The Army of the Potomac was put in motion for the James.
Warren, with the Fifth corps and
Wilson's division of cavalry, seizing the crossing at
Long Bridge, made his dispositions to screen the movement.
Hancock's corps, marching past the Fifth, was directed upon
Willcox's landing;
Wright's and
Burnside's corps upon
Douthat's, while
Smith, with four divisions of the Tenth and Eighteenth corps, moved rapidly to
White House and embarked for
Bermuda Hundred.
1
Early on the morning of the 13th,
Warren, who executed his critical task with marked address, pushed forward
Crawford's division on the
New Market road, and compelling the few Confederate squadrons of observation to retire across
White Oak Swamp, threatened direct advance on
Richmond, while the activity of his powerful horse completely shrouded for the time the movement in his rear.
Lee did not attack, for
Early had been detached for the defence of
Lynchburg, and the main body of his cavalry being absent under
Hampton, he was compelled, like the Great Frederick, when Traun's Pandours enveloped
Silesia in midnight, “to read his position as if by flashes of lightning.”
On the next day, however, a small body of horse, under
W. H. F. Lee, boldly charging the enemy, drove them hotly past
Malvern Hill, and on the same evening
Lee received accurate information as to the whereabouts of his adversary.
2
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266]
But not a man of the Army of the Potomac had as yet crossed, and the conjuncture being now so nice that the slightest blunder would have been attended with irreparable disaster, he drew back his troops towards
Chaffin's, dispatched
Hoke early on the 15th from
Drewry's Bluff to reinforce
Beauregard, and stood ready to repel direct advance by the river routes or to throw his army into
Petersburg, as events might dictate.
Grant's design, as we now know, was to
