CHAPTER VII.

THE BULL RUN, OR MANASSAS, CAMPAIGN—JANUARY TO JULY, 1861.

F the four columns of Federal invasion in 1861, by which Scott and Lincoln expected to overrun and subjugate Virginia in ninety days, the third, that from Washington toward Richmond, was the most important, as it had for its object, not only a direct movement upon the capital of Virginia and of the Confederacy, but also the protection of the Federal capital; furthermore, it was under the special supervision of the generalin-chief of the United States army, Lieut. -Gen. Winfield Scott. The important result of the operations of that line of invasion was the famous Bull Run, or Manassas, campaign of 1861. The events leading up to this require at least a brief notice.

President Buchanan, alarmed by the action of the Southern States and by the excitement throughout the Union that followed the election of Lincoln, called Scott, from the headquarters of the army in New York, to Washington, and on the last day of 1860 conferred with him in reference to the protection of that city and of the coming inauguration of Lincoln, both of which, he was led to believe, were threatened with violence. As the result of this, Col. Charles P. Stone was appointed inspector-general for the special purpose of reorganizing and arming the volunteer militia companies of the District of Columbia, in such a way as to secure their loyalty to the Union, in the belief that these would furnish all the military protection Washington then needed. This work was thoroughly done, and these citizen soldiery served as guards in the city and at the inauguration of President Lincoln, on the 4th of March, 1861; and sixteen companies of them, organized into battalions, were mustered into the service of the United States, about the 12th of April, when Fort Sumter was fired on, and became the nucleus for the great volunteer army that later assem

bled at Washington in response to Lincoln's call of April 15th.

The first State troops to reach Washington after Lincoln's call was the Sixth Massachusetts, which was attacked in passing through the streets of Baltimore, on the 19th of April, by unorganized citizens, but reached Washington late that day and was encamped in the capitol. After the passage of these troops, the railways from Baltimore north to Harrisburg and east to Philadelphia were broken in consequence of the destruction of bridges by Southern sympathizers, and were not again opened for travel until the 7th of May; but in the meantime, troops in large numbers were brought to Washington from the North and the West by steamers from Perryville, on the Susquehanna, on the road to Philadelphia, down the bay to Annapolis, and thence by rail across to Washington, and also around the coast to Chesapeake bay, and up that and the Potomac, so that quite an army was gathered in that city when Col. J. K. Mansfield took command of it on the 27th of April. Steps were taken to guard the bridges from Virginia and all other approaches, Lincoln on the same day calling for twenty-five regiments of regulars in addition to the 75,000 three-months' men previously called.

On the 25th of April, the Confederates planted batteries on Arlington heights, and placed guards in Alexandria and along the Potomac above and below Washington. On the 28th, Federal troops guarded the northern, and Confederate troops the southern, end of the long bridge; but on the 30th, General Lee ordered the withdrawal of all troops between the long bridge and Alexandria, to avoid provoking a collision for which he was unprepared. On the 5th of May, the Confederate forces in Alexandria, some 500 in number, including 70 cavalry, under Lieut.Col. A. S. Taylor, alarmed by a rumored attack, evacuated Alexandria, without orders, and fell back to Springfield. General Cocke, in command along the Potomac, from his headquarters at Culpeper promptly ordered them back. On the 9th two Virginia regiments of infantry were ordered to Cocke, and on that day he located his headquarters at Manassas Junction and began the gathering of troops at that point, establishing connections with Col. Daniel Ruggles, in command at Fredericksburg with his advance at Aquia creek on the Potomac,

and strengthening Leesburg, under command of Colonel Hunton, with several regiments of infantry and companies of cavalry and artillery, to protect that place, the line of the railway to Alexandria, and watch the fords of the Potomac. On the 12th, Federal gunboats in the Potomac were brought up in front of Alexandria. On the 21st of May, Brig.-Gen. M. L. Bonham was put in command of the Alexandria line, and established his headquarters at Manassas Junction. Troops from all portions of the South were ordered forward to that place, which, it was rumored, was threatened with early attack.

On May 24th, the day after the citizens of Virginia approved her ordinance of secession, about a dozen regiments of Federal infantry, with cavalry and artillery, at 2 a. m. crossed the Potomac by the aqueduct and the long bridge, and by steamer at Alexandria, and took possession of Arlington heights, Alexandria and the intermediate front of the Potomac, driving out the Confederates, some 500 men, from Alexandria, at half-past four, and capturing Ball's company of cavalry. The Confederates fell back to Manassas and the Federals at once began fortifying their front, after advancing their pickets several miles on the roads leading into Virginia. The supposition of Colonel Terrett, who evacuated Alexandria, was that the Federals proposed to advance toward Leesburg. The next day Bonham reported to Lee that he then had at Manassas Junction but 500 infantry, four pieces of artillery and one troop of cavalry.

Before the opening of the Manassas campaign there were a number of minor affairs, of which a condensed account may be here given:

On May 21st, and again on June 1st, two armed steamers attacked the Confederate battery established at Aquia creek on the Potomac, but without doing much damage. Colonel Ruggles promptly moved 700 men across from Fredericksburg, with some 6-pounder rifle guns, and engaged the gunboats successfully. He then established Bate's Tennessee regiment in a camp at Brooke Station, and returned the rest of his forces to Fredericksburg.

