Smith's attack was made at 7.30 P. M. and scarcely had the assault ended when Hancock came up.Gen. Francis A. Walker, chief of staff of General Hancock, says:--1
The head of General Hancock's column was now, say 6.30 P. M., at the Bryant House, about a mile in the rear of Hinks' position (see map) and left instructions for Birney and Gibbon to move forward as soon as they could ascertain where they were needed. General Hancock rode to General Smith, and informed him that two of his divisions were close at hand ready for any movement which in his judgment should be made, General Smith informing him that the enemy had been reinforced during the evening, and requesting him to relieve his troops (Smith's) in the front line of the captured works. This relief was completed by 11 o'clock.Horace Greeley says,2 after stating the fact of the attack by Smith, and his success:
Fatalities multiplied. Hancock, with two divisions forming the van of the Army of the Potomac, came up just after nightfall, and, waiving his seniority, tendered his force to Smith to put part of it into the captured works relieving his own troops, but made no further use of it.Smith in his official report,3 says :--
. . . We had thus broken through the strong line of rebel works, but heavy darkness was upon us,4 and as I heard some hours before that Lee's army was rapidly crossing at Drury's Bluff,5 I deemed it was wiser to hold what we had than by attempting to reach the bridges to lose what we had gained, and have the troops meet with a disaster. I knew also that some portion of the Army of the Potomac was coming to aid
