A ditch partially filled with water surrounded Fort Gregg. After crossing a field of deadly fire to reach the fort, many of the attackers ran into the ditch only to be mired in water and mud. Wounded men risked drowning unless helped out of the water. Soldiers of the 67th Ohio Infantry Regiment reached the ditch first but could not work their way around to the rear entrance due to the water in the ditch. The 62nd Ohio Infantry Regiment lost many men in their advance and struggled to gain footholds in the muddy ditch to climb the parapet. Colonel Dandy's brother, Major James H. Dandy, commanding the 100th New York Infantry Regiment, was killed trying to reach the rear of the fort. Corporal and Color-Bearer John Kane of the 100th New York Infantry was awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in the attack by posting the national flag on the wall of Fort Gregg.