The main route from Washington to the South crossed the Potomac, then
as now, by the "Long Bridge," passing in full view of the yellow
Arlington House, fronted by its columned porch. This historic building
was the home of General Robert E. Lee in his early life, the chief
Confederate Commander during the Civil War. The estate is now a vast
cemetery, and upon it and all about to the westward are the remains of
the forts and earthworks erected for the defence of Washington. After
the war began, in April, 1861, the Northern troops were gradually
assembled in and around Washington; but there came an imperative
demand from the country that they should go forth and give the
Confederates battle and capture Richmond before their Congress could
meet, the opening of the session being fixed for July 20th. The
Southern armies were entrenched at Manassas Junction, west of
Washington, and at Winchester to the northwest, and they were making
forays almost in sight of Washington. General McDowell, with nearly
forty thousand men, marched out of the Washington fortifications on
July 17th to attack General Beauregard at Manassas. The Confederates
brought their Winchester army hastily down, and took position along
the banks of Bull Run, a tributary of the Occoquan, their lines
stretching for about eight miles. McDowell attacked on the morning of
the 21st, each side having about twenty-eight thousand available men.
The conflict lasted with varying success most of the day, McDowell
being finally beaten and retreating to Washington.
Thirteen months later, after McClellan's retreat from Richmond, was
fought in almost the same place, on August 29 and 30, 1862, the second
battle of Bull Run. General Pope had a considerable force in Northern
Virginia, and when McClellan, whom Pope superseded, retreated from
before Richmond, and started on his return from James River, Lee moved
nearly his whole army up from Richmond, hoping to fall upon Pope
before McClellan could join him. On August 22d the opposing forces
confronted each other along the Rappahannock, when General Stuart,
with the Confederate cavalry, made a raid around Pope's lines to the
rear, reaching that general's headquarters and capturing his personal
baggage, in which was his despatch book describing the position of
the whole Northern army. This gave Lee such valuable information that
on the 25th he sent Stonewall Jackson with thirty thousand men, who,
by a forced march, went around the western side of the Bull Run
Mountains, came east again by the Thoroughfare Gap, and on the night
of the 27th was in Pope's rear, and had cut his railroad connections
and captured his supplies at Manassas. Pope, discovering the flanking
movement, began falling back towards Manassas, and Jackson then
withdrew towards the Gap, waiting for Lee to come up. There were
various strategic movements afterwards, with fighting on the 29th; and
on the 30th the Confederate wings had enclosed as in a vise Pope's
forces to the west of Bull Run, when, after some terrific combats,
Pope retreated across Bull Run towards Washington. Pope had about
thirty-five thousand men and Lee forty-six thousand engaged in this
battle. During the night of September 2d Jackson made a reconnoissance
towards Washington, in which the Union Generals Stevens and Kearney
were killed at Chantilly, and the authorities became so apprehensive
of an attack upon the Capital that they ordered the whole army to fall
back behind the Washington defenses. Pope was then relieved, at his
own request, and the command restored to McClellan. The Confederates
marched northward across the Potomac and McClellan followed, ending
with the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, later in September,
when Lee retreated and recrossed the Potomac into Virginia on the
18th. The significant result of this conflict and withdrawal was the
issue of the famous Emancipation Proclamation. President Lincoln had
made a vow that if Lee was driven back from Maryland he would issue a
proclamation abolishing slavery, which was done September 22, 1862.