It was nine o’clock on the morning of Wednesday the 28th, before Pope opened on the left and began the reconnoissance, which soon became general, as was evinced by rapid firing in McKeon’s division, and further to the right in Sherman’s. The right and center had encountered no enemy until they had reached the swamp and pushed through it toward the creek. Pope, on the contrary, met a determined resistance, and at night his line was but little further advanced than the third parallel of the center and right. Operating in an open space of some miles in extent he had not been able to advance his lines with the rapidity of Buell and Thomas. But the engagement began when the right and center reached the swamp, and while yet the left was striving to obtain the same position. There was no distinguishing anything. Along the whole line where the fight was raging, sharp reports, shouts, commands, and cheers, were heard, but nothing could be seen, save occasionally the white smoke rising from the leveled weapons which had just been discharged. The ambulances were slowly filled. The wounded soldiers were brought from the swamps, and the surgeons gathered around them. Cries of pain, curses, and groans, mingling with the wilder shouts of the excited combatants, who were hidden by the woods, arose distinctly. This style of skirmishing was kept up during the whole day. The combatants on the right and center maintained their original position, and Thomas and Buell bivouacked where they had fought—in the damp, miry swamps. The night was spent in preparations for an advance in the morning. The resistance of the rebels to Pope’s advance was more stubborn, and the conflict during the day was more determined, more exciting, and resulted in greater loss than in both the other corps. He was opposed both by infantry and artillery. The crossing at the creek was defended by a battery of rifled guns, which Pope had found exceedingly effective, and he was content, when night came, to rest in the plain, and make his preparations for reducing the battery at early dawn. The troops of the three divisions bivouacked on the field, where they had stood mostly inactive the whole day, Hamilton’s left resting on the Farmington road. The position obtained at Russell’s House on the 17th, had been strongly intrenched as a base for the operations of W. T. Sherman’s division on the 28th. On that day he was ordered to advance and secure a log-house standing on a ridge, giving a near and commanding position. The place was then held by the enemy—supposed to be in strong force.