His line was six miles long, and he had but about twenty thousand men with which to hold it against twenty-five thousand of the enemy.

He thought, too, that reinforcements had come up from Richmond and that the enemy's force far exceeded his own.

It was evident he could not recross the river in broad daylight without sacrificing a great part of his corps, and he determined to hold on until night.

Benham took the precaution to throw over a second bridge, and this prudent measure, in Sedgwick's opinion, saved his command.

Lee, after personally reconnoitring the position, gave orders to break in the centre of the Sixth Corps so as to defeat the two wings, throw them off in eccentric directions, and scatter the whole force.