the task of fighting Cooke's force at the Battle of Sutherland's Station. Humphreys then went back to join his two other divisions on the road to Petersburg. Without support from the rest of the II Corps or the V Corps, Miles would soon face a hard task against the well-positioned Confederates. Cooke, who had four brigades totaling about 1,200 men, had been ordered by Heth to protect the supply trains already parked at Sutherland's Station. Heth left Cooke in command before the battle started to report to Lee's headquarters. Cooke's men threw up a slender line of earthworks about long along Cox Road parallel to the railroad with an open field about with a slight slope in front. Heth had placed Cooke's men on favorable ground between Sutherland Tavern and Ocran Methodist Church with a refused left flank and sharpshooters deployed in front as skirmishers. The entire Confederate force at Sutherland's Station was estimated by a staff officer at about 4,000 men. Miles first attacked Cooke and Hyman (Scales) with only Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General) Henry J. Madill's brigade. Madill's men were exhausted from a night and morning of marching and Madill himself was severely wounded as the attack was repulsed despite a determined showing by the attackers. Then, Miles attacked MacRae and McGowan again with Madill's brigade, now under the command of Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General) Clinton McDougall and Colonel Robert Nugent's brigade. The two brigades again were repulsed with Colonel McDougall being wounded. After an interval to regroup, Miles finally overcame the Confederate right with an attack at 4:00 p.m. by a strong skirmish line, MacDougall's and Nugent's brigades and Lieutenant Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General) John Ramsey's brigade, capturing 600 prisoners, two guns and a battle flag. When McGowan's men finally gave way, Cooke's brigades collapsed from east to west although Cooke's own brigade was farthest from the end of the line and withdrew in better order than the other survivors who managed to escape. The Confederates who did not become casualties or prisoners retreated toward the Appomattox River, moving mostly in disorder toward Amelia Court House. The South Side Railroad, the final supply line to Petersburg, had been permanently severed by the Union Army. But most of Miles men were too exhausted to pursue the Confederate fugitives. Besides, Miles understood that Sheridan had ordered his men to drive the enemy toward Petersburg, so he turned his division