General Sheridan having rejoined the army on Wednesday with his corps, rested one night at the rear, took some supplies, and, under orders from General Meade, proceeded to the front to cover the contemplated flank movement. General Wilson moved to the extreme right as far as the North Anna river where he made a demonstration by shelling a force of the enemy over on the other side.

    Major General Sheridan, with Gregg's and Torbert's divisions, moved to the left, towards Dabney ferry, on the Pamunkey. He was followed during the night by the whole infantry force of the army. Yesterday morning, the Pamunkey having been crossed, General Davies' brigade, of Gregg's division, was ordered to advance two or three miles to Hawes' store and encamp.

    It was not supposed that any force of the enemy would be found there, and General Davies sent out a battalion to patrol the roads and establish pickets. It had not proceeded far, however, before it received a volley from the rebel cavalry, which soon proved to be there in great numbers, and in a very short space of time Davies' brigade was nearly all engaged.

    The fight began at about eleven in the morning, and was continued with great desperation for some hours by the whole of Gregg's command. Davies had the hottest point of the line, being supported by Colonel Gregg's brigade of the same division. The whole rebel cavalry force was there, strengthened by the South Carolina brigade of mounted infantry, which has recently joined it to (?) Virginia cavalry how to fight," as prisoners say.

    The First New Jersey, Colonel Kester; First Massachusetts, Sixth Ohio, Colonel Stedman, and Fourth, Thirteenth and Sixteenth Pennsylvania held them at bay during all this while, and fought like tigers. The enemy, as usual, had selected a fine position in the woods, with his artillery so posted as to command the road. General Davies and his staff were everywhere on the alert, animating the men and so disposing the forces as to strengthen the weakest positions of the line.

    As they were riding along the line a volley was poured into them. One ball struck the General's sabre scabbard and was divided--the pieces falling to the earth without injuring man or horse. Another shot took off a portion of the horse's tail. Another killed the gallant Lieutenant W. W. Wardell, of the First Massachusetts, who was serving upon the staff of General Davies. He was much esteemed in the brigade for his bravery and his gentlemanly qualities and officer-like conduct generally. Two men and several horses of the party were also wounded by this same volley.

    About this time--two o'clock, the strife had become most deadly. We were losing most fearfully, a large proportion being officers. Of the First New Jersey, the brave Captain W. R. Robbins and five other officers in his battalion were wounded. A musket ball passed through Robbins' shoulder, making a painful, but not dangerous wound. Colonel Kester had his horse shot. Captain Beekman lost the two middle fingers of the right hand. Lieutenants Bellis and Dye were killed. Captains Brooks and Maulsbury and Lieutenants Stewart, Shaw, Cox, [William]Wynkoop and Craig were wounded, the latter slightly in the breast. In the Sixth Ohio, Major Delos R. Northway was killed, and Lieutenants Miller and Thomas wounded. Captain Wm. A. Snyder, of the Tenth New York, was wounded in the hand, and Lieutenant James S. Reynolds in the leg, amputation being necessary in the latter case. Lieutenant S. Greenly, of the First Pennsylvania, was killed, and Captain Craft and Lieutenants Kennedy, Lawshe, Buxton and Lucas, wounded.

    MARTIN'S BATTERY was hotly engaged, although the ground was not favorable for the working of our guns with effect. Captain Martin lost six men, two being killed, and six horses. One wheel of one of his pieces was also demolished. Our guns were served in the best possible manner.

    Of Colonel Gregg's brigade the Thirteenth and Sixteenth Pennsylvania suffered most. Captains James C. Robinson and A. F. Swan and Lieutenant S. A. Roberts, of the Sixteenth, were wounded, and of the Thirteenth Captain John Kline was killed and Captain P. Kane and Lieutenants Stevor and McDonald wounded. Lieutenant Bowen, of the Fourth Pennsylvania, was wounded. This brigade is one of the best, and that portion of it engaged fought splendidly.

    General Gregg has, if possible, won new laurels in his management of this action.

