Address to the Army of Eastern Virginia by the President.--Army of
General Pope.--Position of McClellan.--Advance of General
Jackson.--Atrocious Orders of General Pope.--Letter of McClellan on
the Conduct of the War.--Letter of the President to General Lee.--
Battle of Cedar Run.--Results of the Engagement.--Reënforcements to
the Enemy.--Second Battle of Manassas.--Capture of Manassas
Junction.--Captured Stores.--The Old Battle-Field.--Advance of
General Longstreet.--Attack on him.--Attack on General Jackson.--
Darkness of the Night.--Battle at Ox Hill.--Losses of the Enemy.
This defeat of McClellan's army led me to issue the following address:
"RICHMOND, July 5, 1862.
"_To the Army of Eastern Virginia._
"SOLDIERS: I congratulate you on the series of brilliant victories
which, under the favor of Divine Providence, you have lately won,
and, as the President of the Confederate States, do heartily tender
to you the thanks of the country, whose just cause you have so
skillfully and heroically served. Ten days ago an invading army,
vastly superior to you in numbers and the materials of war, closely
beleaguered your capital and vauntingly proclaimed its speedy
conquest; you marched to attack the enemy in his intrenchments; with
well-directed movements and death-defying valor you charged upon him
in his strong positions, drove him from field to field over a
distance of more than thirty-five miles, and despite his
reënforcements compelled him to seek safety under the cover of his
gunboats, where he now lies cowering before the army so lately
derided and threatened with entire subjugation. The fortitude with
which you have borne toil and privation, the gallantry with which you
have entered into each successive battle, must have been witnessed to
be fully appreciated; but a grateful people will not fail to
recognize you, and to bear you in loved remembrance. Well may it be
said of you that you have 'done enough for glory'; but duty to a
suffering country and to the cause of constitutional liberty claims
from you yet further effort. Let it be your pride to relax in nothing
which can promote your future efficiency; your one great object being
to drive the invader from your soil, and, carrying your standards
beyond the outer boundaries of the Confederacy, to wring from an
unscrupulous foe the recognition of your birthright, community
independence.
"JEFFERSON DAVIS."
After the retreat of General McClellan to Westover, his army remained
inactive about a month. His front was closely watched by a brigade of
cavalry, and preparations made to resist a renewal of his attempt
upon Richmond from his new base. The main body of our army awaited
the development of his intentions, and no important event took place.
Meantime, another army of the enemy, under Major-General Pope,
advanced southward from Washington, and crossed the Rappahannock as
if to seize Gordonsville, and move thence upon Richmond.
Contemporaneously the enemy appeared in force at Fredericksburg, and
threatened the railroad from Gordonsville to Richmond, apparently for
the purpose of coöperating with the movements of General Pope. To
meet the advance of the latter, and restrain, as far as possible, the
atrocities which he threatened to perpetrate upon our defenseless
citizens, General Jackson, with his own and Ewell's division, was
ordered to proceed on July 13th toward Gordonsville.
The nature of the atrocities here alluded to may be inferred from the
orders of Major-General Pope, which were as follows:
"HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY OF VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, _July 18, 1862._
"(GENERAL ORDERS, No 5.)
"Hereafter, as far as practicable, the troops of this command will
subsist upon the country in which their operations are carried on. In
all cases supplies for this purpose will be taken by the officers to
whose department they properly belong, under the orders of the
commanding officer of the troops for whose use they are intended.
Vouchers will be given to the owners, stating on their face that they
will be payable at the close of the war upon sufficient testimony
being furnished that such owners have been loyal citizens of the
United States since the date of the vouchers. . . .
"By command of Major-General Pope:
"GEORGE D. RUGGLES,
"_Colonel, A. A.-General, and Chief of Staff._"
"HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY OF VIRGINIA, _July 18, 1862._
"(GENERAL ORDERS, No. 6.)
"Hereafter, in any operations of the cavalry forces in this command,
no supply or baggage trains of any description will be used, unless
so stated especially in the order for the movement. Two days' cooked
rations will be carried on the persons of the men, and all villages
and neighborhoods through which they pass will be laid under
contribution in the manner specified by General Orders, No. 5,
current series, from these headquarters, for the subsistence of men
and horses. . . .
