Grant realized that once again the two armies had reached a stalemate and began his plans to disengage and move around Lee’s right for the third time in the month of May. He would divide his army into two columns and travel via a series of roads moving southeast on the eastern side of the Pamunkey River and then swing back west and cross the river at Nelson’s Ford and Dabney’s Ferry, shown in the map below. Their march to the Pamunkey River was about 30 miles. On the 26th James Wilson’s Cavalry division along with Colonel John Hammond’s 5th NY Cavalry feigned a crossing at the Little River on Lee’s left while Brigadier General David Russell’s division of the VI Corps left the south side of the North Anna. They would cross the river with two four gun batteries (Captain William Rhodes’s Battery E, 1st RI Light Artillery, and Captain Stephen Dorsey’s Battery H, 1st OH Light Artillery), pontoon wagons and engineers. They arrived at Chesterfield Station, burned it and headed toward Dabney’s Ferry at 9:00 PM on the evening of the 26th, their route shielded by cavalry at Littlepage Bridge and Taylor’s Ford. The VI Corps crossed at Jericho Mills, while the V Corps and Crittenden’s division of the IX Corps crossed at Quarles Mill. Hancock and Potter would cross last taking up the pontoons and burning the Chesterfield bridge. Grant would also be moving his supply base from Port Royal on the Rappahannock River to the White House on the Pamunkey River.

By daylight nearly all of the Army of the Potomac was on the north bank of the river. However, the pontoons were pulled up and the Chesterfield Bridge burned before a contingent of the 32nd ME could cross and these men were captured by the Confederates. The Army of the Potomac would head 3 miles north to Chesterfield Station. From there the VI Corps followed by the II Corps would follow a path closer to the river past Bethel Church and cross at Nelson’s Bridge, shown on the map above. Their route would take them southeast onto the Richmond-Fredericksburg Stage Road (modern-day Route 2/301) south to its intersection with the Ridge Road (modern-day Dawn Boulevard, Route 30). Sheridan’s cavalry with Brigadier General David Gregg and Brigadier General Alfred Torbert’s divisions had preceded them to the intersection. Sheridan sent a few companies under Gregg to continue south toward Hanover Court House to secure the Littlepage Bridge over the Pamunkey River. Sheridan and the rest of his men headed east. Lieutenant Colonel James Q. Anderson’s 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry were sent to control the crossing at Taylor’s Ford. Torbert headed toward Dabney’s Ferry where Brigadier General George Custer was ordered to establish and hold a bridgehead on the south bank of the Pamunkey River. At the intersection the VI and II Corps turned east taking them past Bethel Church before turning south on modern-day Calno Road toward Nelson’s Ford.

The Bethel Church served as General Hancock’s (II Corps) headquarters for a short time on the evening of the 27th. His corps moved on and camped at McDowell’s Mill, 2.5 miles south of the intersection of modern day Dawn Blvd/King William Road with Calno Road. Hancock sent a dispatch to Grant informing him of his location and that he had received information that Lee had left Hanover Junction. Grant and Meade rode with the second column further to the east where the IX Corps was following the V Corps on a route that would take them past Mangohick Church, see Jespersen’s map above. About 1:00 PM on the 27th Grant and Meade arrived at the church. Meade used a nearby home as his headquarters, the Thompson house, while Grant slept in a tent. The V and IX Corps went into camp about a mile north of them.

To the south Sheridan’s cavalry arrived at Dabney’s Ferry and Brigadier General George Custer ordered Colonel Peter Stagg and his 1st MI Cavalry to establish a bridgehead on the south shore of the Pamunkey River. On the north bank they came under fire from 60 men of the 5th NC Cavalry, which they temporarily drove back. Captain M. Van Brocklin’s 50th NY Engineers began work on the bridge losing one man to Confederate sharpshooters in the process. Their 8 pontoon bridge spanned 180 feet. Once completed Captain Folwell, commanding the second pontoon train, built another bridge a few yards upstream. Torbert and Gregg’s men crossed and the Federals controlled the Hanovertown crossing. Russell’s division of the VI Corps was crossing by late morning on the 27th.

The Battle of Hanoverton

After establishing a foothold on the south bank of the Pamunkey Torbert divided Custer’s brigade in two and sent them forward to reconnoiter west. He sent Colonel Peter Stagg’s (1st MI) and Major James Kidd’s (6th MI) regiments west along Hanover River Road, while Custer rode with Captain William Magoffin’s (5th MI) and Major Alexander Walker’s (7th MI) regiments south toward Haw’s Shop. About a mile outside Hanovertown, the 1st and 6th MI reached Mrs. Hundley’s farm. There Fitzhugh Lee, alerted to Torbert’s presence had dispatched the 1st, 2nd, and 5th NC Cavalry formerly under the deceased James Gordon, and the 3rd NC Cavalry all under the command of Colonel John A. Baker. Baker dismounted the 1st, 2nd and 5th NC behind barricades in the woods east of Mrs. Hundley’s farm. The 3rd NC Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Waddell, rode east along the Hanover River Road where they encountered the 1st and 6th MI. The North Carolinians pulled back to Baker’s concealed line where they surprised the Michiganders. Kidd dismounted his men and deployed them north of the road while Stagg deployed his men to the south. Kidd sent a courier requesting reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Major General Fitzhugh Lee reinforced Baker with Colonel Bradley T. Johnson’s 250-man 1st MD Cavalry, and artillery. Baker and Johnson formulated a plan to capture the Federals. While Baker held Custer’s two brigades in his front, Johnson would take the 1st MD and a squad from the 5th NC Cavalry, travel southeast past Pollard’s farm to Haw’s Shop, then head north and come in behind the Michiganders. Shortly after Johnson left Kirk’s requested reinforcements arrived, the 17th PA Cavalry and 9th NY Cavalry, under Brigadier General Devin, where they fell in on the right flank. The North Carolinians fell back west across the Hunley farm losing 22 men in the process (captured). As Johnson’s Confederates were trying to move around the Federals rear, Union General Torbert had developed a mirror image plan using Custer’s men who had traveled to Haw’s Shop to get around the Confederates rear on the very same road Johnson was moving on. The two groups met head on, shown in the map below.

Custer charged with the 5th MI. The Confederates trapped on the road moved into a field. Custer swung the 7th MI around and charged Johnson’s men chasing them from the field and across Crump’s Creek. Custer then led his men northwest headed for Baker on the Hundley Farm. Baker was in no position to fend off Custer. The North Carolinians fled west toward Hanover Court House where Lomax’s cavalry brigade was stationed. Forty one Confederates were captured on the Hanover River Road to where it crossed Crump’s Creek. Here Torbert called off the pursuit.

The red dot on the map above is located on modern day Williamsville Road. The pictures start looking south on the road and are taken of the open fields in a circle from south to west to north to east as indicated. This area remains open undeveloped farmland likely close to as it was during the battle.

Looking in the westerly directions the Confederates would be moving away from the camera fleeing the battlefield.

The V and IX Corps were on the road early on the 28th. They passed Mangohick Church by 7:00 AM and headed south onto Dabney’s Mill Road at the Hebron Church. After completing the bridge at Dabney’s Ferry the engineers were subsequently ordered to have one built crossing Nelson’s Ford by sunrise the following morning (it was about 50 yards upriver from the modern bridge). A second bridge there was built later in the day.

The II and V Corps started their march for the Pamunkey by 8:00 AM turning south at Etna Mills, now only 3.5 miles from their newly constructed pontoon bridge which the 50th NY Engineers had completed by 7:00 AM. They would travel past Wyoming, the Widow Nelson’s house, where Confederate Colonel Bradley Johnson had been just hours before seeking information on the location of the Union Army.

The Pamunkey River at the site of the modern-day bridge 37.7153303, -77.2891979.

Early on the morning of the 27th Lee was getting reports that the Army of the Potomac had left the north bank of the North Anna River and Union cavalry was crossing the Pamunkey River in Hanovertown. Lee’s initial thoughts were that Grant was trying to flank him on his left given Wilson’s cavalry demonstration there. However, when shortly after 6:00 AM on the 27th he received reports that a large continent of Union Cavalry had crossed the Pamunkey River at Dabney’s Ferry he knew Grant was once again moving around his right. By 10:00 AM the Army of Northern Virginia was headed south toward Atlee’s Station on the Virginia Central Railroad 15 miles away. Richard Ewell’s Second Corps was on the road first. He took the Telegraph Road to Taylorsville, crossed Little River, the South Anna River and followed farm roads to the Virginia Central Railroad. He reached Hughes Crossroads by dark.

Major General John Breckinridge’s division and Richard Anderson’s First Corps traveled south along the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad crossing the Little River and South Anna Rivers on the railroad bridges to Ashland. There he turned east toward Hughes Crossroads. A.P. Hill’s Third Corps left the banks of the North Anna River last following Anderson’s path camping near Ashland the night of the 27th. They were at Totopotomoy Creek the the next morning. Lee would establish a defensive line on the south bank. His left was on the Virginia Central Railroad just north of Atlee Station and his line extended southeast for 5 miles. Major General Richard Ewell sick with dysentery relinquished command of his corps to Jubal Early. That same day Lee directed Major General Wade Hampton and his 4500 man cavalry division to ride toward Haw’s Shop to locate the Army of the Potomac. Federal cavalry under David Gregg were also headed there and they would soon meet head on in the Battle of Haw’s Shop.

Next- The Road to Totopotomoy Creek (Part 2)- The Battle of Haw’s Shop