Under pressure from Washington to bring about a quick end to the rebellion, General Irving McDowell began marching his green Army of Northeastern Virginia south to meet the Confederate Army of the Potomac, again under the command of P.G.T. Beauregard, who was positioned at the vital rail junction at Manassas Junction, just 25 miles from Washington. Another Confederate army, the Army of the Shenandoah under General Joseph E. Johnston, was in the Shenendoah Valley to the northwest and was ready to board trains to reinforce Beauregard if needed.
Slow moving by McDowell allowed Johnston's army to board trains bound for Manassas Junction to reinforce the outnumbered Beauregard. On the morning of July 21, McDowell sent two divisions (Hunter and Heintzelman) to cross Bull Run upstream and flank (attack from the side or rear) the Confederate army while another division (Tyler) would march to make a diversionary attack across the Stone Bridge.
The Stone Bridge (rebuilt).
The Confederate left flank was only one brigade (Evans) positioned on Matthew's Hill. When the divisions of Hunter and Heintzelman were spotted crossing Bull Run to the north, two more brigades (Bee and Bartow) were rushed to Matthew's Hill to reinforce Evans. Pressure from the two Union divisions and a surprise attack on their right flank by Colonel William T. Sherman's brigade forced the Confederate's to abandon Matthew's Hill and retreat south to Henry House Hill.
Matthew's Hill as seen from the crest of Henry House Hill
Henry House Hill as seen from the base of Matthew's Hill
By this time Johnston's army had arrived to reinforce Beauregard on Henry House Hill. Instead of pressing the attack, McDowell had his army regroup on Matthew's Hill. During this lull in the fighting the Confederates also regrouped on Henry House Hill. Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson's brigade had arrived on the field and formed a line of battle on the Henry House Hill plateau. Jackson, still wearing his blue U.S. Army uniform, sat calmly on his horse as artillery shells flew through the air, ready to receive the next advance by McDowell. Attempting to rally his retreating brigade, General Barnard Bee shouted, "Look, there is Jackson standing like a stonewall! Let us determine to die here today and we will conquer! Rally behind the Virginians!" Shortly after saying this, Bee was mortally wounded.
"There Stands Jackson Like A Stonewall"
Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Monument to "Stonewall" Jackson.
Monument to Gen. Barnard Bee.
Henry House Hill Plateau as seen from Jackson's position.
Henry House Hill is named for the the house which stood upon it owned by the Henry family. Living in the house at the time was the 85 year old widow, Judith Henry. Judith Henry was unable to walk and nearly blind. Her family attempted to remove her from the house but she insisted she stay.
The Henry House (rebuilt 1870).
McDowell ordered his divisions and two artillery batteries (Ricketts and Griffin) to the top of Henry House Hill to engage Jackson's line. Griffin's battery moved south past the Union line to fire into the enfilade (fire into the flank) of Jackson's Line. A Confederate regiment charged and captured Griffin's battery. Meanwhile, Ricketts's battery positioned themselves just south of the Henry House. Several Confederate sharpshooters were inside the house and began firing at Ricketts's men. Ricketts ordered his guns to turn and fire on the house. Judith Henry was in her bedroom upstairs when Ricketts's guns began to shell the house. She was kill when multiple shells tore through her bedroom wall. After the battle, her family buried her in the garden outside what was left of the family home.
A well-timed bayonet charge by two of Jackson's regiments drove off the infantry supporting Rickett's guns which were then captured. Seeing that the new recruits of the Union army would rather run than stand their ground in the face of a bayonet charge, Jackson ordered his regiments to, "hold your fire until they come within 50 yards. Then fire and give them the bayonet! And when you charge, yell like furries!" Meanwhile, additional brigades from Johnston's army had arrived to reinforce and extend the Confederate left flank.
When McDowell again advanced up Henry House Hill, Jackson's brigade held their fire until the Union forces were 50 yards away then the regiments fired a volley and immediately charged forward, yelling loudly to further intimidate the Union regiments. As Jackson had suspected, the Union line on the hill broke and was pushed back down the hill by the yelling rebels. On the left flank, a push by three Confederate brigades crumbled the rest of McDowell's line. The Union army was in full retreat.
