But they did not reach there till after the enemy had got by.  As a matter of fact, when Pickett was passing the all-important point Warren’s men were just breaking from the bivouac in which their chief had placed them the night before, and the head of Griffin’s division did not get to Boisseau’s till after my cavalry, which meanwhile had been joined by Ayres’s division of the Fifth Corps by way of the Boydton and Dabney roads.  By reason of the delay in moving Griffin and Crawford, the enemy having escaped, I massed the Fifth Corps at J.[G] Boisseau’s so that the men could be rested, and directed it to remain there; General Warren himself had not then come up.  General Mackenzie, who had reported just after daybreak, was ordered at first to stay at Dinwiddie Court House, but later was brought along the Five Forks road to Dr. Smith’s, and Crook’s division was directed to continue watching the crossings of Stony Creek and Chamberlain’s Run.

That we had accomplished nothing but to oblige our foe to retreat was to me bitterly disappointing, but still feeling sure that he would not give up the Five Forks crossroads without a fight, I pressed him back there with Merritt’s cavalry, Custer advancing on the Scott road, while Devin drove the rearguard along that leading from J.[G] Boisseau’s to Five Forks.

By 2 o’clock in the afternoon Merritt had forced the enemy inside his intrenchments, which began with a short return about three-quarters of a mile east of the Forks and ran along the south side of the White Oak road to a point about a mile west of the Forks.  From the left of the return over toward Hatcher’s Run was posted Mumford’s cavalry, dismounted.  In the return itself was Wallace’s brigade, and next on its right came Ransom’s, then Stewart’s, then Terry’s, then Corse’s.  On the right of Corse was W. H. F. Lee’s division of cavalry.  Ten pieces of artillery also were in this line, three on the right of the works, three near the centre at the crossroads, and four on the left, in the return.  Rosser’s cavalry was guarding the Confederate trains north of Hatcher’s Run beyond the crossing of the Ford road.

I felt certain the enemy would fight at Five Forks—­he had to—­so, while we were getting up to his intrenchments, I decided on my plan of battle.  This was to attack his whole front with Merritt’s two cavalry divisions, make a feint of turning his right flank, and with the Fifth Corps assail his left.  As the Fifth Corps moved into action, its right flank was to be covered by Mackenzie’s cavalry, thus entirely cutting off Pickett’s troops from communication with Lee’s right flank, which rested near the Butler house at the junction of the Claiborne and White Oaks roads.  In execution of this plan, Merritt worked his men close in toward the intrenchments, and while he was thus engaged, I ordered Warren to bring up the Fifth Corps, sending the order by my engineer officer, Captain Gillespie, who had reconnoitred the ground in the neighborhood of Gravelly Run Church, where the infantry was to form for attack.