On June 1st, Lieutenant Tompkins, with 75 men of the Second United States cavalry, sent on a scout, drove in the pickets and charged through Lieut.-Col. R. S. Ewell's camp, at Fairfax, between three and four in the morning. A lively skirmish ensued, forcing the Federals to pass around the village in retreat, after some loss. Colonel Ewell was wounded, and Captain Marr, of the Warrenton rifles, was killed, while bravely rallying their men. This attack was made without orders, and McDowell says it frustrated, for the time, a

more important movement, which Ewell learned was to have been an attack on Manassas.

On June 10th, Col. Charles P. Stone began, with the District of Columbia volunteers, what is known as "the Rockville expedition," having for its object the holding of the line of the Potomac from Washington up toward Harper's Ferry, guarding the fords and ferries of that river from Virginia, and any movement on Washington from that direction. This resulted in skirmishes near Seneca mills on the 14th, at Conrad's Ferry on the 17th, at Edward's Ferry on the 18th, at Harper's Ferry July 4th, and at Great Falls July 7th. Colonel Stone was reinforced from time to time with other volunteer troops from Washington. His headquarters were opposite Harper's Ferry July 6th, when he marched, with most of his command, to Williamsport, Md., and thence to Martinsburg, to reinforce Patterson. The Confederate force opposing him was mainly that under Col. Eppa Hunton, in observation at Leesburg.

On June 16th, Col. Maxcy Gregg, with the First South Carolina infantry, about 575 strong, several companies of cavalry and two guns of Kemper's battery, marched from his camp near Fairfax on a reconnoissance to Dranesville, where he learned that several hundred of the enemy had that day come up the Leesburg turnpike to near Hunter's mill. On the morning of the 17th, Gregg rode with a troop of horse to the Potomac, opposite Seneca creek, and reconnoitered. Returning, he marched by Hunter's mill to Vienna, on the Alexandria & Leesburg railroad. About 6 p. m., as he was moving off, the whistle of an approaching train was heard in the direction of Alexandria. He at once marched back, planted his two guns on a hill commanding a curve in the railroad, and placed his infantry and cavalry in support. As the train came round the curve, Kemper opened on it a rapid fire from his guns, which badly damaged the train and'caused the Federals, the First Ohio, under Brig.-Gen. R. C. Schenck, to escape from it and rapidly retreat. Owing to the lateness of the hour Gregg, could not pursue, but he destroyed one passenger and five platform cars, captured some arms, and killed and wounded several of the enemy, without loss and with credit to his management.

On June 25th a small party of the enemy landed at Mathias Point, under cover of guns from a steamer, and burned the house of Dr. Howe; the object being to discover whether a battery was being located there. On the 27th another descent was made by a force landed from boats. Maj. R. M. Mayo's command of one cavalry and three infantry companies met and drove this body. Brig.-Gen. T. H. Holmes, in command, reported that he then had fifteen companies of volunteers at Mathias Point, and had ordered a section of Walker's battery to the same place.

On July 14th, Colonel Davies, with the Fifteenth New York, made a reconnoissance from Alexandria 7 miles out on the Fairfax road, 10 miles on the Richmond, or Telegraph road, and to Mt. Vernon. Only a small picket was met on the Richmond road. Some of Davies' command visited the house of Col. John A. Washington, near Mt. Vernon, and brought away plantation supplies, taking Colonel Washington's teams and negroes to haul them to camp. Davies sent back the teams and supplies, but kept the negroes to do team duty in his brigade. Col. D. S. Miles, his division commander, instructed Davies to respect private property, and send back the negroes.

On June 2d, Brig.-Gen. G. T. Beauregard took command of the Confederate troops on the "Alexandria line." His main line of defense was behind Bull run, and his headquarters at Manassas Junction, 26 miles from Alexandria and the Potomac river. This army then held the line of the Potomac from the Blue ridge down to the vicinity of Washington, thence around the already partially fortified Virginia front of that city to the Potomac, and then south along that river to Chesapeake bay.

The only advantages of the line of Bull run to the Confederates were strategic. It was, by public roads, about 20 miles from the Potomac, a distance over which the movements of the Federal army could be easily watched; and it covered the junction of the Orange & Alexandria railroad-which had connection at Gordonsville, by the Virginia Central, with Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, and with Staunton, a great depot of supplies and the most important town in the Shenandoah valleywith the Manassas Gap railroad, which led from Manassas Junction to Strasburg in the lower valley of the Shenandoah, giving quick connection with the army there operating under Gen. J. E. Johnston.

Excellent highways from Alexandria and Washington, and from other important points to the northwest and southwest, converged at Centreville, about 3 miles east of Bull run, offering great advantages for the concentration of the Federal army in the immediate front of this line; while roads diverging from the same village to the northwest, west and southwest, made it an easy matter to maneuver troops for offensive operations upon the flanks of a defensive army holding the line of Bull run. There were also excellent positions on the northeastern side of that stream for holding the defensive army in check in front of its center while flanking movements to either hand were in process of execution.

The Federal army of invasion consisted of five divisions: The First, under Brig.-Gen. Daniel Tyler, was composed of four brigades of infantry and four batteries of regular United States artillery; the Second, under Col. D. M. Hunter, of two brigades of infantry, a battalion of United States cavalry, a battery of regular United States artillery, and two volunteer batteries; the Third, under Col. S. P. Heintzelman, of three brigades of infan