Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/350

324 Horse cavalry through their Fauquier home-land. Jackson pressed steadily forward, through the long August day, without halt, until he had covered 25 miles and reached the vicinity of Salem, on the Manassas Gap railroad, just as the sun sank behind the Blue ridge to his left.

At dawn of the 26th, Jackson's men were again puzzled on finding themselves marching to the southeast, following the line of the Manassas Gap railroad, through Thoroughfare gap, to Gainesville, where Stuart joined them with his cavalry and led the way from that hamlet directly to Bristoe Station, on the Orange & Alexandria railroad, which they reached about dark, after a march of 24 miles, without having met opposition on the way. Jackson and his 22,000 enthusiastic men, and Stuart with wide-awake and jolly cavalry, were now in Pope's rear and on his line of communication, which they proceeded to destroy, capturing trains moving toward Washington and breaking up detached Federal encampments along the railway. Not satisfied with this, and desiring to not only reap the spoils stored at Manassas but to guard against movements from Washington, Jackson sent Trimble's brigade of infantry and Stuart with a portion of his cavalry, through the darkness, four miles further to Manassas Junction, which they reached and captured after a brief resistance, about midnight.

On this same 26th of August, Lee and Longstreet, leaving 6,000 men at Waterloo to guard the trains, followed after Jackson and encamped at Orleans. Apprised of these various movements by his scouts and spies, but not comprehending them or their objects or destination, Pope issued orders which scattered, rather than concentrated, his large army. He first ordered a concentration on Warrenton; Porter, with 10,000 men, reached Bealeton, and Heintzelman, with his 10,000 men, reached Warrenton Junction, on their way to obey this order. The corps of Sumner, Franklin and Cox, from McClellan's army, were that day marching toward Pope, under urgent orders, from Alexandria. Late in the night, when the import of Jackson's movement dawned upon him, Pope again changed his orders, directing his troops to march on Gainesville, to intercept what he supposed would be Jackson's line of retreat; and the different portions of his command were headed in that direction, but all