"By command of Major-General Pope:
"GEORGE D. RUGGLES,
"_Colonel, A. A.-General, and Chief of Staff._"
"HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, _July 18, 1862._
"(GENERAL ORDERS, No. 7.)
"The people of the Valley of the Shenandoah and throughout the region
of operations of this army, living along the lines of railroad and
telegraph, and along routes of travel in the rear of United States
forces, are notified that they will be held responsible for any
injury done the track, line, or road, or for any attacks upon the
trains or straggling soldiers, by bands of guerrillas in their
neighborhood. . . . Evil-disposed persons in the rear of our armies,
who do not themselves engage directly in these lawless acts,
encourage by refusing to interfere, or give any information by which
such acts can be prevented or the perpetrators punished. Safety of
the life and property of all persons living in the rear of our
advancing army depends upon the maintenance of peace and quiet among
themselves, and upon the unmolested movements through their midst of
all pertaining to the military service. They are to understand
distinctly that the security of travel is their only warrant of
personal safety. . . . If a soldier or legitimate follower of the
army be fired upon from any house, the house shall be razed to the
ground and the inhabitants sent prisoners to the headquarters of this
army. If such an outrage occur at any place distant from settlements,
the people within five miles around shall be held accountable, and
made to pay an indemnity sufficient for the case; and any person
detected in such outrages, either during the act or at any time
afterward, shall be shot, without waiting civil process. . . .
"By command of Major-General Pope:
"GEORGE D. RUGGLES, _Colonel._"
"HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, _July 23, 1862._
"(GENERAL ORDERS, No. 11.)
"Commanders of army corps, divisions, brigades, and detached commands
will proceed immediately to arrest all disloyal male citizens within
their lines, or within their reach in the rear of their respective
stations.
"Such as are willing to take the oath of allegiance to the United
States, and will furnish sufficient security for its observance,
shall be permitted to remain at their homes, and pursue in good faith
their accustomed avocations. Those who refuse shall be conducted
south beyond the extreme pickets of the army, and be notified that,
if found again anywhere within our lines or at any point in the rear,
they will be considered spies, and subjected to the extreme rigor of
the military law. . . .
"By command of Major-General Pope:
"GEORGE D. RUGGLES,
"_Colonel, A. A.-General, and Chief of Staff._"
Thus was announced a policy of pillage, outrage upon unarmed,
peaceable people, arson, and ruthless insult to the defenseless. Had
the vigor of the campaign been equal to the bombastic manifesto of
this disgrace to the profession of arms, the injuries inflicted would
have been more permanent; the conduct could scarcely have been more
brutal.
In recurring to the letter of General George B. McClellan, written at
"Camp near Harrison's Landing, Virginia, July 7, 1862," to the
President of the United States, one must be struck with the strong
contrast between the suggestions of General McClellan and the orders
of General Pope. The inquiry naturally arises, Was it because of this
difference that Pope had been assigned to the command of the Army of
Virginia? McClellan wrote:
"This rebellion has assumed the character of a war; as such it should
be regarded, and it should be conducted upon the highest principles
known to Christian civilization. It should not be a war looking to
the subjugation of the people of any State, in any event. It should
not be at all a war upon population, but against armed forces and
political organizations. Neither confiscation of property, political
executions of persons, territorial organizations of States, or
forcible abolition of slavery, should be contemplated for a moment.
"In prosecuting the war, all private property and unarmed persons
should be strictly protected, subject only to the necessity of
military operations; all private property taken for military use
should be paid or receipted for; pillage and waste should be treated
as high crimes; all unnecessary trespass sternly prohibited, and
offensive demeanor by the military toward citizens promptly rebuked.
Military arrests should not be tolerated, except in places where
active hostilities exist; and oaths, not required by enactments
constitutionally, should be neither demanded nor received."
Had these views been accepted, and the conduct of the Government of
the United States been in accordance with them, the most shameful
chapters in American history could not have been written, and some of
the more respectable newspapers of the North would not have had the
apprehensions they expressed of the evils which would befall the
country when an army habituated to thieving should be disbanded.
