General Beauregard held a position about sixty miles away across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Near Manassas Junction and the Bull Run water, was the Union General McDowell. President Davis received on July 17 Beauregard’s telegram: “The enemy has assaulted my outposts in heavy force—send forward any reinforcements at the earliest possible instant, and by every possible means.” The first Virginia Brigade of Johnson’s army marching with Jackson were reserved in the woods at Bull Run to support the left. McClellan made his first attack on the twenty-first at this point. The battle had waged but a short time, when it looked bad for the Confederate side. Federal troops were rapidly moving to the front of the stream, and the Confederate line gave way. Jackson steadied his men as the Carolina and Georgia troops rushed into the ravine. They listened not to the shouting of their generals, Johnson and Beauregard. The enemy turned to destroy Jackson’s line, and complete their victory, when General Bee cried, “General, they are beating us back.” The deep lines stood out on Jackson’s firm face as he replied, “Well, we will give them the bayonet.” Bee rode up to his men and shouted, “Look, there is Jackson standing like a stonewall.” This rallying cry went through the lines, the men turned and advanced, and Jackson gave the order to charge,—“and yell like fury.” The Federal troops fell back, and this, the first great Confederate victory, was won. Contrary to custom Jackson did not go into winter quarters at Winchester. He wanted to go ahead. He felt that the duty of a soldier was to seek out the enemy and fight him. This, he said, was the only way to shorten the war. Accordingly he prepared to attack the Federal forces at Bath and at Romney, up in the northwest. But the winter was a severe one, and his men suffered greatly. The way was covered with ice and snow. Thy had to cut through the untraveled roads; the horses could not get a footing on the ice, and two miles a day were all they could make. His men were dissatisfied; others spread the news in Winchester of Jackson’s ill luck, and he was criticised severely. General Loring wrote to Richmond of the danger of an attack on Winchester, and the secretary of war telegraphed Jackson to recall his general. Jackson was displeased at this. He felt on the whole that his campaign was successful. He was indignant at the action of the war department, and, ordering General Loring to return to Winchester, resigned from the army. General Johnson delayed the letter, and wrote to Jackson, approving of the Romney and Bath expeditions. Private citizens petitioned him not to resign, for the Confederacy needed him. The “Governor of Virginia sent a kind of ambassador to treat” with him, and later President Davis refused to consider the acceptance of the resignation, and the governor personally withdrew it. Jackson, with “views unchanged,” remained with his command.