The commanding officer halted the squad and, along with his orderly, calmly rode up to Butler. Unable to see very clearly in the reduced light and not knowing who the men were, the two followed Butler into the midst of Humphrey’s men. Butler then turned to the two mounted men with pistol drawn and ordered them to surrender. After disarming the two cavalrymen, Butler ordered Humphrey and Law to surround the 5th Kentucky, still halted in the road, and take them prisoner.

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Some 30 prisoners, along with a regimental stand of colors, were quickly captured without firing a shot. The Confederates, however, did not realize that the men were Kilpatrick’s personal guard, and thus allowed the general to make his escape into the sandy-floored pine forest with his staff. Reportedly, Kilpatrick, who had a reputation as a notorious Don Juan, had been riding behind his guard in a carriage with a lady companion or two. Although the true identities of these companions have never been determined, one might have been Marie Boozer, allegedly the prettiest belle in South Carolina. She had traveled from Columbia with Sherman’s army. It was also reported that Kilpatrick had forced a Confederate prisoner, Lieutenant H. Clay Reynolds, to walk behind the carriage. Reynolds managed to escape later that evening.

After Butler reported to Hampton what had occurred, the decision was made to attack Kilpatrick early the next morning. Hampton ordered Butler to follow the tracks of Spencer’s brigade and scout for the location of the Federal camp. Butler traveled about four miles and camped for the night near Johnson Mountain.

It was a cold, rainy night, and after sending out skirmishers and establishing his headquarters, Butler bivouacked along the roadside. However, a short time later, one of Kilpatrick’s lieutenants accidentally rode into the Confederate lines and was taken prisoner. From the unlucky trooper Butler learned the exact location of Kilpatrick’s headquarters.

Kilpatrick’s 2nd Brigade, commanded by Atkins, stumbled upon the rear of Butler’s camp and turned back in an attempt to circle the Confederates by a southern route. Having no clear knowledge of the country, the brigade turned around and moved west for two or three miles. Atkins then turned off to the south and again tried to circle the Confederates, but he ended up in the Piney Bottom and Juniper Creek area and failed to reach the Monroe farm to participate in the battle.

Jordan’s 1st Brigade also failed to reach its destination, and was now at Rockfish Church, west of Aberdeen. Atkins and Jordan both realized that Hampton’s main force was passing them on a parallel road, and each made efforts to reach Kilpatrick’s camp before dawn. Both forces were subsequently engaged in skirmishes with Confederate forces all along the 10-mile stretch, and both failed to reach Kilpatrick in time. Kilpatrick was now actually cut off by the very Confederate forces that he was attempting to surround and had only a third of his division present at the Monroe farm to face the enemy.

With the help of the Rev. Evander McNair, a Presbyterian minister who served as a pilot to the Confederate forces, Butler arrived outside Kilpatrick’s headquarters around midnight. Observing the campground, Butler realized that Kilpatrick had not posted any pickets to guard his encampment from the rear. The Confederates would be able to ride almost up to the campfires without being noticed.

Way’s 4th Provisional Brigade, consisting of 693 dismounted men from the 9th Pennsylvania, 9th Ohio and 5th Kentucky, had camped in front of the Charles Monroe house, parallel to Morganton Road. Spencer’s 3rd Brigade, comprising the 1st Alabama (Union) Cavalry, 5th Kentucky Cavalry, 5th Ohio Cavalry and a section of the 10th Wisconsin Battery, had camped in a large, open field that lay on a ridge a few hundred yards north of Green Springs. Together with the dismounted brigade, there were approximately 1,500 Federal troops camped around the farmhouse. Artillery was positioned about 50 yards from the house on a small rise at the top of the ridge. Some tents had been thrown over fence rails and pine trees for shelter.

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