ward, and was moving to strike Lee's right and rear. Early, temporarily in command of the Third corps, arrived in time to meet this attack, which had to advance across open fields, with infantry and artillery, and give it a handsome repulse. Thus brought into position, the Third corps held Lee's right, from the horseshoe salient around the front of Spottsylvania Court House; it also occupied a portion of the eastern front of the salient, while Ewell held the remainder of that front, its north projecting apex and its western face. Favorable positions for artillery were found throughout the line, which was made stronger with each passing hour while awaiting Grant's attack from the north and west, after the repulse of that of Burnside from the east.
Advancing on the 9th, Hancock took position on Grant's right and sent three divisions across the Po to menace Lee's left and rear from the west. These movements revealed to Lee that Grant intended to attack his entire front, and, with his superior numbers, which were double those of Lee, attempt to turn both his flanks. During the night of the 9th, in anticipation of Grant's attack, Lee sent Heth's division, of Hill's corps, across the Po, by a circuit to the southward, under the command of Early, who, moved into line across the Louisa road, fell upon Hancock's flank and rear, at dawn of the 10th, just as he was obeying Grant's recall to join in his proposed front attack. Heth severely punished Barlow's division, of Hancock's corps, on which his attack fell, and captured one of his guns, in this engagement, which became known as the "battle of Waite's Shop."
About the time of the failure of Hancock's flanking movement to Lee's left, at 9:30 of the 10th of May, Grant dispatched to Washington, still from "near" Spottsylvania Court House:
