William Swinton, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac

1 ‘The Confederate General Heth stated that he was greatly alarmed after he had crossed the run to attack us, lest Crawford should advance upon his left flank, and said that had Crawford made such an advance, his (Heth's) command must have been driven into the stream, and dispersed or captured.’— Private letter from General Hancock.

2 As the above narrative recounts a series of rather complicated events, I add the following from the official report of General Warren: ‘I ordered Crawford to halt his line and get in good order, and press the enemy with his skirmishers, while I went to consult with General Meade, who, I supposed, was with General Hancock. When near the place of the latter, I was told by Major Riddle that General Meade had returned to Armstrong's Mill, and I proceeded to that point as rapidly as possible. Soon after reaching him we learned that the enemy had come in between Hancock and Crawford, and attacked the former with great violence. The commanding general immediately directed me to send General Crawford to his support, but he assenting to my suggestion that General Ayres could more readily be got there, I directed General Ayres to move at once. Darkness was so near at hand that he was halted at Armstrong's Mill. The attack on General Hancock must have occurred while I was near General Crawford, and yet in the woods the sound of musketry did not reach us. There was besides no road known to us leading directly to General Hancock, and that same woods, for two or three miles, was certain to prevent his arriving for any contemplated emergency. What would have added still greater delay to communicating with General Crawford supervened by the rebels getting in on the road by which we communicated between him and myself. The enemy became so bewildered in these woods that upwards of two hundred of them strayed into General Crawford's line and were captured. Some of these men, before being taken, captured three of our ambulances a mile in the rear of General Crawford. Six of them captured Captain Cope, of my staff; but finding themselves in our lines, gave up to him, and he brought them in. Major Bingham, of General Hancock's staff, on his way to General Crawford, was captured by them, but made his escape; and three officers of my staff, in attempting to avoid the road thus infested by the enemy, became lost in coming from General Crawford's to me, and had to stay out all night in the woods.’—Warren: Report of Operations at Hatcher's Run.