Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[1079] had left when General Smith turned to walk with me. I started to return to you, but Smith's manner and tone had been such as to leave upon my mind the most unpleasant reflections. The inference I drew from his remark was, that General Hancock, whom I did not then personally know, but whom I had always regarded as a most brave and loyal officer, had asserted his superior rank and sought to command the combined forces in any subsequent movement. I therefore turned back and went to General Hancock's headquarters for the purpose of ascertaining: the facts with respect to that matter. I did not find Hancock there, but from his staff I learned that General Hancock had promptly, upon arriving on the field, waived his rank, placed himself and his command at the service of Smith, and that his (Hancock's) troops were then preparing to relieve Smith's men in the front.

All this I reported to you between eleven and twelve that night, and I can never forget your surprise, your sorrow, or your disgust when you learned of Smith's refusal to obey orders and the evident intent upon his part to place upon General Hancock the responsibility for no further movements that night. After a few moments' reflection you turned to me and asked if I would make a third ride to Smith, saying, that while I had had a hard day's work, my knowledge of the roads, of the position of the army, and of the situation in front of Petersburg was such as to make it almost necessary that I, rather than any other officer of your staff, should go. To that I responded that I would cheerfully go. You then directed me to see General Smith personally and to say to him that you peremptorily ordered him, upon the receipt of your command sent by me, to cause an immediate attack to be made upon the defences of Petersburg by all the forces then present.

I arrived at the front upon this mission between one and two o'clock on the morning of June 16. I found General Smith's headquarters camp and rode directly to the tents thereof. Inquiring of the sentries as to which was General Smith's tent, no one seemed to know and they stated that they had not seen him. I then made inquiry of some of his staff as to his whereabouts and was informed that they were unknown; that he had gone earlier in the night to General Hancock's headquarters and had not returned to camp.

Smith's camp was pitched on the right of the road in a piece of woods, and after thorough inquiry there, which was answered each time with a denial of all knowledge of the general's whereabouts, I proceeded to General Hancock's headquarters and to those of the division commanders of Smith's command. At none of these places could I obtain any knowledge or information as to him. Returning to the neighborhood of his headquarters camp I endeavored to reach it from another side than that on which I had originally entered it, and found that the bushes, trees, and undergrowth prevented this, and after looking the ground over became satisfied that the path I had originally taken to it from the main road was practically the only approach to it which had been beaten down and used. It was then between two and three o'clock in the morning, and throwing my bridle over one arm I placed my rubber blanket on the ground and lay down across the path leading from the main road to Smith's camp, well