THE BATTLE OF SECOND MANASSAS

In just thirteen months, two major armies in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War would revisit the site of the first major battle of that war – Manassas. The Army of Northern Virginia, under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee and the newly formed Union Army of Virginia commanded by recently appointed General John Pope would collide for another bloody battle not far from the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

Following General George B. McClellan’s failed Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862, Confederate General Lee decided to turn his attention to the new Army of Virginia under General Pope. Lee divided his Army in two, sending “Stonewall” Jackson’s Corps to the west of Pope’s Army, the right flank, and sending General James Longstreet’s Corps to the east of Pope. Jackson’s orders were to cut off Pope’s supply line at Manassas Junction. Jackson did just that. After capturing the depot and warehouses at the junction, he burned what he could not take. Pope ignored the information coming to him regarding Jackson’s movements and decided that Jackson’s Corps were moving to the Shenandoah Valley.

In the meantime, McClellan remained at Harrison’s Landing following his victory and retreat at Malvern Hill (see previous blog) to lick his wounds.  He and his troops had been ordered back to Washington, D.C. by President Lincoln with the intention of uniting the Army of the Potomac with the Army of Virginia, under Pope not McClellan, to strike Lee’s Army. This would give the Union a tremendous numerical advantage.  But due to political issues (McClellan being a Democrat and Lincoln a Republican) and personal issues (he was miffed that his troops were being ordered to simply protect the Capitol with support to Pope) he dragged his feet.

Following Jackson’s success at the Manassas Junction depot, He elected to go into hiding as he awaited the arrival of Longstreet and his corps. The last thing Jackson needed was to encounter Pope’s Army with a numerical disadvantage. Jackson took his troops to a wooded area near the Brawner Farm called Stony Ridge to wait. During the evening of August 28, 1862 a column of hard-nosed Union soldiers known as the “Black Hat” Brigade were marching east on the Warrenton Turnpike toward Centerville. Although Jackson did not want to tip his hand as to where he was concealing his troops, he could not pass up the opportunity to strike this column. His artillery opened fire. The Midwestern troops returned fire and over the next two hours the “Black Hat” Brigade and the “Stonewall” Brigade battled each other, sometimes exchanging musket fire within 80 yards of each other. As this opening battle of Second Manassas raged, more troops were fed into the conflict. The darkness ended this bloody standoff with nearly a third of the 7,000 troops becoming casualties.

During the evening General Pope, again ignoring intelligence information, deciding that Jackson would retreat to join Longstreet’s troops, planned a morning attack. Pope did not realize that Longstreet was, instead, advancing to join Jackson with the intent of destroying his Army. On the morning of the 29^th, Pope sent piecemeal troops to attack Jackson’s Confederates who had fortified themselves for miles at an unfinished railroad cut. This was a natural breastwork for the Rebels and they repulsed every attempt by the Yankees. Meanwhile, General McClellan refused to move any of his troops to support Pope arguing that his men were needed to protect Washington, D.C. By noon, Longstreet’s Corps had arrived on the field to Jackson’s right but did not attack. He felt it best to take a defensive position ignoring Lee’s orders to attack, rationalizing the he did not knowing the size of the Union Army.

August 30^th brought a renewed attack ordered by General Pope, apparently unaware of Longstreet’s arrival the previous day. During the previous night, several Confederate Brigades adjusted their positions and Pope mistook the movement as retreat. The Union assault by Major General Fitz John Porter’s V Corps on the Confederate right was devastated by the Confederate Artillery. Longstreet, seeing the Union troops in total disarray, counterattacked with his 25,000 Rebel Soldiers in what is regarded as the largest, simultaneous mass assault of the war. Pope had stepped into a situation where he faced the entire Army of Northern Virginia, with virtually no support from McClellan’s troops, and was pushed back to Henry House Hill and then retreated across Bull Run Creek toward Washington, D. C.

Once again, General Robert E. Lee outmaneuvered and outfought the Union Army and left the field with a decisive victory. All the while McClellan sparingly fed a small number of his troops into the battle to support Pope’s efforts. He had won his battle with Lincoln over control of the Army of the Potomac.