On the reception of copies of the orders issued by General Pope,
inserted above, I addressed to General Lee, commanding our army in
Virginia, the following letter:
"RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, _July 31, 1862._
"SIR: On the 23d of this month a cartel for a general exchange of
prisoners of war was signed between Major-General D. H. Hill, in
behalf of the Confederate States, and Major-General John A. Dix, in
behalf of the United States.
"By the terms of that cartel, it is stipulated that all prisoners of
war hereafter taken shall be discharged on parole until exchanged.
"Scarcely had that cartel been signed, when the military authorities
of the United States commenced a practice changing the character of
the war, from such as becomes civilized nations, into a campaign of
indiscriminate robbery and murder.
"The general order issued by the Secretary of War of the United
States, in the city of Washington, on the very day that the cartel
was signed in Virginia, directs the military commanders of the United
States to take the private property of our people for the convenience
and use of their armies, without compensation.
"The general order issued by Major-General Pope, on the 23d of July,
the day after the signing of the cartel, directs the murder of our
peaceful inhabitants as spies, if found quietly tilling their farms
in his rear, _even outside of his lines_; and one of his
brigadier-generals, Steinwehr, has seized upon innocent and peaceful
inhabitants, to be held as hostages, to the end that they may be
murdered in cold blood if any of his soldiers are killed by some
unknown persons, whom he designates as 'bushwhackers.'
"Under this state of facts, this Government has issued the inclosed
general order, recognizing General Pope and his commissioned officers
to be in the position which they have chosen for themselves, that of
robbers and murderers, and not that of public enemies, entitled, if
captured, to be considered as prisoners of war.
"We find ourselves driven by our enemies in their steady progress
toward a practice which we abhor, and which we are vainly struggling
to avoid. Some of the military authorities of the United States seem
to suppose that better success will attend a savage war in which no
quarter is to be given and no sex to be spared than has hitherto been
secured by such hostilities as are alone recognized to be lawful by
civilized men in modern times.
"For the present, we renounce our right of retaliation on the
innocent, and shall continue to treat the private enlisted soldiers
of General Pope's army as prisoners of war; but if, after notice to
the Government at Washington of our confining repressive measures to
the punishment only of commissioned officers, who are willing
participants in these crimes, these savage practices are continued,
we shall reluctantly be forced to the last resort of accepting the
war on the terms chosen by our foes, until the outraged voice of a
common humanity forces a respect for the recognized rules of war.
"While these facts would justify our refusal to execute the generous
cartel, by which we have consented to liberate an excess of thousands
of prisoners held by us beyond the number held by the enemy, a sacred
regard to plighted faith, shrinking from the mere semblance of
breaking a promise, prevents our resort to this extremity. Nor do we
desire to extend to any other forces of the enemy the punishment
merited alone by General Pope and such commissioned officers as
choose to participate in the execution of his infamous orders.
"You are therefore instructed to communicate to the
commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States the contents of
this letter and a copy of the inclosed general order, to the end that
he may be notified of our intention not to consider any officers
hereafter captured from General Pope's army as prisoners of war. Very
respectfully, yours, etc.,
"JEFFERSON DAVIS."
