On the afternoon of Feb. 2, Gen. Joseph A. Mower's Union division advanced rapidly to Rivers Bridge and charged down a narrow causeway, but Confederate cannon fire stopped the attack and forced the Yankees to take cover in the cold swamp. The battle pitted 7,000 to 9,000 Union soldiers against 700 to 800 Confederates, and even after reinforcements arrived the Confederates remained outnumbered by more than eight to one. Capt. Benjamin S. Williams of the 47th Georgia Infantry recalled that the enemy swarmed in great numbers to the edge of the swamp, but Confederate field pieces swept the road and sharpshooters checked the movement through the swamp.