The Civil War Through the CameraElson, Henry W. (Henry William)
History
The Civil War Through the Camera
Elson, Henry W. (Henry William)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Pictorial works
On the Southern side we find equally striking characters. General Joseph
E. Johnston was not held by Patterson in the Valley and with a portion of
his army had reached Manassas on the afternoon of the 20th. In the Indian
wars of Jackson's time Johnston had served his country; like McDowell and
Beauregard, he had battled at the gates of Mexico; and like the latter he
chose to cast his lot with the fortunes of the South. There, too, was
Longstreet, who after the war was over, was to spend many years in the
service of the country he was now seeking to divide. Most striking of all
was "Stonewall" Jackson, whose brilliant military career was to astonish
the world.
The Union plan for this fateful July day was that Tyler should lead his
division westward by way of the Warrenton turnpike to a stone bridge that
crossed Bull Run, about four miles from Centreville. At the same time the
main army under Hunter and Heintzelman was to make a detour of several
miles northward through a dense forest to a ford of Bull Run, known as
Sudley's Ford. Here they were to cross the stream, march down its right
bank and, while Tyler guarded the Stone Bridge, engage the foe on the west
side of Bull Run. The plan of the battle was admirably drawn, but the
march around to Sudley's Ford was slower than had been expected, and it
was ten o'clock before the main army reached the point west of the Stone
Bridge. While the Federals were making their plans to attack the
Confederate left wing, Generals Beauregard and Johnston were planning an
aggressive movement against the left wing of the Federal army. They were
to cross Bull Run by fords several miles below the Stone Bridge and attack
the Northern troops on the weaker wing of the Union force in an effort to
rout them before relief could be sent from the Federal right. The
Confederate attack was planned to take place a few hours later than
McDowell had decided to move. The Southern troops were preparing to cross
the stream when the boom of cannon at the Stone Bridge told that the
Federals had taken the aggressive and that the weak Confederate left was
in danger of being overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the Union right
wing. Orders countermanding the command to attack were quickly sent to the
Southerners at the lower fords, and preparations were hurriedly made to
repulse the attack of the Northern force.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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