"With A Rebel Yell"
The Union retreat turned into a rout when a wagon was overturned by artillery fire and blocked one of the crossings across Bull Run. Panic ensued and hundreds of Union soliders were taken prisoner. Wealthy citizens of Washington and congressman, who were picnicking nearby to watch the battle, were caught up in the rout as well. The combination of fleeing soldiers and civilians clogged the roads back to Washington. Johnston and Beauregard chose not to press their advantage and chase the fleeing Union army because their own armies were highly disorganized.
The battle everyone thought would end the war was over. The North was shocked and embarrassed by the defeat at the hands of outnumbered rebels. Everyone realized the war would last longer and would be bloodier than was previously expected. The next day, President Lincoln signed a bill allowing the enlistment of 500,000 men. General Irving McDowell bore much of the blame for the defeat and Lincoln soon replaced him with Major General George B. McClellan and named the latter General-in-Chief of all Union armies.
George B. McClellan
After that day, General Thomas J. Jackson was known as Stonewall Jackson and his brigade was known as the Stonewall Brigade. While he didn't receive any real recognition after the battle besides the nickname, he would go on to be known as one of the most capable generals in the Southern armies because of his many victories in battle.
"Jackson and Staff"
Killed - 460
Wounded - 1,124
Captured/Missing - 1,312
Total Causalities - 2,896
Casualties for the South:
Killed - 387
Wounded - 1,582
Missing - 13
Total Causalities - 1,982
A year later the armies would once again meet on the same fields where the first major battle of the war was fought. This time, the soldiers would be hardened and tougher than they were before. This time, the fighting would be more brutal. This time, the death toll would be much higher...
THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN ~ MARCH-JULY, 1862
Very little actually happened for the remainder of 1861. McClellan reorganized the North's armies into the Army of the Potomac. Due to his inactivity throughout the rest of 1861, President Lincoln relieved McClellan of supreme command and demoted him to commander of the Army of the Potomac. In April of 1862, McClellan launched the Peninsular Campaign which aimed to assault the Confederate capital of Richmond by way of landing his entire army on a peninsula southwest of the city.
Joseph E. Johnston's army was able to slow McClellan's advance, but he eventually had to fall back to the defenses around Richmond. There, Johnston was able to halt McClellan's advance completely during the Battle of Seven Pines where Johnston was wounded and command of the Army of Northern Virginia was handed to Robert E. Lee. Lee launched a series of major attacks against McClellan in what are collectively called the Seven Days Battles. McClellan was pushed back from Richmond and was forced to retreat.
Robert E. Lee
After further reorganizing, the main Union assault force consisted of two bodies: the newly formed Army of Virginia under the command of John Pope, and the Army of the Potomac still under McClellan's command. Pope's army was positioned to protect both Washington and the Shenandoah Valley with the hope of drawing Lee's army away from McClellan (who was still slowly withdrawing from the peninsula to join Pope). Lee saw an opportunity to move his army away from Richmond and attack and destroy Pope before McClellan could join him, then he would simply turn and destroy McClellan's already battered army.
"The Blue and the Gray"
Lee split his army and sent Stonewall Jackson's corps to protect the Virginia Central Railroad. In early August at Cedar Mountain, Jackson was attacked by one of Pope's corps. Jackson repulsed the attack but was unable to press the advantage when he discovered Pope's remaining two corps were too near to attack and destroy each one individually. Lee sent James Longstreet's corps to reinforce Jackson. At this point, the two armies were positioned on either side of the Rappahannock River. Heavy rains had flooded the river banks making it impractical for either side to cross.
This delay allowed McClellan to join Pope and Lee was forced to abandon his plan. In late August, Lee devised a new plan: Jackson's corps and cavalry corps under J.E.B. (Jeb) Stuart would march around Pope's right flank and cut off his supply lines at Manassas Junction. This surprise move caught Pope off guard. He pulled his army back from the river to attack Jackson who was positioned on the same fields where the first battle of the war was fought just over a year before.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS ~ AUGUST 28-30, 1862
On the night of August 27, Jackson positioned his corps along an unfinished railroad cut just northwest of where the First Battle of Manassas took place. From here, Jackson could monitor Union troop movement along the Warrenton Turnpike only a few hundred yards in front of him. His men were concealed by the trees on Stony Ridge and the railroad cut offered good entrenchment positions. On the following evening, Jackson watched as a Union division marched east past the Brawner Farm along the Warrenton Turnpike. Jackson's artillery on Stony Ridge opened fire, forcing the division to deploy in the farmland owned by Jon Brawner. Bloody fighting ensued and lasted until nightfall. Over 1,150 Union and 1,250 Confederate dead littered the Brawner's farmland.
