Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, USA Maj. Gen. Henry Heth, CSA About 35,000 men were present, 30,000 Union and about 5,000 Confederate. The Union suffered 1,750 casualties and the South about 1,300. Directed by Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, divisions from three Union corps (II, V, and IX) and Gregg's cavalry division ' over 30,000 men strong ' pulled out of the Petersburg lines and marched west to operate against the Boydton Plank Road and South Side Railroad.
The initial Union advance on October 27 took them across the Boydton Plank Road, a major campaign objective. But that afternoon, Heth's divisions spearheaded a counterattack near Burgess' Mill Wade Hampton's cavalry isolated the II Corps and forced a retreat. The other corps were tied down by other Confederate forces, and II Corps fought their way back, but the operation was clearly going nowhere, so Grant called a halt.
The Confederates retained control of the Boydton Plank Road for the rest of the winter.