When General Jackson arrived near Gordonsville on July 19, 1862, he
was at his request reënforced by Major-General A. P. Hill. Receiving
information that only a part of General Pope's army was at Culpeper
Court-House, General Jackson, hoping to defeat it before
reënforcements should arrive, moved in that direction the divisions
of Ewell, Hill, and Jackson, on August 7th, from their encampments
near Gordonsville. As the enemy's cavalry displayed unusual activity
and the train of Jackson's division was seriously endangered, General
Lawton with his brigade was ordered to guard it. On August 9th
Jackson arrived within eight miles of Culpeper Court-House and found
the foe in his front near Cedar Run and a short distance west and
north of Slaughter Mountain. When first seen, the cavalry in large
force occupied a ridge to the right of the road. A battery opened
upon it and soon forced it to retire. Our fire was responded to by
some guns beyond the ridge from which the advance had just been
driven. Soon after, the cavalry returned to the position where it was
first seen, and General Early was ordered forward, keeping near the
Culpeper road, while General Ewell with his two remaining brigades
diverged from the road to the right, advancing along the western
slope of Slaughter Mountain. General Early, forming his brigade in
line of battle, moved into the open field, and, passing a short
distance to the right of the road but parallel to it, pushed forward,
driving the opposing cavalry before him to the crest of a hill which
overlooked the ground between his troops and the opposite hill, along
which the enemy's batteries were posted, and opened upon him as soon
as he reached the eminence. Early retired his troops under the
protection of the hill, and a small battery of ours, in advance of
his right, opened. Meantime General Winder with Jackson's brigade was
placed on the left of the road, Campbell's brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel
Garnett commanding, being on the left, Taliaferro's parallel to the
road, supporting the batteries, and Winder's own brigade under Colonel
Roland in reserve. The battle opened with a fierce fire of artillery,
which continued about two hours, during which Brigadier-General Charles
S. Winder, while directing the positions of his batteries, received a
wound, from the effects of which he expired in a few hours. General
Jackson thus spoke of him in his report:
"It is difficult, within the proper reserve of an official report, to
do justice to the merits of this accomplished officer. Urged by the
medical director to take no part in the movements of the day, because
of the then enfeebled state of his health, his ardent patriotism and
military pride could bear no restraint. Richly endowed with those
qualities of mind and person which fit an officer for command, and
which attract the admiration and excite the enthusiasm of troops, he
was rapidly rising to the front rank of his profession. His loss has
been severely felt."
Charles Winder had attracted my special notice, when I was Secretary
of War of the United States, by an act of heroism and devotion to
duty which it gives me pleasure to record. A regiment of artillery,
in which he was a second-lieutenant, being under orders for
California, embarked on the steamer San Francisco, and in a storm
became disabled; drifting helplessly at sea, she was approached by a
bark which, to give succor, hove to. Not being able to receive all
the passengers, the commissioned officers left, as the Colonel
naively reported, in the order of their rank. Winder alone remained
with the troops; in great discomfort and by strenuous exertion the
wreck was kept afloat until a vessel bound for Liverpool came to the
relief of the sufferers.
Arriving at Liverpool, Winder left the soldiers there, went to the
American consul in London, got means to provide for their needs, and
returned with them. Soon afterward, four regiments were added to the
army, and, for his good conduct so full of promise, he was nominated
to be a captain of infantry, and, notwithstanding his youth, was
confirmed and commissioned accordingly. He died manifesting the same
spirit as on the wreck--that which holds life light when weighed
against honor.
The enemy's infantry advanced about 5 P.M., and attacked General
Early in front, while another body, concealed by the inequality of
the ground, moved upon his right. Thomas's brigade, of A. P. Hill's
division, which had now arrived, was sent to his support, and the
contest soon became animated. In the mean time the main body of the
opposing army, under cover of a wood and the undulations of the
field, gained the left of Jackson's division, now commanded by
Brigadier-General Taliaferro, and poured a destructive fire into its
flank and rear. Campbell's brigade fell back in confusion, exposing
the flank of Taliaferro's, which also gave way, as did the left of
Early's. The rest of his brigade, however, firmly held its ground.
Winder's brigade, with Branch's, of A. P. Hill's division, on its
right, advanced promptly to the support of Jackson's division, and
after a sanguinary struggle the assailants were repulsed with loss.
Pender's and Archer's brigades, also of Hill's division, came up on
the left of Winder's, and by a general charge the foe was driven back
in confusion, leaving the ground covered with his dead and wounded.
General Ewell, with the two brigades on the extreme right, had been
prevented from advancing by the fire of our own artillery, which
swept his approach to the enemy's left. The obstacle being now
removed, he pressed forward under a hot fire, and came gallantly into
action. Repulsed and vigorously followed on our left and center, and
now hotly pressed on our right, the whole line of the enemy gave way,
and was soon in full retreat. Night had now set in, but General
Jackson, desiring to enter Culpeper Court-House before morning,
determined to pursue. Hill's division led the advance; but, owing to
the darkness, it was compelled to move slowly and with caution.
