United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
Pope was astonished to find Jackson in his rear, and hastened with
all speed with his forces toward Manassas Junction, where he had vast
stores of provisions and munitions of war, but he was too late to save
them. They had been taken by General Stuart in advance of Jackson's
army. This was a serious loss to Pope. The spoils of the capture were
great, including 300 prisoners, 125 horses, ten locomotives, seven long
trains of provisions, and vast stores and munitions of war. Pope was
moving against Jackson with a far larger army, and was expecting to
be reënforced from the Army of the Potomac, while on the other hand,
Longstreet was hastening to reënforce Jackson, but had not arrived.
Pope, hoping to crush Jackson's army before he could be reënforced by
Longstreet, sent a force to interpose Longstreet at Thoughfare Gap.
Jackson was not to be caught in a trap. He moved from Manassas Junction
to the old battlefield of Bull Run.
Late in the afternoon of the 29th he encountered King's division of
McDowell's corps, near the village of Groveton, and a sharp fight was
opened and kept up until after dark.
On the following day, August 29th, the first day's battle was fought.
Pope was still hopeful of crushing Jackson's army before the arrival of
Longstreet, and ordered a general advance across Bull Run.
Ere long a loud shout arose from Jackson's men that told too well
of the arrival of Longstreet. Far away on the hills could be seen
the marching columns of Longstreet, who had passed through the gap
in safety and was now rushing upon the field. Pope had lost the
opportunity of fighting the army of his opponent in sections.
The field was almost the same that the opposing armies had occupied the
year before, when the first great battle of the war was fought, and
many of them were the same men.
The two armies faced each other in a line five miles long. Late in
the afternoon, the regiments, under Kearny and Hooker, charged the
Confederate left, which was swept back and rolled upon the center. But
presently General Hood, with his famous Texan brigade, rushed forward
in a wild, irresistible dash, pressed the Federals back and captured
several prisoners.
Darkness closed over the scene and the two armies rested on their arms
until morning.
Over the gory field lay multitudes of men who would dream of
battlefields no more.
Lee and Pope each believed that the other would withdraw his army
during the night, and each was surprised in the morning to find his
opponent on the field. It was quite certain that on this day, August
30th, there would be a decisive battle, in which one army would be
victor and the other defeated. Both armies were in full force, the
Confederates with over 50,000 men, whose left wing was commanded by
Jackson and the right by Longstreet, and the Union army with about
65,000 men, whose left wing was commanded by Porter and the right by
Keno.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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