and the other men moved farther up the slope and prepared to begin shooting at British troops, still at an extreme range. At first, there was little return fire except for a few indiscriminate shots by the confused troops, and most of their bullets seemed to be hitting the trees high above his head. He was behind a tree when he reloaded, and he could see that there was little danger to himself or to his fellow Americans; most of the British efforts to counterattack were on the other side of the mountaintop.

Although it did not seem necessary, General Williams was moving about and shouting orders to his troops. He was less than twenty paces from Ethan when a bullet blew off the top of his head. The surrounding men restrained their first impulse to go to their commanding officer, realizing that they could not help him. As next in command in the area, Ethan shouted, “Let’s move up,” and climbed the few yards to the next tree nearer the top of the hill.

Major Ferguson, who had been dallying in his tent with Miss Sal, was caught completely by surprise when the simultaneous attacks came, having been certain that another full day would be required before the rebels could reach the area, make their tactical plans, deploy troops, and launch an actual assault. He saw that the assembled piles of logs and stones would provide minimal protection with bullets coming from all sides, and recalled commenting to his subordinates that courage and the cold steel of sword and bayonet would be an adequate defense against the despised militiamen who might challenge him. Now his men were crouching behind the piles while he rushed to take charge and rally his troops. He shouted for them to return fire, and they launched bayonet charges over the southern lip of the mountain and down the slopes, forcing the Virginia troops to retreat entirely from the mountain. Twice more, Ferguson’s American Volunteers drove some of their attackers partially down the slope, but each time they returned to the hilltop when Ferguson blew his silver whistle in response to rifle fire from a different flank.