“About 10 o'clock a shot from the artillery of the enemy announced the fact that he was posting for resistance. Our line at once advanced as best it could in the direction of the enemy. The musketry opened and continued to increase until one whole division of our troops were engaged. The artillery opened on both sides and roared as the mighty thunders. Musketry rattled like hail on the housetops. The enemy in our front, Ewelling commanding, was driven in great disorder for some distance by Griffith's division, but the underbrush was so dense that no alignment could be made with the troops. Regiments and brigades could not find each other. It became impossible to have any unity of action. This same cause prevented Sedgewear from joining on Warner's right or connecting with Griffith. This left Griffith's flank exposed, and the rebels at once taking advantage of this, forced him back again with the loss of some of his guns and quite a number of prisoners. The rebels made no attempt to follow up their advantage, but began at once erecting earthworks. “Laws was attacked before he anticipated, although making a show of readiness; but he was resting on ground familiar to him and wholly unknown to our troops. Silent was notified of our repulse. It was apparent that Laws's whole army was on the field, and meditated an attack before our army could be brought into action. Sedgewear's troops were not all up; Broomfield had not arrived, and Hanscom was not yet on the ground. This was not quite what Gen. Silent had been accustomed to. His commands heretofore were always at the spot on time when ordered, and generally before the time appointed. “He at once mounted his horse and rode in person to the front, in order to get a view of the situation. He followed Warner on a narrow road, which was thronged with troops in great disorder. Slight works thrown up by both sides, in intervals of the fight, were very close together. He at once saw from the nature of the surrounding country the importance of maintaining Warner's position. On his return to his headquarters he dispatched officers to hasten Sedgewear's and Broomfield's troops with all possible speed. His wish now was to bring to bear as largo a force as possible against Laws's left, in order to prevent the discovery of the great space between Warner and Hanscom. Laws, however, had detected this gap, and was forming Hiller's Corps to move through it.