The Brawner Farm
Early the next morning James Longstreet's corps moved out from Thoroughfare Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains to reinforce Jackson. While he waited, Jackson shifted his line further east along Stony Ridge. Pope sent I Corps under Franz Sigel to attack Jackson's position. Sigel sent two divisions (Schenck and Reynolds (from III Corps)) to the left and his third (Schurz) to the right where he skirmished heavily with A.P. Hill's division. Schenck and Reynolds came under heavy artillery fire and didn't move their main forces forward. Two more divisions from III Corps (Heintzelman and Hooker) came up to support Schurz.
By noon, the lead elements of Longstreet's corps were arriving on Jackson's right flank. The Union V Corps (under Fitz John Porter) and the remaining elements of III Corps (under Irving McDowell) were marching up the road Manassas-Gainsville Road but confusing orders from Pope and Stuart's cavalry stalled their march. Lee ordered Longstreet to attack Pope's left flank, but Longstreet argued against an immediate attack, and at the same time, Jeb Stuart reported on the movement of Porter and McDowell coming up the road to their south. Lee decided to wait.
Meanwhile on the Union side, Pope was seriously misinformed. He assumed Porter and McDowell would come up to attack Jackson's "unprotected" right flank, but they were still stalled to the south. He also assumed Longstreet was not near the battlefield. With the assumption that Porter was close enough to attack Jackson's right, Pope ordered four assaults on Jackson's center along the unfinished railroad cut as a distraction while Porter was to deal the death blow to Jackson's right. Reynolds informed Pope that Longstreet's men had arrived and extended Jackson's line, but Pope dismissed this claim and told Reynolds the men he saw were Porter's corps. At 3 p.m. the diversionary assaults on Jackson's front along the railroad cut began.
Part of the Unfinished Railroad Cut (not my picture)
Wondering why Porter wasn't attacking yet, Pope sent explicit orders for him to commence his assault. The courier lost his way and the order didn't reach Porter until 6:30 p.m. Still anticipating Porter's attack, Pope ordered a harder assault on Jackson's left flank by Phillip Kearny's division. Kearny hit A.P. Hill's already battered division hard at 5 p.m. and threatened to turn Jackson's left flank.
Meanwhile, a division (Hatch) from I Corps moved forward from their position on Henry House Hill to support Reynolds. Longstreet sent John Bell Hood's division forward to meet these reinforcements. Fierce fighting around the Groveton-Sudley Road/Warrenton Turnpike intersection lasted until dusk when Hood was compelled to withdraw.
Finally realizing Longstreet's corps was on the fields, Pope sent orders to Porter to rejoin the main army. That night, Pope planned an offensive for the next day. Pope was under the impression the rebels were planning to retreat. This thinking was further reinforced the next morning when Pope witnessed an element of Longstreet's corps moving away from the area. In reality, this unit had arrived on the field at 3 a.m. and wandered too close to the Union line. At daylight, they realized this and began moving back to Longstreet's lines. Reconnaissance of Stony Ridge indicated Jackson still held that area and Reynolds reported a strong rebel presence south of the turnpike. A reconnaissance made by Heintzelman and McDowell of where they thought Jackson's left flank had been the previous day couldn't find Jackson's line. Pope was certain the rebels were preparing to move away from the area.
At noon, Pope ordered Porter, Reynolds, and Hatch to attack Jackson's front at the Brawner Farm and at the same time Ricketts, Kearney, and Hooker would attack Jackson's left. It took Porter two hours to organize his men for the assault. Despite having to cross hundreds of yards of open field while under fire from 18 artillery pieces atop Stony Ridge, Porters men were able to break a hole in Jackson's line. The Stonewall Brigade was sent to plug the hole and bloody fighting ensued. Rapid firing from two brigades caused them to run out of ammunition so they resorted to throwing rocks down on the advancing Union regiments. After suffering heavy casualties, Porter was forced to withdraw his men from the attack. Jackson's men also suffered heavily and could not pursue.
Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet met together and observed the present situation. Lee and Longstreet agreed that the time was right for a counterattack. Longstreet's corps would move forward with it's objective being to take Henry House Hill nearly two miles away. Jackson was to protect Longstreet's left flank.