The enemy was found about a mile and a half in the rear of the field
of battle, and information was received that reënforcements had
arrived. General Jackson thereupon halted for the night, and the next
day, becoming satisfied that the enemy's force had been so largely
increased as to render a further advance on his part imprudent, he
sent his wounded to the rear, and proceeded to bury the dead and
collect the arms from the battlefield. On the 11th the enemy asked
and received permission to bury those of his dead not already
interred. General Jackson remained in position during the day, and at
night returned to the vicinity of Gordonsville. In this engagement
400 prisoners, including a brigadier-general were captured, and 5,300
stand of small-arms, one piece of artillery, several caissons, and
three colors, fell into our hands. Our killed were 229, wounded
1,047, total 1,276. The loss on the other side exceeded 1,500, of
whom nearly 300 were taken prisoners.
The victory of Cedar Run effectually checked the invader for the
time; but it soon became apparent that his army was receiving a large
increase. The corps of Major-General Burnside, from North Carolina,
which had reached Fredericksburg, was reported to have moved up the
Rappahannock, a few days after the battle, to unite with General
Pope, and a part of General McClellan's army had left Westover for
the same purpose. It therefore seemed that active operations on the
James were no longer contemplated, and that the most effectual way to
relieve Richmond from any danger of an attack would be to reënforce
General Jackson and advance upon General Pope.
Accordingly, on August 13th, Longstreet, Anderson, and Stuart were
ordered to proceed to Gordonsville. On the 16th the troops began to
move from the vicinity of Gordonsville toward the Rapidan, on the
north side of which, extending along the Orange and Alexandria
Railroad in the direction of Culpeper Court-House, the army of
invasion lay in great force. It was determined, with the cavalry, to
destroy the railroad-bridge over the Rappahannock in rear of the
enemy, while Jackson and Longstreet crossed the Rapidan and attacked
his left flank. But, the enemy becoming apprised of our design,
hastily retreated beyond the Rappahannock. On the 21st our forces
moved toward that river, and some sharp skirmishing ensued with our
cavalry that had crossed at Beverly's Ford. As it had been determined
in the mean time not to attempt the passage of the river at that
point with the army, the cavalry withdrew to the south side. Soon
afterward the enemy appeared in great strength on the opposite bank,
and an active fire was kept up during the rest of the day between his
artillery and the batteries attached to Jackson's leading division,
under Brigadier-General Taliaferro.
But, as our positions on the south bank of the Rappahannock were
commanded by those on the north bank, and which served to guard all
the fords, General Lee determined to seek a more favorable place to
cross higher up the river, and thus gain his adversary's right.
Accordingly, General Longstreet was directed to leave Kelly's Ford on
the 21st, and take the position in the vicinity of Beverly's Ford and
the Orange and Alexandria Railroad bridge, then held by Jackson, in
order to mask the movement of the latter, who was instructed to
ascend the river. On the 22d Jackson proceeded up the Rappahannock,
leaving Trimble's brigade near Freeman's Ford to protect his train.
In the afternoon Longstreet sent General Hood with his own and
Whiting's brigade to relieve Trimble. Hood had just reached the
position, when he and Trimble were attacked by a considerable force
which had crossed at Freeman's Ford. After a short but spirited
engagement, the enemy was driven precipitately over the river with
heavy loss. General Jackson attempted to cross at Warrenton Springs
Ford, but was interrupted by a heavy rain, which caused the river to
rise so rapidly as to be impassable for infantry and artillery, and
he withdrew the troops that had reached the opposite side. General
Stuart, who had been directed to cut the railroad in rear of General
Pope's army, crossed the Rappahannock on the morning of the 22d,
about six miles above the Springs, with parts of Lee's and
Robertson's brigades. He reached Catlet's Station that night, but was
prevented destroying the railroad-bridge there by the same storm that
arrested Jackson's movements. He captured more than three hundred
prisoners, including a number of officers. Apprehensive of the effect
of the rain upon the streams, he recrossed the Rappahannock at
Warrenton Springs. The rise of the river, rendering the lower fords
impassable, enabled the enemy to concentrate his main body opposite
General Jackson, and on the 24th Longstreet was ordered by General
Lee to proceed to his support. Although retarded by the swollen
condition of Hazel River and other tributaries of the Rappahannock,
he reached Jeffersonton in the afternoon. General Jackson's command
lay between that place and the Spring's Ford, and a warm cannonade
was progressing between the batteries of General A. P. Hill's
division and those in his front. The enemy was massed between
Warrenton and the Springs, and guarded the fords of the Rappahannock
as far above as Waterloo.
