The battalion now united again, and formed, by General Butler’s order, on a hill in the road, prepared to charge when the enemy attempted to advance, and here from six o’clock until dark they stood exposed to a hot fire from the Yankee line below them, but fortunately not a man was injured, although seven horses were struck and killed. About dark Hancock’s corps of infantry moved up from the Rail Road and joined in the fight, when General Butler, who was sitting on his horse a short distance from the battalion, and under a very hot fire, called for a courier to go to his line of dismounted men below and order them to retire. The man who was sent to him displayed evident signs of much perturbation under the storm of bullets that whistled around, and the General said to him, "Young man, you’re scared; go back to Captain Myers and tell him to send me a COURIER!" upon which the fellow returned _instanter_, and the Captain sent Sergeant Everhart, whom the General asked if he could carry a dispatch down to the dismounted men; to which Everhart replied, "I God! I’ll _start_! don’t know so much about _going_," when the General replied "you’ll do," sent the order, and withdrew his line from the fight. It was evident that Grant had made a heavy lodgment on the Rail Road at Reams’, and that General Hampton couldn’t make him give it up with his cavalry, but the latter was compelled to send wagons to Stony Creek to get forage, which was twenty miles further away than Reams’, soon the morning of the 24th, before day, Captain Myers was ordered to mount his squadron and escort the battalion train to that place, where they arrived about 11 o’clock. Here they found big, luscious watermelons from North Carolina by the car-load, which they enjoyed to their utmost until late in the evening, when they pushed on after the wagons which had loaded and started back by two o’clock, and having overtaken them, the squadron moved with them over the dangerous part of the road, and it being now midnight and the trains safe, the escort bivouacked in the pines while the wagons drove on to camp.
An hour before daylight Col. White, with a few men, came down the road, and halting with the 1st squadron informed Capt. Myers that A. P. Hill was coming down during the day to drive the Yankees away from Reams’; that Hampton was going to draw their attention and amuse them until Hill could get his position; that the Colonel was going on a scout for Hampton, and would be gone all day, and that Myers was to take charge of the battalion for that length of time.