BULL RUN. 



army passed around. When the central divi- 

 sion reached the village of Fairfax Court House, 

 an order was sent to the left wing to halt, and 

 General McDowell with his staff, escorted by a 

 squadron of dragoons, proceeded to German- 

 town, where the right wing was halted. It was 

 his desire to push forward without delay to 

 Centreville. 



Germantown is a small village on the road 

 from Fairfax Court House to Centreville, and 

 about one-fourth of the distance beyond the 

 former. 



The order to move forward was first given 

 to all divisions of the army on the 15th. Gen. 

 Tyler, of the right wing, communicated it to 

 his troops that evening, with orders to be ready 

 to move at 2 p. M. on the 16th, provided with 

 cooked rations for three days. Precisely at that 

 hour, the right wing began to move forward, and 

 reached Vienna, and encamped for the night. 



At 5 o'clock the next morning, the onward 

 march was renewed. It was necessarily slow, 

 owing to the obstructions placed by the Con- 

 federate troops in the road. These troops, al- 

 though constantly seen during the day, rapidly 

 retreated upon the approach of the Federal 

 army. Germantown was reached soon after 

 noon. Col. Miles' division of the left wing was 

 at the crossing of the old Braddock road with 

 the road from. Fairfax Court House to Fairfax 

 Station, on the railroad, when ordered to halt. 

 On the 18th it was ordered forward to Centre- 

 ville by the old Braddock road. The other 

 brigades of this wing halted at Fairfax Station 

 and below. Eleven of the enemy's force were 

 made prisoners at this Station. 



A few buildings were burned a short distance 

 from Fairfax Court House, on account of a ru- 

 mor that a soldier had been fired on from them. 

 In Fairfax, the soldiers, under excitement, had 

 seized many things in and about the houses, 

 some of which were deserted by their owners. 

 These acts caused General McDowell to issue 

 the following orders from his head-quarters at 

 Fairfax Court House, on the morning of the 1 8th : 



General Orders, No. 18. It is with the deepest mor- 

 tification the General commanding finds it necessary 

 to reiterate his orders for the preservation of the prop- 

 erty of the inhabitants of the district occupied by the 

 troops under hia command. Hardly had we arrived 

 at this place, when, to the horror of every right-minded 

 person, several houses were broken open, and others 

 were in flames, by the act of some of those who, it has 

 been the boast of the loyal, come here to protect the 

 oppressed, and free the country from the domination 

 of a hated party. The property of this people is at the 

 mercy of troops who, we rightly say, are the most in- 

 telligent, best educated, and most law-abiding of any 

 that ever were under arms. But do not, therefore, the 

 acts of yesterday cast the deepest stain upon them ? 

 It was claimed by some that their particular corps 

 were not engaged in these acts. This is of but little 

 moment ; since the individuals are not found out, we 

 are all alike disgraced. Commanders of regiments will 

 6elect a commissioned officer as a. provost- marshal, 

 and ten men as a police force under him, whose special 

 and sole duty it shall be to preserve the property from 

 depredations, and to arrest all wrong-doers of what- 

 ever regiment or corps they may be. Any one found 

 committing the slightest depredations, killing pigs or 



poultry, or trespassing on the property of the inhabi- 

 tants, will be reported to head-quarters, and the least 

 that will be done to them will be to send them to the 

 Alexandria jail. It is again ordered that no one shall 

 arrest, or attempt to arrest, any citizen riot in arms at 

 the time, or search or attempt to search any house, or 

 even to enter the same without permission. The troops 

 must behave themselves with as much forbearance 

 and propriety as if they were at their own homes. 

 They are here to fight the enemies of the country, not 

 to judge and punish the unarmed and defenceless, 

 however guilty they may be. When necessary, that 

 will be done by the proper person. 



The right wing, Gen. Tyler, resumed its march 

 from Germantown to Centreville at 7 o'clock 

 on the morning of the next day, the 18th. 

 Upon coming in sight of Centreville, the town 

 proved to have been evacuated, Part of the 

 division proceeded through the village, and 

 turning into a by-road to the right, advanced a 

 short distance towards Bull Run, a valley trav- 

 ersed by a creek about three miles from Cen- 

 treville. A halt was then commanded, and the 

 whole division encamped on both sides of the 

 road. 



About 11 o'clock, General Tyler proceeded to 

 make a reconnoissance in force. He took the 

 fourth brigade of his division, composed of the 

 Second and Third Michigan, First Massachusetts, 

 and Twelfth New York, under Colonel Richard- 

 pon, together with Ayres' battery, and four com- 

 panies of cavalry. Advancing south on the 

 road from Centreville to Manassas, which crosses 

 Bull Run at Blackburn's Ford through a long 

 stretch of timber, for about two miles, they 

 came to an opening, when sight was caught of 

 a strong body of the enemy. Ayres' battery 

 was ordered to advance and open on them from 

 a commanding elevation. Hardly had the fir- 

 ing well commenced, when it was replied to by 

 a battery which had not been seen, at a dis- 

 tance down the road. Some of the grape shot 

 from this battery killed two horses of the cav- 

 alry drawn up in a body on a hill, and wounded 

 two of the men. A vigorous response being 

 kept up by Ayres' battery, the enemy soon re- 

 tired into the woods, when the firing ceased. 

 The Second Michigan was then ordered to deploy 

 as skirmishers on the left of the road, and ad- 

 vance into the wood: They briskly moved for- 

 ward, and entered the timber, and quickly after 

 their disappearance a lively exchange of rifle 

 shots took place for a few minutes. This was 

 soon followed by a succession of volleys, evi- 

 dently discharged by large bodies of men. The 

 Third Michigan, the First Massachusetts, and the 

 Twelfth New York, composing the remainder of 

 the brigade, were then ordered to advance tow- 

 ards the wood. This was promptly done. They 

 then drew up in battle array in front and on 

 the right of the timber. All this time the firing 

 in the woods went on in the liveliest style. 

 Companies G and H of the First Massachusetts, 

 and some companies of the New York Twelfth 

 and of the First Massachusetts, were then ordered 

 into the woods as skirmishers, at the same time 

 the cavalry and two howitzers advanced to 

 their edge. Meanwhile the firing within was 