    As the fight waxed hottest, between two and three o'clock, Custer's brigade of Michiganders was ordered in to assist Davies' and Gregg's brigades, who already had the enemy weakening in putting him to rout. This command is completely armed with Spencer rifles (seven-shooters), and the enemy would rather see the devil coming at them than these. As Custer marched up the road and dismounted his men Davies opened a gap in his line to make way for the Michigan brigade. The line was immediately joined and a furious assault commenced. It was just in the nick of time, for at the same moment a brigade of fresh troops reinforced the enemy. But nothing could withstand the terrible volume of iron hail which our boys now poured into their ranks. Back they went, South Carolinians and all, for a mile and a half, with fearful loss. At five o'clock the battle was ended, and we had the field. Three of our brigades had whipped their whole corps. The Provost Marshal counted one hundred and twenty-six dead rebels in a small space just in Davies' front, but these could not have embraced half their dead. There were loads upon loads of their wounded carried from the field, and our hospital contains about forty of their men mortally or severely wounded.

    General Custer exhibited his usual daring and impetuosity. His horse was shot--being the seventh he has had hit during the war--but he escaped unhurt. Captain Green, his Acting Assistant General, was equally fortunate, having been hit on the head by a spent ball, which fell harmless to the earth. Lieutenant Charles Christiancy, Aid-de-Camp to General Custer, was wounded in two places, and had his horse shot. He is well in hospital. Three of the General staff also had their horses hit.

    This was unquestionably the sharpest cavalry fight of the war--the hottest fire of musketry and shell. The enemy had long "Tower" muskets against our carbines. Their guns were admirably served, and the shells flew over among our reserves, making it frightfully hot for the aids from the general corps headquarters to pass through in carrying orders. It is hardly necessary to say that all the staff officers behaved with their usual gallantry in this little fight.

    Our losses in Gregg's division sum up as follows:--

    The losses in Custer's brigade, First division, are as follows:--

    We have taken about one hundred prisoners.

    To say anything of General Sheridan in conducting this affair seems superfluous. He appears to keep himself so thoroughly informed as to know just how many men to send in to win a fight, or else he is endowed with intuitive judgment in this respect--for he always wins.

    At half-past two P. M., to-day firing was heard on our advance picket line manned by Colonel Deven's brigade. We were on the south bank of the Pamunkey, and near Newcastle ferry. Colonel Deven's brigade, of Torbert division, at once engaged the enemy, and General Torbert and staff immediately went to the front. Merritt's brigade soon followed, and afterwards Custer, with their seven shooters. They soon cleaned out the rebels and drove them back three miles, with a loss of sixty-three men in killed and wounded. Among them were Captain Loper, of the Sixth Pennsylvania, and Captain Tice, of the Seventeenth Pennsylvania, wounded, and Lieutenant Augler, quartermaster of the Seventeenth Pennsylvania, and Lieutenant Martin, adjutant of the Sixth Pennsylvania, killed. Some fifteen rebels, three or four of them officers, were brought in wounded. They were South Carolinians, and say they think we fight well. I will send list of killed and wounded next opportunity. All fought splendidly. Mr. J. C. Fitzpatrick Despatches.

    We broke camp Friday morning on the banks of the North Anna, and reached here last night. Our corps brought up the rear of the column. The rear of the corps was brought up by Col. Leisure's brigade, of General Crittenden's division, who had some sharp skirmishing with the rebel pickets, in which Captain Stevenson, of Company K, Second New York Mounted Rifles, was wounded in the leg. Our pioneers destroyed the raft or bridge on which the troops had effected the crossing of the stream in the advance of Wednesday last, and the brigade took position on the hills on the north side until the main body, trains and ambulances were safely away. For a time it was feared that the brigade would be unable to leave before nightfall, as they were obliged in going back from the hills to cross an open plain which was perfectly commanded by the rebels. The latter, however, soon withdrew all but a cavalry picket, and the brigade came away.

    Our corps is in motion again as I write - seven A. M.

    Our corps hold the extreme left of the line. This morning we advanced in line of battle, and our skirmishers are now about three miles beyond and south of Hanovertown. No enemy has as yet been encountered.

    We have news of Lieutenant Colonel Chandler, of the Fifty-seventh Massachusetts, through a prisoner captured yesterday, who says that he was killed and buried on the battle field of the North Anna.

Source:

Unknown, "Grant! Details of the Fighting," The New York Herald, New York, N.Y., Thursday, 2 June 1864.

    The Wynkoop of the First New Jersey is the same as Capt. William C. Wynkoop of Thaddeus Kenderdine's piece called Captain William Wynkoop and His Company A.

    Chris