May 28 — We renewed our wandering march this morning and marched toward the Pamunkey. We crossed the Virginia Central Railroad, at Atlee’s Station, about eight miles from Richmond, then moved on a road that leads nearly due east through Hanover town to the Pamunkey. To-day the enemy crossed to the south side of the Pamunkey, with a large force of cavalry, infantry, and artillery. We saw the Yanks, and the whole country swarmed with them in our front; we had nothing to oppose their onward march but a small force of cavalry and two batteries of artillery.
General Hampton attacked the van of the enemy’s advance this afternoon at three o’clock near Old Church, about two miles from the Pamunkey. The fight was spirited, determined, and lasted till dark; the musketry was heavy at times on the Yankee side, as they had infantry engaged. Our cavalry fought gallantly and stuck to their position stubbornly, and repulsed two charges that the enemy made on our line, but late this evening we were forced to retire a short distance,— not more than three hundred yards,— as the enemy’s force was overwhelming and composed of a heavy force of infantry in addition to their cavalry. Our battery was under fire, but we did no firing, as the lay of the field and the peculiar conformation of the lines were unfavorable for artillery firing.
Late this evening we fell back to the south side of Tottapotamy Creek, a small stream just in rear of our line, and bivouacked for the night. General Breckinridge’s forces passed our bivouac at dusk this evening, going to the front; they won’t go very far before they will bump up against some lively game in the shape of Yankee infantry that General Hampton’s cavalry were fighting this afternoon.
The country along the Pamunkey in the lower part of Hanover County is mostly level. Weather sunny and hot.