"The Commanders of Manassas"
Only two Union brigades stood immediately in front of Longstreet and were quickly overwhelmed when Hood's division moved forward along the turnpike.
Realizing what was happening, Pope immediately ordered 4 brigades to defend Henry House Hill. The advancing Confederates plowed through Union resistance on Chinn Ridge and by 6 p.m. had cleared the last remaining Union forces off the ridge.
Longstreet ordered his reserve divisions forward to take over the main assault. The four Union brigades on Henry House Hill were able to repulse several advances by the Confederates. Jackson launched an attack north of the turnpike which prompted Pope to retreat back to Matthew's Hill and establish a strong defensive line there that aligned with the line already on Henry House Hill. Fighting took place around the Stone House at the intersection of Sudley Road and the Warrenton Turnpike. Like at the First Battle of Manassas, the Stone House stood right in the middle of the fighting.
The Stone House
Darkness forced an end to the engagement. Seizing the opportunity, Pope ordered his army to quietly withdraw across Bull Run to Centreville where McClellan's army was positioned. Lee sent Jackson on another flanking movement around the two armies as they concentrated around Centreville in an attempt to get between Pope and Washington. Pope anticipated this and moved to block Jackson, eventually withdrawing back to the defenses around Washington.
Lee had achieved a great victory against Pope but he had again failed to destroy Pope's army. Pope was relieved of command on September 12. Seeking a scapegoat, he singled out Fitz John Porter for failing to attack as ordered on the 29th. Porter was arrested, court-martialed, and dismissed from the army.
Casualties for the North:
Killed and Wounded - Approximately 10,000
Casualties for the South:
Killed - Approximately 1,300
Wounded - Approximately 7,000
In June, 1865, soldiers from both armies would meet a third time on Henry House Hill. This time, there was no fighting. The war had ended two months previously. This time they were there to commemorate their friends and relatives who died on that very hill only a few years before. The built the Henry Hill Monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives at First Manassas.
THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM ~ September 17, 1862
After his success at Second Manassas, the Confederate hierarchy decided it was time to move the Army of Virginia further north into enemy territory. Lee planned to move his army into Maryland. Maryland was a slave state whose populace supported both the North and the South, depending on the region. Maryland sent regiments both to Washington and Richmond. Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, believed that a victory on Northern soil would increase the Confederacy's chances of being officially recognized and supported by foreign powers such as England and France.
Moving into Maryland, Lee split his army in two again, sending Stonewall Jackson's corps to Harper's Ferry to capture the poorly defended garrison and arsenal there while the rest of the army moved on to Hagerstown. McClellan was informed of this when an a copy of Lee's battle plans were discovered wrapped around three cigars in Frederick County. However, McClellan delayed a day before moving to take advantage of the situation and was further delayed at South Mountain by Confederate forces blocking the passes.
This bought Lee enough time to begin to concentrate his army around Sharpsburg across Antietam Creek on September 15. McClellan's forces began arriving that afternoon and by the 16th, Lee was outnumbered. McClellan once again delayed attacking until the 17th. By this time the rest of Lee's forces had arrived.
What followed was the bloodiest single-day of fighting in the entire Civil War. At the end of the day, there was no clear winner. Both sides paid heavily. The Union had over 12,000 casualties with over 2,000 dead. The Confederates had over 10,000 casualties with over 1,500 dead.
"Jackson at Antietam"
Union and Confederate dead around Dunker Church.
Burnside Bridge
Confederate dead in the Sunken Road (aka Bloody Lane)
President Lincoln meets with Gen. George B. McClellan near Antietam on Oct. 3, 1862
"Sharpsburg War Council"
The following morning, Lee withdrew his army across the Potomac River back into Virginia. McClellan failed to pursue, and further inaction through October lead President Lincoln to once again remove McClellan from command. On September 22, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which emancipated all slaves in states that didn't return to Union control before January 1, 1863. None did.
"Emancipation Proclamation"
THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG ~ DECEMBER 11-15, 1862
President Lincoln replaced Gen. George B. McClellan with Ambrose Burnside who, in the late fall of 1862 devised a strategy in which his army would move back into Virginia and concentrate around Warrenton, in plain view of Robert E. Lee's army. Then he would fake a movement in one direction then rapidly turn in the opposite direction and cross the Rappahonnock River at Fredericksburg. The plan counted on Lee being confused by Burnside's movements and remain stationary while Burnside moved rapidly toward Richmond virtually unopposed.
