John D. Billings, The history of the Tenth Massachusetts battery of light artillery in the war of the rebellion

[278] Railroad crossed Harrison's Creek. At 4 o'clock A. M. of the 15th, Hancock notified Meade that the rations were not yet received. He repeated this report to the commander of the army at 6.30 o'clock A. M., and continued waiting for them until 9 A. M., and then gave orders by signal telegraph for the head of the column to move. This miscarried, and the column did not start until 10.30 A. M. Birney was in advance. Gen. Meade afterwards gave his approval to Hancock's moving on without the rations. After a while it was learned that the map by which they were attempting to march was utterly worthless, Harrison's Creek being inside the Rebel lines some miles from where it was laid down. The head of the column was then turned from the Prince George Court House road easterly towards Old Court House. It was then but six miles from Petersburg, and the time was not yet 3 o'clock P. M. At 5.30 P. M., as the column neared Old Court House, a place distant less than three miles south-west of City Point, a despatch was handed Hancock, directed to Gen. Gibbon or any division commander, from Grant, urging expedition in getting to the assistance of Gen. Smith, who, it stated, had carried the outer works in front of Petersburg. Hancock now turned Birney's and Gibbon's divisions in that direction.

‘No time’ [says Hancock] ‘had been lost on the march during the day, although it was excessively hot, the road was covered with clouds of dust, and but little water was found on the route, causing severe suffering among the men.’

Singular as it may seem, this despatch from Grant was the first intimation Hancock had received that Petersburg was to be attacked.¹ Had