At noon General Warren was prepared on the turnpike and attacked with Griffin’s and Wadsworth’s divisions.
General Lee’s orders were against a general engagement until his forces were in hand, but the troops had met and action could not wait. Warren’s attack had some success, as by his orders General Ewell felt called upon to delay battle, but a sudden dash of the enemy broke into disorder his brigade under J. M. Jones, also Battle’s brigade; but other of his troops joined them, recovered his ground, drove off the attacking forces, taking two guns, and called Warren’s corps to better concentration. The Sixth was to be with Warren, but was delayed by the narrow, tangled roads till night. General Ewell prepared for the next day by intrenching his front.
Meanwhile, General Hill had pushed the divisions under Heth and Wilcox along the Plank road until they were near the Brock road crossing, occupied by Getty’s division of the Sixth Corps.
General Getty was in time to drive back a few of our men who had reached the Brock road in observation, and Hancock’s corps joined him at two P.M., fronting his divisions—Birney’s, Mott’s, Gibbon’s, and Barlow’s—along the Brock road, on the left of Getty’s. His artillery was massed on his left, near Barlow, except a battery nearer the Plank road, and one section at the crossing. He ordered his line intrenched.
As soon as he found his troops in hand at the cross-roads, General Meade ordered them into action. Getty’s division, supported by the Second Corps, was to drive Hill back, occupy Parker’s Store, and connect with Warren’s line. He afterwards learned of the repulse of Warren on the turnpike, but repeated his orders for the advance on the Plank road. At 4.15 Getty’s division advanced, and met the divisions of Heth and Wilcox a few hundred yards in advance of their trenches.
In the fierce engagement that followed, Birney’s and Mott’s divisions were engaged on Getty’s left, and later the brigades of Carroll and Owen, of Gibbon’s division. Wadsworth’s division and Baxter’s brigade of the Fifth Corps were put in to aid Getty’s right. The combination forced Heth and Wilcox back about half a mile, when the battle rested for the night. Hancock reinforced his front by Webb’s brigade of Gibbon’s division, and was diligently employed at his lines during the night putting up field-works.
About eleven o’clock in the night the guide reported from General Lee to conduct my command through the wood across to the Plank road, and at one o’clock the march was resumed. The road was overgrown by the bushes, except the side-tracks made by the draft animals and the ruts of wheels which marked occasional lines in its course. After a time the wood became less dense, and the unused road was more difficult to follow, and presently the guide found that there was no road under him; but no time was lost, as, by ordering the lines of the divisions doubled, they were ready when the trail was found, and the march continued in double line. At daylight we entered the Plank road, and filed down towards the field of strife of the afternoon of the 5th and daylight of the 6th.
R. H. Anderson’s division of the Third Corps, marching on the Plank road, had rested at Verdierville during the night, and was called to the front in the morning. The divisions of Heth and Wilcox rested during the night of the 5th where the battle of that day ceased, but did not prepare ammunition nor strengthen their lines for defence, because informed that they were to be relieved from the front. Both the division commanders claim that they were to be relieved, and that they were ordered not to intrench or replenish supplies. So it seems that they were all night within hearing of the voices of Hancock’s men, not even reorganizing their lines so as to offer a front of battle! General Heth has stated that he proposed to arrange for battle, but was ordered to give his men rest. While Hancock was sending men to his advanced line during the night and intrenching there and on his second line, the Confederates were all night idle.
Hancock advanced and struck the divisions before sunrise, just as my command reported to General Lee. My line was formed on the right and left of the Plank road, Kershaw on the right, Field on the left. As the line deployed, the divisions of Heth and Wilcox came back upon us in disorder, more and more confused as their steps hurried under Hancock’s musketry. As my ranks formed the men broke files to give free passage for their comrades to the rear. The advancing fire was getting brisk, but not a shot was fired in return by my troops until the divisions were ready. Three of Field’s brigades, the Texas, Alabama, and Benning’s Georgia, were formed in line on the left of the road, and three of Kershaw’s on the right. General Lee, appalled at the condition of affairs, thought to lead the Texas brigade alone into desperate charge, before my lines were well formed. The ordeal was trying, but the steady troops, seeing him off his balance, refused to follow, begged him to retire, and presently Colonel Venable, of his staff, reported to me General Lee’s efforts to lead the brigade, and suggested that I should try to call him from it. I asked that he would say, with my compliments, that his line would be recovered in an hour if he would permit me to handle the troops, but if my services were not needed, I would like to ride to some place of safety, as it was not quite comfortable where we were.
As full lines of battle could not be handled through the thick wood, I ordered the advance of the six brigades by heavy skirmish lines, to be followed by stronger supporting lines. Hancock’s lines, thinned by their push through the wood, and somewhat by the fire of the disordered divisions, weaker than my line of fresh and more lively skirmishers, were checked by our first steady, rolling fire, and after a brisk fusillade were pushed back to their intrenched line, when the fight became steady and very firm, occasionally swinging parts of my line back and compelling the reserves to move forward and recover it.