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sent out a party which took possession of Dabney's Mill, driving out a few Rebels.
The whole force from one end to another was ordered to go forward at once, Griffin being, from the nature of the ground, somewhat in advance.
All went on without anything more than scattered skirmishing till near five P. M., when Griffin was struck by a part, or the whole, of two Rebel divisions.
But G. is a rough man to handle, and, after a sharp fight, drove them back and followed them up, taking a hundred prisoners. Our losses were some 400 altogether in this affair.
Of the enemy we buried 126; so that their total loss, including prisoners, must be, say, 800.
The Griffin was in great spirits at this affair and vowed he could drive the enemy wherever he found them.
Their object in attacking us was to delay our advance, and to get time to man their works.
As soon as Warren got up the rest of his Corps, he pushed on the attack, but John had got enough and had fallen back to his parapets, and thus the day ended.
Riding back to the Vaughan road, we found General Grant, who had come up with his Staff, and who camped near us last night, 29th. . . .
[To-day] nothing to note, but that there was a steady and drenching rain the whole livelong day, which reduced these sandy, clayey roads to a pudding or porridge, as the case might be. The chief Quartermaster told me it was the worst day for moving trains he ever had had in all his experience.
A train of 600 waggons, with the aid of 1000 engineer troops, was fifty-six hours in going five miles!
March 31, 1865
The rain held up about ten A. M. and the sun once more shone.
By this time our lines, running east and west, had been moved due north, till they rested their right on 