Casualties for both sides continue to mount. This three day battle contributed approximately 10,000 Union Soldiers and approximately 8,300 Confederates.

The aftermath of the Second Battle of Manassas, or the Second Battle of Bull Run as the North referred to it, saw Lee confident and ready to move across the Potomac into Maryland. It also saw Pope relieved of his command and sent west, while his Army of Virginia was merged with the Army of the Potomac and McClellan remaining in command.

From here these two armies engaging in battle in the Eastern Theater move into Maryland to next face each other in the bloodiest day in American History at the battle that is called the Battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg.

SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES

The end of Union General George B. McClellan’s “Peninsula Campaign” in the summer of 1862 was brought about by a number of engagements called the “Seven Days’ Battles”. A series of events, on both the Union and Confederate sides, proceeded this decisive week of fighting.

McClellan had landed his 100,000 soldiers at Fort Monroe in the Spring and fought his way up the Virginia Peninsula to the outskirts of the Confederates’ Capitol – Richmond. By early June, his army was close enough to the city to hear the church bells tolling in the steeples every day. He seemed poised to take the city and hopefully end the Civil War. Then a blessing in disguise happened for the Rebels. Their General in charge, Joseph E. Johnston, was wounded in the Battle of Seven Pines, just east of Richmond, and was replaced by Robert E. Lee.

Lee, taking control of the Army of Northern Virginia, took a different tactic than Johnston in his attempt to defend Richmond and push McClellan out of the area. Lee immediately began to construct earthen fortifications encircling Richmond. His intent was that with these fortifications, Lee could defend Richmond with a minimal number of troops and, with pulling “Stonewall” Jackson’s Corps from the Shenandoah Valley, he would be nearer the same size Army as McClellan had. He could then go on the offensive.

Jackson’s success in various battles in “The Valley” secured that portion of Virginia and allowed Jackson to move toward Richmond to assist Lee. As Jackson’s troops arrived on June 26, both by rail and on foot, Lee added his troops and attacked the Union at Beaver Dam Creek. Interestingly, though Lee could not defeat the Union Army here, McClellan retreated and continued his run to eventually get to Harrison’s Landing on the James River.

 Following this unsuccessful conflict, the Rebels pursued the Union Army and, again, fought a major battle at Gaines’ Mill the next day. This time the Confederates were able to break through the Yankee lines, led by troops from Texas and Georgia. By nightfall, both sides contributed to over 15,000 casualties in some of the heaviest fighting during the Seven Days’ Battles.

Pursuing the retreating Union Army, Lee attacked the Yankee rear guard at Savage’s Station on the 29^th of June. Confusion reigned supreme this day as Lee’s orders were misunderstood and therefore not carried out properly. Likewise, McClellan, who was far ahead of his troops in their retreat, left no one in charge of the army guarding the rear. This, too, added to the confusion. By nightfall, this battle ended in a stalemate.

From here, the fighting continued at Frayser’s Farm, also known as Glendale.  On June 30 as Lee’s Army attacked the Union rear that was protecting a vital crossroads, McClellan continued his flight south toward the James River and away from his initial goal of Richmond. Once again the Confederates were not able to carry the day and the Union forces were able to regroup at Malvern Hill, just a short distance south.

At Malvern Hill the Union Army, although it did not dig in, was able to form a formidable defensive line composed of both artillery and infantry on the ridge top. Thus, as they possessed the better field position, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac just waited for the Rebels to attack. And attack they did.  Lee believed that if his artillery could render McClellan’s artillery useless, the Rebel infantry would surely whip the Union infantry. This never happened. The Union artillery controlled the battle and controlled the day. After a series of attempted bombardments, the Southern Army attacked. On the Union left, the Southerners had to traverse a quarter mile open field, sloping upward toward the Army of the Potomac. This bore no success for the Rebels as the brigades were mowed down by the Union cannon. On the Union right, the Rebels had to deal with a swampy front in order to attack the Union lines. This, too, failed. As it turned out, very few Union infantry was used in this battle, although there were thousands held in reserve. The Union line was composed of mostly artillery supported by infantry. They would charge periodically to fire a few volleys at the oncoming Rebels, and then return to the cover of the cannon.  This battle ended as the previous ones, due to darkness. The casualty count for the Confederates was a bit more than 5,000, while the Union incurred around 3,000 killed or wounded.

