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Chapter 29: skirmishing at Mine Run.
General Lee had discovered that the enemy was crossing some of his troops as low down as Germana Ford, and to prevent him from getting too far to his rear, he determined to move forward, and not await the advance against this new line; and during the night I was ordered to advance at daylight next morning as far as
Locust Grove on the three roads leading to that point, to wit: the stone pike, the road by Zoar Church, and the one by Bartlett's Mill.
In accordance with
General Lee's instructions, the three divisions of the corps were advanced at light on the morning of the 27th, as follows: my own division under
Hays on the stone pike on the right,
Rodes' on the road by Zoar Church, and
Johnson's on the road by Bartlett's Mill; and while the troops were moving forward I rode to meet
General Lee at Verdierville, in accordance with a request from him to that effect.
Rodes' was a little in advance of the other divisions, and as the advance of his column came in view of the open ground around
Locust Grove (Robertson's Tavern) a very large force of the enemy was discovered moving up and occupying the high ground at that point.
General Rodes then formed his division in line across the road on which he was advancing, in a body of woods, and the point at which that road united with the one by Bartlett's Mill on which
Johnson was. In a short time
Hays came up from Bartlett's Mill and finding
Rodes in position in possession of
Locust Grove, formed his line across that road confronting him-Johnson in the meantime coming up from Bartlett's Mill and finding
Rodes in positon in front of him, halted his division along the road with his advance a short distance in rear of
Rodes' line, and his division extending back towards Bartlett's Mill, so as to