The army of General McClellan had left Westover, and a part had
marched to join General Pope. It was reported that the rest would
soon follow. The greater part of the army of General Cox had also
been withdrawn from the Kanawha Valley for the same purpose. Two
brigades of D. H. Hill's division, under General Ripley, had already
been ordered from Richmond, and the remainder were to follow; also,
McLaws's division, two brigades under General Walker, and Hampton's
cavalry brigade. In pursuance of the plan of operations now
determined upon, Jackson was directed, on the 25th, to cross above
Waterloo and move around the enemy's right, so as to strike the
Orange and Alexandria Railroad in his rear. Longstreet, in the mean
time, was to divert his attention by threatening him in front, and to
follow Jackson as soon as the latter should be sufficiently advanced.
General Jackson crossed the Rappahannock on the 25th, about four
miles above Waterloo, and, after sunset on the 26th, reached the
railroad at Bristoe Station. At Gainesville he was joined by General
Stuart, with the brigades of Robertson and Fitzhugh Lee, who
continued with him during his operations, and effectually guarded
both his flanks.
General Jackson was now between the large army of General Pope and
Washington City, without having encountered any considerable force.
At Bristoe two trains of cars were captured and a few prisoners
taken. Determining, notwithstanding the darkness of the night and the
long and arduous march of the day, to capture the depot of the enemy
at Manassas Junction, about seven miles distant, General Trimble
volunteered to proceed at once to that place with the Twenty-first
North Carolina and the Twenty-first Georgia Regiments. The offer was
accepted, and, to render success more certain, General Stuart was
directed to accompany the expedition with part of his cavalry. About
midnight the place was taken with little difficulty. Eight pieces of
artillery, with their horses, ammunition, and equipments were
captured; more than three hundred prisoners, one hundred and
seventy-five horses, besides those belonging to the artillery, two
hundred new tents, and immense quantities of commissary and
quartermaster's stores, fell into our hands.
Ewell's division, with the Fifth Virginia Cavalry under Colonel
Bosser, were left at Bristoe Station, and the rest of the command
arrived at the Junction early on the 27th. Soon a considerable force
of the enemy, under Brigadier-General Taylor, of New Jersey,
approached from the direction of Alexandria, and pushed forward
boldly to recover the stores. After a sharp engagement he was routed
and driven back, leaving his killed and wounded on the field. The
troops remained at Manassas Junction during the day, and supplied
themselves with everything they required. In the afternoon, two
brigades advanced against General Ewell, at Bristoe, from the
direction of Warrenton Junction, but were broken and repulsed. Their
place was soon supplied with fresh troops, but it was apparent that
the commander had now become aware of the situation of affairs, and
had turned upon General Jackson with his whole force. General Ewell,
perceiving the strength of the column, withdrew and rejoined General
Jackson, having first destroyed the railroad-bridge over Broad Run.
The enemy halted at Bristoe. General Jackson, having a much inferior
force to General Pope, retired from Manassas Junction and took a
position west of the turnpike-road from Warrenton to Alexandria,
where he could more readily unite with the approaching column of
Longstreet. Having supplied the wants of his troops, he was
compelled, through lack of transportation, to destroy the rest of the
captured property. Many thousand pounds of bacon, a thousand barrels
of corned beef, two thousand barrels of salt pork, and two thousand
barrels of floor, besides other property of great value, were burned.
