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The entire rebel army was rushing to the defense of Petersville. Sherlin was moving on the White Oak road toward the city. Laws was exerting himself to stay the tide. Gadden was ordered to drive Parker back from his Une. Hiller and Mahoney were gathering all the fragments of commands that they could find and reorganizing them.
"Burns now made a gallant assault against the enemy's works in front of his advance, but, unfortunately, was repulsed. This checked the advance of our troops on this part of the line. "Meador's command was in front of Petersville. In the afternoon of the next day Parker's Division of Warner's Corps was attacked near Boyd's road.
Leaving a sufficient force to prevent any further movement, he returned to the army near Richmond, destroying railroads, canals, and in fact nearly all the enemy's lines of communication of any advantage to him. "In the meantime an attempt was made by our forces in front of Petersville to mine and blow up some of the enemy's main forts.
Crossing the South Mountain range, from Boonsboro to Middletown, the Sixth corps reached Petersville, three or four miles north of Berlin, where the army was to cross the Potomac. Here, nearly the whole army was crowded into a space of not more than three miles, all waiting for the orders to cross.
The enemy, discovering this movement, retreated early in the morning, Sherlin following and assaulting them at every opportunity. Laws had instructed his infantry and cavalry that Five Forks must be held. Sherlin well knew the importance of this position; Petersville must fall with this in our possession.
Very early the next morning I started for Petersville, near which village, in the shadow of the South Mountain, lay the country-house of the good-natured friend who had offered to forward me to Sharpsburg.
"Orden turned his command to the right and joined on with Wight, and they now made their lines strong in order to resist the enemy, as they expected him to attempt a recapture. It had now become one continuous battlefield, from Petersville to and beyond Five Forks. Silent now determined to face Meador's entire command, as well as Orden's, in toward Petersville, and take it if possible.
He ordered Mullet to assault in front with his cavalry, while the Fifth Corps, and McKenon, with his cavalry, were to hold the White Oak road and to drive the enemy back toward Petersville. At five o'clock the assault was made. The cavalry dismounted and fought on foot.
The day's work left about fifty pieces of artillery and 12,000 prisoners in our hands. "All west of the center of Laws's army had been driven by Sherlin across the Appomattox, and the rest had been forced inside the interior lines around Petersville, from which there was no escape save by bad roads country highways.
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