AEMY OPERATIONS. 



133 



thousand, before the arrival of Gen. Heintzel- 

 man with ten thousand. The Confederate army 

 before him was not less than eighty thousand 

 in number. On evacuating Warrenton and 

 Warrenton Junction, Gen. McDowell was or- 

 dered to march rapidly with his own corps and 

 that of Gen. Sigel, and the division of Gen. 

 Reynolds, by the turnpike upon Gainesville, the 

 first station west of Manassas Junction, on the 

 Gap railroad, for the purpose of intercepting 

 any reinforcements coming through Thorough- 

 fare Gap to Gen. Jackson, who he learned 

 was on the railroad. At the same time Gen. 

 Reno, from Gen. Burnside's corps, and Gen. 

 Kearny, from Gen. Heintzelman's corps, were 

 ordered to march upon Greenwich, so as to sup- 

 port Gen. McDowell if necessary. Greenwich 

 is a little south of Gainesville, and a little south- 

 west of Manassas Junction. The division of 

 Gen. Hooker, under Gen. Pope, moved back 

 upon Manassas, on the line of the railroad. 

 Gen. Porter was ordered to remain with his 

 corps at Warrenton Junction until relieved by 

 Gen. Banks marching from Fayetteville, and 

 then to push forward in the direction of Gaines- 

 ville, where the main collision with the enemy 

 was expected. 



On Tuesday night, the 26th, the pickets at 

 Manassas Junction were driven in, and two 

 companies of Pennsylvania infantry, one com- 

 pany of Pennsylvania cavalry, and a battery 

 of artillery stationed there were surprised and 

 attacked by a large force under Gen. Ewell. 

 The Union force, after a brief skirmish,, retreat- 

 ed across Bull Run. There, at Union Mills, 

 were the llth and 12th Ohio regiments under 

 Col. Scammon, being a portion of Gen. Cox's 

 division brought on from western Virginia. 

 They immediately advanced to meet the Con- 

 federate force, and early on Wednesday morn- 

 ing, the 27th, a conflict took place between 

 Manassas Junction and Bull Run. This con- 

 tinued for a couple of hours, when Col. Scam- 

 mon was forced to retire across Bull Run bridge, 

 which he attempted to hold. About noon, 

 after considerable loss, he was obliged to retire 

 along the railroad in the direction of Alexan- 

 dria, halting at a point midway between Cen- 

 treville and Fairfax Court House. About two 

 o'clock on the- same morning, the Xew Jersey 

 brigade under Brig.-Gen. Taylor, being a por- 

 tion of Gen. Franklin's division of Gen. McClel- 

 lan's army, left their encampment near Alexan- 

 dria, and proceeding out the Fairfax road some 

 distance, made a detour to the left, and during 

 the forenoon arrived on the old battle ground 

 near Manassas. The enemy, being aware of 

 their approach, were drawn up to meet them. 

 As they emerged from the woods the enemy 

 opened upon them with a severe fire of artillery. 

 Gen. Franklin, having no artillery, was compel- 

 led either to make a charge or retire. He re- 

 solved to charge upon the enemy's battery, but 

 as these were supported by infantry, it proved 

 ineffectual, and he then fell back in order to 

 Sangster's Station, toward Fairfax, holding the 



enemy in check. At this station two Ohio regi- 

 ments, sent to reenforce him, came up, who were 

 at first mistaken for a body of the enemy. The 

 troops of Gen. Taylor were now thrown into 

 confusion, biit finding out the mistake, rallied 

 and joined in an attack upon the enemy, Avho 

 now retired toward Mauassas. Gen. Taylor 

 then fell back to Fairfax Court House, having 

 left one regiment at Sangster's Station as a 

 guard. The losses during these actions were 

 about three hundred. 



On the same night of the 26th, when Man- 

 assas Junction was taken, a body of Confede- 

 rate cavalry, being a detachment of the force 

 of the enemy at Manassas, made an attack upon 

 a railroad train at Bristow's Station, four miles 

 from Manassas Junction. This train was the one 

 which had conveyed, a few hours previous, the 

 division of Gen. Hooker to Warrenton Junction, 

 and was now returning empty. The cars were 

 destroyed and the track torn up for a consider- 

 able distance. This force was increased by the 

 arrival of more troops from Gen. Ewell's divi- 

 sion, who had taken Manassas Junction, where 

 was an immense depot of Federal stores valued 

 at nearly one million of dollars. This was the 

 body of the enemy which Gen. Pope had de- 

 signed to intercept by ordering Gen. McDowell 

 to fall back on Gainesville. Unfortunately, his 

 order was too late, for the first reinforcements 

 to Gen. Jackson, then in the rear of Gen. Pope, 

 had passed through Thoroughfare Gap and 

 Gainesville, and were in possession of Manassas 

 at the time when the order was given to Gen. 

 McDowell. The stores captured at Manassas 

 served to sustain the Confederate army in extend- 

 ing its march into Maryland. Vast quantities, 

 however, were burned, because, as Gen. Lee re- 

 ported, "they had captured more than they could 

 use or carry away.'' On the 23d, the next day 

 after the attack upon Catlett's Station, Gen. Hal- 

 leek had sent a despatch to Gen. Pope in these 

 words: "By no means expose your railroad 

 communication with Alexandria. It is of the 

 utmost importance in sending your supplies and 

 reinforcements." Gen. Pope, in his report, 

 says : " The movement of Gen. Jackson to- 

 ward White Plains and in the direction of 

 Thoroughfare Gap, while the main body of the 

 enemy confronted me at Sulphur Springs and 

 Waterloo bridge, was well known to me. but I 

 relied confidently upon the forces which I had 

 been assured would be sent from Alexandria, 

 and one strong division of which I had ordered 

 to take post on the works at Manassas Junction. 

 I was entirely under the belief that these would 

 be there, and it was not until I found my com- 

 munication intercepted that I was undeceived. 

 I knew that this movement was no raid, and 

 that it was made by not less than twenty-five 

 thousand men." 



The army of Gen. Pope was now on the 27th 

 on the retreat in three columns. The one 

 moving back along the railroad toward Manas- 

 sas Junction, under Gen. Hooker, was the first 

 to encounter the Confederate forces in the 