This ended the “Seven Days’ Battles” – five major conflicts with a number of smaller encounters, all within seven days. McClellan was able to retreat to Harrison Landing on the James River using the Berkeley Plantation as his headquarters, troop encampment, and hospital (see previous blog). He also used the Shirley Plantation grounds, a neighboring plantation, as a hospital (see previous blog). And Lee accomplished most of his objective – to drive the Yankees from the doorstep of his Capitol, Richmond. He also wanted to destroy the Army of the Potomac, but did not succeed.

On my tour of these sites, it was a bit disappointing. Starting with Beaver Dam Creek, there was a little bit to see. A portion of the creek area was accessible, but not much else. The old road that the Union marched in their retreat was identified as was their battle line. Gaines’ Mill was interesting, although like other battle sites, the tree growth over the last 150 years greatly alters the battlefield. It is always difficult to know which tree area was in existence at the time of the battle, and which tree area is “new”.  At both Savage’s Station and Frayser’s Farm, there were interpretive signs but not much else. Malvern Hill is the gem of this week of conflict. It is nearly as it was on July 1, 1862. There are cannon to identify both Confederate and Federal cannon positions. A 1-1/2 mile walking trail loops behind the Confederate lines, giving a great visual of what they were facing with their numerous unsuccessful infantry charges. A ravine the Confederates hid in until it was time to charge is also identified. The trail starts behind the Union cannon and to see from that vantage point is also very interesting. It is looking down a sloped hill across a completely open field. Walking this trail and reading the interpretive signs gave me a real feel and understanding of what these soldiers experienced on this battlefield. The Rebels never had a chance.

SHIRLEY PLANTATION

Can you imagine a piece of property remaining in the same family for eleven generations? The immense size of the property alone, would make it difficult. Originally 450 acres, it grew to 800 acres through the years by way of marriage and land acquisitions.

This is precisely what Shirley Plantation is. Located on the banks of the James River, near Richmond, VA, Shirley Plantation is still owned, operated, and occupied by direct descendants of the original owner – Edward Hill. In 1613 this land was settled by Sir Thomas West who, in 1638, granted a portion to Edward Hill. This began the eleven continuous generations of ownership and occupation.

Visiting this plantation was interesting in many aspects. To see how an elegant plantation is laid out in regard to the supporting buildings to the main house, the locations of those structures, and the symmetrical style was fascinating. And obviously, the history attached to this property was a huge plus in the visit.

Unfortunately, visitors are not permitted to take photos of the interior of the Great House. But to tour it is no less exciting. From the moment you walk in the main entrance you are quickly carried back to the 18^th century. Most of the Great House is still as it was when it was built. The construction started in 1723 and completed in 1738. Edward Hill III, grandson of the original property owner, built this mansion for his daughter Elizabeth who married John Carter, eldest son of prominent Virginian and land baron Robert “King” Carter.

The entry hall is more than just a hall. It is a receiving room that was used to welcome and meet with guests; some of those guests being the Harrison’s from the neighbor plantation Berkeley, in addition to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The most eye-catching item in this room is the carved walnut “Flying Staircase”. It traverses to the third floor with no visible means of support. The tables in this room are original to the house, as is the floor and plaster walls, and wall hangings. In fact, all the furnishings, wall hangings, silverware, and china are period items. Most are original to the Great House with family portraits throughout.

We were permitted to also view a bed room, parlor, and dining room – all furnished and each with its own stories. From the tales of Ann Hill Carter’s birth in this house to her marrying “Light Horse” Harry Lee in the parlor in 1793. They would later become parents of Robert E. Lee, who himself, had visited this mansion. Interesting – always a Civil War connection. The windows in the dining room are etched with names from throughout the years. The story goes that as the Hill-Carter women became engaged, they would etch their name in the windows with their engagement ring, thus testing the quality of the diamond. You can still read the names.

