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 isei] Federal advance to Manassas. 466 by a night-march was defeated. In these cases, as before, the losses were relatively trifling, but they had an exasperating effect on public opinion, still hot with indignation over the Sumter bombardment. Unjust criticism and imprudent clamour for energy, for action, for an advance, began to pour in on the Administration, which was indeed quite as solicitous as the public in this behalf, since the authorities plainly saw that the three-months' term of enlistment of the seventy- five militia regiments was rapidly running out. On June 29 President Lincoln called his Cabinet and principal military officers to a council of war at the Executive Mansion. A crisis had been reached in which political conditions seemed imperatively to require a vigorous military demonstration against the rebellion. General Scott, with his great professional knowledge and experience, deemed such a course injudicious and premature. Nevertheless, he gracefully withdrew his objection, and gave his earnest co-operation and valuable judgment to the elaboration of a plan of campaign, drawn up by Brigadier-General Irvin McDowell, against the Confederate army at Manassas. That army, under the command of General G. T. Beauregard, who had won much public applause throughout the South by his conduct of the siege of Fort Sumter, was now estimated at 5,000 men, though it was actually only 22,000 strong. McDowell proposed to advance with a force of 30,000 and to attack the main Confederate position. The principal danger in this plan was that the other Confederate army near Harper's Ferry, numbering ten to twelve thousand effectives under command of General J. E. Johnston, might, either by means of available railroad transport, or even a rapid march, succeed in form- ing a junction with Beauregard, thus conferring numerical superiority on the defence. It seemed, however, quite possible to prevent such a junction. General Robert Patterson, at the head of seventeen Federal regiments, had advanced against Harper's Ferry, and, finding it evacuated, crossed the Potomac on June 16, though he soon again retired to the Maryland side because a portion of his force had been withdrawn from him. Being again strengthened, he once more moved across the Potomac on July 2, and advancing, took position at Martinsburg, the enemy having retired to Winchester. When, there- fore, McDowell stated to the council that he could not undertake to meet all the rebel forces together, General Scott assured him, "If Johnston joins Beauregard he shall have Patterson on his heels," and sent orders intended to insure that result. McDowell started on his expedition on July 16, with a marching force of 28,000 men, 49 guns, and one regiment of cavalry. The rebels had some slight fieldworks at Manassas, armed with 15 heavy guns and garrisoned by 2000 men. Beauregard's main army was posted along the south bank of a stream called Bull Run, that flows in a south-easterly direction three miles east of Manassas. His line was about eight miles C. M. H. VII. CH. XIV. 30