Russell stopped at the crossing while the cavalry pushed on to Hanover Town.  Here Barringer’s, formerly Gordon’s, brigade of rebel cavalry was encountered, but it was speedily driven away.

Warren’s and Wright’s corps were moved by the rear of Burnside’s and Hancock’s corps.  When out of the way these latter corps followed, leaving pickets confronting the enemy.  Wilson’s cavalry followed last, watching all the fords until everything had recrossed; then taking up the pontoons and destroying other bridges, became the rear-guard.

Two roads were traversed by the troops in this move.  The one nearest to and north of the North Anna and Pamunkey was taken by Wright, followed by Hancock.  Warren, followed by Burnside, moved by a road farther north, and longer.  The trains moved by a road still farther north, and had to travel a still greater distance.  All the troops that had crossed the Pamunkey on the morning of the 27th remained quiet during the rest of the day, while the troops north of that stream marched to reach the crossing that had been secured for them.

Lee had evidently been deceived by our movement from North Anna; for on the morning of the 27th he telegraphed to Richmond:  “Enemy crossed to north side, and cavalry and infantry crossed at Hanover Town.”  The troops that had then crossed left his front the night of the 25th.

The country we were now in was a difficult one to move troops over.  The streams were numerous, deep and sluggish, sometimes spreading out into swamps grown up with impenetrable growths of trees and underbrush.  The banks were generally low and marshy, making the streams difficult to approach except where there were roads and bridges.

Hanover Town is about twenty miles from Richmond.  There are two roads leading there; the most direct and shortest one crossing the Chickahominy at Meadow Bridge, near the Virginia Central Railroad, the second going by New and Old Cold Harbor.  A few miles out from Hanover Town there is a third road by way of Mechanicsville to Richmond.  New Cold Harbor was important to us because while there we both covered the roads back to White House (where our supplies came from), and the roads south-east over which we would have to pass to get to the James River below the Richmond defences.

On the morning of the 28th the army made an early start, and by noon all had crossed except Burnside’s corps.  This was left on the north side temporarily to guard the large wagon train.  A line was at once formed extending south from the river, Wright’s corps on the right, Hancock’s in the centre, and Warren’s on the left, ready to meet the enemy if he should come.