During the night of the 27th of August Taliaferro's division crossed
the turnpike near Groveton and halted on the west side, near the
battle-field of July 21, 1861, where it was joined on the 28th by the
divisions of Hill and Ewell. During the afternoon the enemy,
approaching from the direction of Warrenton down the turnpike toward
Alexandria, exposed his left flank, and General Jackson determined to
attack him. A fierce and sanguinary conflict ensued which continued
until about 9 P.M., when he slowly fell back and left us in
possession of the field, the loss on both sides was heavy. On the
next morning (the 29th) the enemy had taken a position to interpose
his army between General Jackson and Alexandria, and about 10 A.M.
opened with artillery upon the right of Jackson's line. The troops of
the latter were disposed in rear of Groveton, along the line of the
unfinished branch of the Manassas Gap Railroad, and extending from a
point a short distance west of the turnpike toward Sudley Mill,
Jackson's division under Brigadier-General Starke being on the right,
Swell's under General Lawton in the center, and A. P. Hill on the
left. The attacking columns were evidently concentrating on Jackson
with the design of overwhelming him before the arrival of Longstreet.
This latter officer left his position opposite Warrenton Springs on
the 26th and marched to join Jackson. On the 28th, arriving at
Thoroughfare Gap, he found the enemy prepared to dispute his
progress. Holding the eastern extremity of the pass with a large
force, the enemy directed a heavy fire of artillery upon the road
leading to it and upon the sides of the mountain. An attempt was made
to turn his right, but, before our troops reached their destination,
he advanced to the attack, and, being vigorously repulsed, withdrew
to his position at the eastern end of the Gap, keeping up an active
fire of artillery until dark. He then retreated. On the morning of
the 29th Longstreet's command resumed its march, the sound of cannon
at Manassas announcing that Jackson was already engaged. The head of
the column came upon the field in rear of the enemy's left, which had
already opened with artillery upon Jackson's right, as above stated.
Longstreet immediately placed some of his batteries in position, but,
before he could complete his dispositions to attack the force before
him, it withdrew to another part of the field. He then took position
on the right of Jackson, Hood's two brigades, supported by Evans,
being deployed across the turnpike and at right angles to it. These
troops were supported on the left by three brigades under General
Wilcox, and by a like force on the right under General Kemper. D. B.
Jones's division formed the extreme right of the line, resting on the
Manassas Gap Railroad. The cavalry guarded our right and left flanks,
that on the right being under General Stuart in person. After the
arrival of Longstreet the enemy changed his position and began to
concentrate opposite Jackson's left, opening a brisk artillery-fire,
which was responded to by some of A. P. Hill's batteries.
Soon afterward General Stuart reported the approach of a large force
from the direction of Bristoe Station, threatening Longstreet's
right. But no serious attack was made, and, after firing a few shots,
that force withdrew. Meanwhile a large column advanced to assail the
left of Jackson's position, occupied by the division of General A. P.
Hill. The attack was received by his troops with their accustomed
steadiness, and the battle raged with great fury. The enemy was
repeatedly repulsed, but again pressed on the attack with fresh
troops. Once he succeeded in penetrating an interval between General
Gregg's brigade on the extreme left and that of General Thomas, but
was quickly driven back with great slaughter by the Fourteenth South
Carolina Regiment, then in reserve, and the Forty-ninth Georgia of
Thomas's brigade. The contest was close and obstinate; the combatants
sometimes delivered their fire at a few paces. General Gregg, who was
most exposed, was reënforced by Hays's brigade under Colonel Forno.
Gregg had successfully and most gallantly resisted the attack until
the ammunition of his brigade was exhausted and all his
field-officers but two killed or wounded. The reënforcement was of
like high-tempered steel, and together in hand-to-hand fight they
held their post until they were relieved, after several hours of
severe fighting, by Early's brigade and the Eighth Louisiana
Regiment. General Early drove the enemy back with heavy loss, and
pursued about two hundred yards beyond the line of battle, when he
was recalled to the position on the railroad, where Thomas, Pender,
and Archer had firmly held their ground against every attack. While
the battle was raging on Jackson's left, Hood and Evans were ordered
by Longstreet to advance, but, before the order could be obeyed, Hood
was himself attacked, and his command became at once warmly engaged.
The enemy was repulsed by Hood after a severe contest, and fell back,
closely followed by our troops.
The battle continued until 9 P.M., the foe retreating until he
reached a strong position, which he held with a large force. Our
troops remained in their advanced position until early next morning,
when they were withdrawn to their first line. One piece of artillery,
several stands of colors, and a number of prisoners were captured.
