D. H. Hill, Jr., Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 4, North Carolina
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

Against this salient, thus stripped of its artillery, General Grant was, on the rainy 11th, preparing a grand assault. Hancock was ordered to take three divisions of the Second corps to join the Ninth corps in an assault at 4 o'clock on the morning of the 12th. Barlow's, Birney's and Mott's divisions were massed during the night in front of Johnson's position. Gibbon's division was moved up as a reserve, but really joined in the assault. Russell's and Getty's divisions were directed to be under arms and ready to move wherever needed.

Johnson had heard the heavy movements of troops in the night, and, promptly reporting it to General Ewell, asked for the return of the artillery. Orders were issued for the guns to be replaced at daylight, and Gordon was directed to take position to aid any threatened point.

Owing to a heavy fog, General Hancock delayed his advance until the first glimmer of the morning. Then, with a rush, his serried columns, wedged almost into one moving mass, dashed over the works, capturing Generals Johnson and Steuart and over 2,000 men. The Confederate artillery was just galloping on the field, and was captured before it could fire a shot. The infantry, however, struggled desperately for the works. General Hancock says in his report: ‘The interior of the intrenchments presented a terrible and ghastly spectacle of dead, most of whom were killed by our men with the bayonet, when they penetrated the works. So thickly lay the dead at this point that at many places the bodies were touching and piled upon each other.’ Almost all of the First and Third North Carolina regiments were among the captured. Col. S. D. Thruston of the Third was wounded, and Col. H. A. Brown of the First regiment was also ‘wounded, captured and recaptured three times.’ Colonel Brown says of the Federal assault: ‘The terrific onslaught of this vast multitude was irresistible, there being a rectangular mass of 20,000 Federal troops. . .. The portion of the works assaulted by this formidable ’