My instructions required me to cross the trains over the James River on this pontoon-bridge if practicable, and to reach it I should be obliged to march through Charles City Court House, and then by Harrison’s Landing and Malvern Hill, the latter point being held by the enemy.  In fact, he held all the ground between Long Bridge on the Chickahominy and the pontoon-bridge except the Tete de pont at the crossing.  Notwithstanding this I concluded to make the attempt, for all the delays of ferrying the command and trains would be avoided if we got through to the bridge; and with this object in view I moved Torbert’s division out on the Charles City road to conduct the wagons.  Just beyond Charles City Court House Torbert encountered Lomax’s brigade, which he drove across Herring Creek on the road to Westover Church; and reporting the affair to me, I surmised, from the presence of this force in my front, that Hampton would endeavor to penetrate to the long column of wagons, so I ordered them to go into park near Wilcox’s landing, and instructed Gregg, whose division had been marching in the morning along the road leading from Jones’s bridge to St. Mary’s Church for the purpose of covering the exposed flank of the train, to hold fast near the church without fail till all the transportation had passed Charles City Court House.

Meanwhile, General Hampton, who had conjectured that I would try to get the train across the James by the pontoon-bridge at Deep Bottom, began concentrating all his troops except Lomax’s brigade, which was to confront the head of my column on the river road, in the vicinity of Nance’s Shop.  This was discovered by Gregg at an early hour, and divining this purpose he had prepared to meet it by constructing hasty cover for his men before receiving my instructions.  About 4 o’clock in the afternoon Hampton got his force in hand, and with Fitzhugh Lee’s division assailed the whole front of Gregg’s line, and his left flank with Chambliss’s and Geary’s brigades.  For two hours he continued to attack, but made little impression on Gregg—­gain at one point being counterbalanced by failure at another.  Because of the evident strength of Hampton, Gregg had placed all his troops in line of battle from the first, and on discovery of the enemy’s superior numbers sent message after message to me concerning the situation, but the messengers never arrived, being either killed or captured, and I remained in total ignorance till dark of the strait his division was in.

Toward night it became clear to Gregg that he could maintain the unequal contest no longer, and he then decided to retreat, but not until convinced that the time won had enabled all the trains to pass Charles City Court House in safety.  When he had got all his led horses fairly on the way, and such of the wounded as could be transported, he retired by his right flank-in some confusion, it is true, but stubbornly resisting to Hopewell Church, where Hampton ceased to press him.