On his way he was fired upon by rebel troops from a foot-hill to the left of the road and from which the road was commanded.

Howard turned to the left, charged up the hill and captured it before the enemy had time to intrench, taking many prisoners.

Leaving sufficient men to hold this height, he pushed on to reinforce Geary.

Before he got up, Geary had been engaged for about three hours against a vastly superior force.

The night was so dark that the men could not distinguish one from another except by the light of the flashes of their muskets.