Had I ordered the movement for the night of the 7th by my left flank, it would have put Hancock in the lead.  It would also have given us an hour or earlier start.  It took all that time for Warren to get the head of his column to the left of Hancock after he had got his troops out of their line confronting the enemy.  This hour, and Hancock’s capacity to use his whole force when necessary, would, no doubt, have enabled him to crush Anderson before he could be reinforced.  But the movement made was tactical.  It kept the troops in mass against a possible assault by the enemy.  Our left occupied its intrenchments while the two corps to the right passed.  If an attack had been made by the enemy he would have found the 2d corps in position, fortified, and, practically, the 5th and 6th corps in position as reserves, until his entire front was passed.  By a left flank movement the army would have been scattered while still passing the front of the enemy, and before the extreme right had got by it would have been very much exposed.  Then, too, I had not yet learned the special qualifications of the different corps commanders.  At that time my judgment was that Warren was the man I would suggest to succeed Meade should anything happen to that gallant soldier to take him from the field.  As I have before said, Warren was a gallant soldier, an able man; and he was beside thoroughly imbued with the solemnity and importance of the duty he had to perform.

CHAPTER LII.

BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA—­HANCOCK’S POSITION—­ASSAULT OF WARREN’S AND WRIGHT’S CORPS—­UPTON PROMOTED ON THE FIELD—­GOOD NEWS FROM BUTLER AND SHERIDAN.

The Mattapony River is formed by the junction of the Mat, the Ta, the Po and the Ny rivers, the last being the northernmost of the four.  It takes its rise about a mile south and a little east of the Wilderness Tavern.  The Po rises south-west of the place, but farther away.  Spottsylvania is on the ridge dividing these two streams, and where they are but a few miles apart.  The Brock Road reaches Spottsylvania without crossing either of these streams.  Lee’s army coming up by the Catharpin Road, had to cross the Po at Wooden Bridge.  Warren and Hancock came by the Brock Road.  Sedgwick crossed the Ny at Catharpin Furnace.  Burnside coming by Aldrich’s to Gates’s house, had to cross the Ny near the enemy.  He found pickets at the bridge, but they were soon driven off by a brigade of Willcox’s division, and the stream was crossed.  This brigade was furiously attacked; but the remainder of the division coming up, they were enabled to hold their position, and soon fortified it.

About the time I received the news of this attack, word came from Hancock that Early had left his front.  He had been forced over to the Catharpin Road, crossing the Po at Corbin’s and again at Wooden Bridge.  These are the bridges Sheridan had given orders to his cavalry to occupy on the 8th, while one division should occupy Spottsylvania.  These movements of the enemy gave me the idea that Lee was about to make the attempt to get to, or towards, Fredericksburg to cut off my supplies.  I made arrangements to attack his right and get between him and Richmond if he should try to execute this design.  If he had any such intention it was abandoned as soon as Burnside was established south of the Ny.