My instructions permitting latitude in the route I should take, I decided to march along the north bank of the North Anna River, cross that stream at Carpenter’s ford, strike the Virginia Central railroad at Trevillian Station, destroy it toward Louisa Court House, march past Gordonsville, strike the railroad again at Cobham’s Station, and destroy it thence to Charlottesville as we proceeded west.  The success of the last part of this programme would of course depend on the location of General Hunter when I should arrive in the region where it would be practicable for us to communicate with each other.

From my camp at New Castle ferry we crossed the Pamunkey, marched between Aylett’s and Dunkirk on the Mattapony River, and on the 8th of June encamped at Polecat Station.  The next day we resumed the march along the North Anna—­our advance guard skirmishing with a few mounted men of the enemy, who proved to be irregulars—­and bivouacked on Northeast Creek, near Young’s Mills.  This day I learned from some of these irregulars whom we made prisoners that Breckenridge’s division of infantry, en route to the Shenandoah Valley by way of Gordonsville, was passing slowly up the railroad parallel to me, and that the enemy’s cavalry had left its position on the south side of the Chickahominy, and was marching on the old Richmond and Gordonsville road toward Gordonsville, under command of General Wade Hampton, the information being confirmed by a scouting party sent out to cut the telegraph wires along the railroad in the night.  Breckenridge had been ordered back to the valley by General Lee as soon as he heard of Hunter’s victory near Staunton, but now that my expedition had been discovered, the movement of Breckenridge’s troops on the railroad was being timed to correspond with the marches of my command till Hampton could get more nearly parallel with me.

On the 10th we resumed the march, passing by Twyman’s store, crossing the North Anna at Carpenter’s ford and encamping on the road leading along the south fork of the North Anna to Trevillian Station.  During the evening and night of the Loth the boldness of the enemy’s scouting parties, with which we had been coming into collision more or less every day, perceptibly increased, thus indicating the presence of a large force, and evidencing that his shorter line of march had enabled him to bring to my front a strong body of cavalry, although it started from Lee’s army nearly two days later than I did from Grant’s.  The arrival of this body also permitted Breckenridge to pass on to Gordonsville, and from there to interpose between General Hunter and me at either Charlottesville or Waynesboro’ as circumstances might determine.

On the night of the Loth General Hampton’s division camped about three miles northwest of Trevillian, at a place called Green Spring Valley and Fitzhugh Lee’s division not far from Louisa Court House, some six miles east of Trevillian.  Learning that I was at Carpenter’s ford, Hampton marched his division by way of Trevillian Station toward Clayton’s store, on the road from Trevillian to Carpenter’s ford, intending to attack me at Clayton’s.  Fitzhugh Lee’s division was to join Hampton at Clayton’s store from Louisa Court House; but on the morning of the 11th the two generals were separated by several miles.