Our loss was severe. On the morning of the 30th the enemy again
advanced, and skirmishing began along the line. The troops of Jackson
and Longstreet maintained their position of the previous day. At noon
the firing of the batteries ceased, and all was quiet for some hours.
About 3 P.M. the enemy, having massed his troops in front of General
Jackson, advanced against his position in strong force. His front
line pushed forward until it was engaged at close quarters by
Jackson's troops, when its progress was cheeked, and a fierce and
bloody struggle ensued. A second and third line of great strength
moved up to support the first, but in doing so came within easy range
of a position a little in advance of Longstreet's left. He
immediately ordered up two batteries, and, two others being thrown
forward about the same time by Colonel S. D. Lee, the supporting
lines were broken, and fell back in confusion under their
well-directed and destructive fire. Their repeated efforts to rally
were unavailing, and Jackson's troops, being thus relieved from the
pressure of overwhelming numbers, began to press steadily forward,
driving everything before them. The enemy retreated in confusion,
suffering severely from our artillery, which advanced as he retired.
General Longstreet, anticipating the order for a general advance, now
threw his whole command against the center and left. The whole line
swept steadily on, driving the opponents with great carnage from each
successive position, until 10 P.M., when darkness put an end to the
battle and the pursuit.
The obscurity of the night and the uncertainty of the fords of Bull
Run rendered it necessary to suspend operations until morning, when
the cavalry, being pushed forward, discovered that the retreat had
continued to the strong position of Centreville, about four miles
beyond Bull Run. The prevalence of a heavy rain, which began during
the night, threatened to render Bull Bun impassable, and to impede
our movements. Longstreet remained on the battle-field to engage
attention and to protect parties for the burial of the dead and the
removal of the wounded, while Jackson proceeded by Sudley's Ford to
the Little River turnpike to turn the enemy's right, and intercept
his retreat to Washington. Jackson's progress was retarded by the
inclemency of the weather and the fatigue of his troops. He reached
the turnpike in the evening, and the next day (September 1st)
advanced by that road toward Fairfax Court-House. The enemy in the
mean time was falling back rapidly toward Washington, and had thrown
a strong force to Germantown, on the Little River turnpike, to cover
his line of retreat from Centreville. The advance of Jackson
encountered him at Ox Hill, near Germantown, about 5 P.M. Line of
battle was at once formed, and two brigades were thrown forward to
attack and ascertain the strength of the position. A cold and
drenching rain-storm drove in the faces of our troops as they
advanced and gallantly engaged. They were subsequently supported, and
the conflict was obstinately maintained until dark, when the enemy
retreated, having lost two general officers, one of whom--
Major-General Kearney--was left dead on the field. Longstreet's
command arrived after the action was over, and the next morning it
was found that the retreat had been so rapid that the attempt to
intercept was abandoned. The proximity of the fortifications around
Alexandria and Washington was enough to prevent further pursuit. Our
army rested during the 2d near Chantilly, the retreating foe being
followed only by our cavalry, who continued to harass him until he
reached the shelter of his intrenchments.
In the series of engagements on the plains of Manassas more than
seven thousand prisoners were taken, in addition to about two
thousand wounded left in our hands. Thirty pieces of artillery,
upward of twenty thousand stand of small-arms, numerous colors, and a
large amount of stores, besides those taken by General Jackson at
Manassas Junction, were captured.
Major-General Pope in his report says:
"The whole force that I had at Centreville, as reported to me by the
corps commanders, on the morning of the 1st of September, was as
follows: McDowell's corps, 10,000 men; Sigel's corps, about 7,000;
Heintzelman's corps, about 6,000; Reno's, 6,000; Banks's, 5,000;
Sumner's, 11,000; Porter's, 10,000; Franklin's, 8,000--in all,
63,000 men. . . . The small fraction of 20,500 men was all of the
91,000 veteran troops from Harrison's landing which ever drew trigger
under my command."
Our losses in the engagement at Manassas Plains were considerable.
The number killed was 1,090; wounded, 6,154--total, 7,244. The loss
of the enemy in killed, wounded, and missing was estimated between
15,000 and 20,000. The strength of our army in July and September is
stated on a preceding page.