Of course, things never go according to plan...
Because the bridge across the river at Fredericksburg had been destroyed, Burnside had to wait until pontoon bridges arrived. This delay allowed Lee to move his army to a strong defensive positing on the other side of Fredericksburg. Burnside occupied the town on December 11th and finally attacked on the 13th. The focus of the battle was the hill called Marye's Heights. Longstreet had his men positioned there along a sunken road behind a stonewall at the top of the hill. Numerous brigades were sent up the hill to attack the defenses behind the wall. Because of heavy artillery fire and the strong defensive position they were assaulting, all of the Union brigades were repulsed before they could deal any deadly blows. Burnside was forced to withdraw his army back across the river.
"In the Hands of Providence"
"Valor in Gray"
"Courage in Blue"
The Union suffered 12,653 casualties with 1,300 killed, while the Confederates suffered only 5,377 and only 600 dead. Most of the Union casualties occurred in the north in front of the stone wall, while most of the Confederate casualties occurred in the southern part of the battlefield. The following morning, as dawn revealed the devastation on the fields before him, Robert E. Lee said to James Longstreet, "It is well that war is should terrible, lest should grow too fond of it." Ambrose Burnside was relieved of command a month later and Joseph Hooker was put in his place.
"War is so Terrible"
"The Angel of Marye's Heights"
THE BATTLE OF CHANCELLORSVILLE ~ APRIL 30-MAY 6, 1863
During the winter months, both armies remained camped on either side of the Rappahannock River. Hooker a plan of attack that had three corps (V, XI, XII and two divisions from II) cross the river far upstream and attack Lee from the West while two corps (I and VI) would attack from the East. At the same time, the cavalry corps would raid the rear of Lee's army and destroy telegraph lines and the railroads, and the remaining corps (III and one division of II) would stay camped across the river from Fredericksburg.
As planned, the three Union corps began moving on April 27, 1863, crossed the river and began to concentrate around Chancellorsville. 70,000 men were concentrated around Chancellorsville by May 1. Vastly outnumbered, Lee once again split his army in two, sending Jackson's entire corps (40,000 men) to meet the Union forces at Chancellorsville and keeping the remaining forces (10,000) at Fredericksburg. On May 1, Jackson's corps collided with the three Union corps. Hooker ordered the corps back to form a defensive line around Chancellorsville.
On the night of May 1 Jackson, cavalry commander Jeb Stuart, and Lee met and discussed their strategy for the following day.
"Last Council"
Jackson hatched a daring plan. He would march 28,000 men 12 miles around the flank of the Union forces and attack their exposed right flank. Jackson succeeded in making the flanking march undetected. He formed his men in the trees opposite a field where the Union's right flank ended. There only 2 cannons facing the trees and the men were in their camps resting. Jackson positioned two divisions (Rodes and Colston) in a single line nearly a mile long with A.P. Hill's division behind them. At 5:30, Jackson's men charged the out from the trees screaming the Rebel Yell. The Union defenders put of little resistance at first and fled before the terrifying sight. Finally a strong defensive line was formed and Jackson's men were stopped in their tracks. Darkness prevented any further action.
That night, Jackson and his staff personally reconnoitered the Union line. As they made their way back to their own line, a Confederate regiment they were riding towards mistakenly took them for Union cavalry and began firing at them, killing and wounding several of Jackson's staff and hitting Jackson himself.
"End of a Legend"
Jackson was hit three times, twice in the left arm and once in the right hand. His wounds were not life threatening, but his left arm had to be amputated. He was in the process of recovering when he developed pneumonia and subsequently died on May 10, 1863. Jackson's friend Dr. McGuire was in the room when he died and wrote the following:
"A few moments before he died he cried out in his delirium, 'Order A.P. Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry to the front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks' —then stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished. Presently a smile of ineffable sweetness spread itself over his pale face, and he said quietly, and with an expression, as if of relief, 'Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.'"
"Cross Over the River"
The Battle of Chancellorsville is said to be Robert E. Lee's greatest victory but it cost him his best general, Stonewall Jackson.
"The Final Visit"
Encouraged by the victory at Chancellorsville and seeking a bold move to end the war, Lee decided to once again march the Army of Northern Virginia into Northern territory. On July 1, 1863, less than two months after the death of Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate and Federal armies met outside a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg...
