More imposing than the north battery, the south battery was planned to cover the Marron road, taking the valley of the Moselle in enfilade and facing the Bois l'Eveque.
However, Coehorn mortar shelling and devastating enfilade musket fire from the deeply echeloned government forces killed those who had made a breakthrough, while the others, after suffering heavy casualties, fell back in a retreat that quickly became a rout.
Wood, on his own initiative, worked forward with his Lewis gun, enfiladed the enemy machine-gun nest, and caused 140 enemy to surrender.