Smyth’s men cleared the enemy rifle pits along the southern bank of the run. The Confederates raced across the bridge, up the hill, and into the tree line on the far side of the stream. Plunging into the woods near the run with his small squad from the disgraced 164th New York, Burke came up behind a Confederate earthwork and captured a 12-pounder cannon and a caisson. Unable to move the artillery piece, Burke broke off the gun carriage axles and threw the cannon into Hatcher’s Run. Burke then dragged back the caisson and happily reported his exploit to General Egan.

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Egan sent Willett’s brigade forward to report to Smyth at his new position overlooking the Boydton Plank Road bridge. Smyth, in accordance with Hancock’s instructions, deployed two regiments, the 12th New Jersey and 10th New York, as a single-rank extension to the right in the hope of linking up with Crawford’s division in the woods to the east. Even though the men were stretched out at intervals of 10 paces, there was no sign of Crawford. Still concerned by the gap beyond his right flank, Smyth sent out a small scouting party in a final effort to locate Crawford’s line.

Confederate forces were gathering rapidly to confront Hancock. South of Hatcher’s Run, Hampton deployed Butler’s cavalry division, with several guns, across the White Oak Road and brought up Fitzhugh Lee’s division along the Boydton Plank Road. North of the run, Maj. Gen. Henry Heth assembled his own infantry division and that of Maj. Gen. William Mahone, the Confederate hero of the Crater battle three months before. Cannons in the earthworks above the run pounded Egan’s line.

Grant, Meade and Hancock went forward with their staffs to take a better look. They came under heavy artillery fire. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Lyman, one of Meade’s aides, wrote a note later that day about the calm disregard for danger shown by the assembled officers. ‘It don’t do to dodge with Hancock’s Staff about,’ the colonel wrote. ‘They would never forgive you.’

Grant galloped down to the Boydton Plank Road bridge with his own aide-de-camp to see the Rebel defenses for himself. When he returned, he said that he had decided to suspend further efforts to capture the Southside Railroad that day. The Confederate entrenchments, extending farther to the west than anyone had expected, were too strong to attack with any assurance of success. With no chance for a quick and easy victory before the presidential election, Grant wanted to avoid any embarrassing reverse. The best that could be hoped for now would be a bloody and unsuccessful Confederate counterattack against the II Corps. Hancock was ordered to hold his ground that night, then withdraw the next morning. Grant and Meade left to return to their headquarters.

Hancock disposed his forces in a rough oval, the long axis lying along the Boydton Plank Road. The northern end of the oval, along Hatcher’s Run near the Burgess Tavern, was held by Egan’s division. Colonel Robert McAllister’s brigade of Mott’s 3rd Division was sent to reinforce Egan, who placed McAllister in a second line behind Smyth. Along the western edge of the oval were Brig. Gen. Regis de Trobriand’s brigade and Kerwin’s cavalry brigade. The rest of Gregg’s cavalry division straddled the Boydton Plank Road, looking south. Mott’s last brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Byron R. Pierce, was stationed on the eastern edge of the oval, facing northward.

In the late afternoon, Hancock determined to improve his position by capturing the high ground north of the run. Smyth sent skirmishers from the 14th Connecticut across the stream east of the Boydton Plank Road to seize a foothold on the northern bank in preparation for an attack on the bridge. In the meantime, the small scouting party from the 10th New York, sent out to the east earlier by Smyth, had returned. Crawford’s division was nowhere to be seen, but a Confederate infantry column was moving through the woods to get into the rear of the Union line. Smyth immediately reported this to Egan, who ordered McAllister to change his front to the rear. McAllister wasted no time on complicated maneuvers. He ordered his men to simply about-face and then marched them to the slope at the rear of Egan’s line.

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