Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/351

Rh by a confusion of orders and a resulting mixing of marching columns.

On the 27th, Lee with Longstreet continued his march through Salem and the Plains station, on the Manassas Gap railroad, but once interrupted, by the attack of a small body of Federal cavalry, which came near capturing General Lee. In the early morning of this same day Jackson marched the divisions of Taliaferro (recently Winder) and of A. P. Hill to Manassas Junction, where, during the day, they rested and reveled in the vast stores of quartermaster and commissary supplies the Federals had gathered at that important junction. Ewell was left behind, at Bristoe, to protect Jackson's rear and oppose any advance from the line of the Rappahannock. There, in the afternoon, he had a vigorous combat with Porter, repulsing him, then withdrew across Broad run, and late in the day followed on to Manassas Junction.

Longstreet was slow in getting under way on the morning of the 28th, and so did not reach Thoroughfare gap, but seven miles from his camp, until 3 in the afternoon, to find that important way, the gate he must pass through to reach Jackson's right at the appointed rendezvous, held by Ricketts and a Federal division. Lee promptly addressed himself to clear the way. Wilcox, with three brigades, was sent three miles to the northward to cross the Bull Run mountains at Hopewell gap and flank the right of Ricketts. Law's brigade was ordered to climb the ends of the mountains cut by Broad run, along which the road and the railway followed, while D. R. Jones was to make a direct attack with his brigade through the pass. Law's toughened veterans soon scaled the mountains, fell upon Ricketts' flanks and forced him to retire just as the day closed, when Longstreet led his command through Thoroughfare gap and encamped east of the Bull Run mountains and eight miles from the battlefield of Groveton heights, where Jackson was hotly engaged with King's division of Pope's army, and anxiously awaiting the coming of Lee and Longstreet.

Satisfied, by the contention of Hooker with Ewell at Bristoe, that Jackson's command was at Manassas Junction, Pope concluded that there was a good opportunity for "bagging the whole crowd;" so he issued orders that, turning from the ways to Gainesville, his columns