During the Civil War, as McClellan retreated to end his Peninsula Campaign, many of the Union’s wounded soldiers ended up on the lawn of this Mansion. Although the Hill’s supported the Southern cause, they cared for and fed these men knowing that their own relatives may be somewhere suffering the same fate and would want Northerners to treat them the same way. McClellan, seeing this, wrote a Field Order to protect the plantation from any destruction. A copy of this field order is on display.

The upper two floors are still occupied by the direct descendants of Edward Hill and, therefore, were not available for touring. The rest of the property was a self-guided tour with the exception of the farm which is still in use. Because the plantation is still family farmed, Shirley Plantation is one of the oldest family-owned businesses in North America. This property is definitely an architectural treasure. It has been extremely well preserved; the outbuildings along with the Great House.

Notice the three foot high pineapple on the roof. This was a symbol of hospitality during the Colonial era.

The Great House was supported by numerous outbuildings, all built in a symmetrical layout creating a Queen Anne Forecourt. At first arrival you will pass the ice house on one side and the store house on the opposite side of the walkway. Both are identical in style and appearance. As you near the Great House you will pass the two-story kitchen with living quarters on the right and the two-story laundry with living quarters on the left. Again, both of these buildings are identical to each other. Each contained second floor living quarters to house the workers of each building. The smokehouse, stable, corn crib, and dovecote sit outside the courtyard. The pump house is located near the kitchen, but out of view so as not to disturb the symmetry of the courtyard.

I found the dovecote to be an unusual structure. Fascinating in style and unknown for its usage, I investigated just a bit. Here are a few photos. The dovecote was used for doves to raise their young. Doves were considered a dining delicacy in the 1700’s. The interior walls house 108 roosts for the doves’ roosting. The high and pitched roof was to protect the doves from other animals.

All in all, this was a very interesting plantation to visit, both architecturally inside and out, and historically. Well worth the time.

MANASSAS - The First Battle

They were simply trying to get to the train depot at Manassas Junction. Their orders were to squash the Southern uprising.  Richmond was its capitol and the easiest and quickest way to end the rebellion was to capture that city. Many of the Union soldiers were 90 day volunteers with no army experience. The same held true for the Confederates, they were volunteers and green. The problem for General Irvin McDowell was that the Confederates, numbering around 22,000, were encamped at Manassas Junction.

McDowell devised a plan to battle and defeat the Rebels, but due to Southern sympathizers in Washington D.C. that operated a successful spy ring, his troop movements had been passed onto Confederate General G.P.T. Beauregard at Manassas Junction. Beauregard, the General that ordered the shots fired on Fort Sumter to open the Civil War, dispatched his troops and formed a line of defense along Bull Run.

McDowell’s troops marched for two days in the hot July heat and humidity, eventually reaching Centerville, north of the Junction, and rested.  Unable to cross at the Stone Bridge on Warrenton Turnpike, McDowell assigned a division to attack the Rebels here as a diversionary tactic, and marched the remainder of his troops (approximately 31,000) around the left flank of the Confederates with the intention of collapsing their left flank and taking the field. Then onto Richmond; or so he thought.  

As McDowell planned to attack his enemies’ left flank; likewise, Beauregard made plans to attack his enemies’ left flank. If this had happened, the battle would have turned into a counter clockwise motion of troops attacking each other.

This is not what happened.

As skirmishes occurred at Blackburn’s Ford as well as the Stone Bridge and various spots on Bull Run, the Union was arriving at Sudley Spring and marching down Sudley Road toward the Warrenton Turnpike. Believing the Union were feinting attacks supported by some intelligence information, the Confederates pulled 900 men from the Stone Bridge defenses and moved to Matthews Hill to halt the Federal march. With the reduced forces at the Stone Bridge and Bull Run, the Confederates’ lines were breached and they retreated south to Henry Hill. As the Union and Confederates exchanged infantry and artillery fire, the Rebels were also overrun at Matthews Hill. They, too, retreated to Henry Hill.

McDowell, thinking he had taken the day, did not pursue but rather celebrated what he determined to be a victory over the Rebels. McDowell elected to shell Henry Hill instead, which allowed the Confederate troops to regroup along with being reinforced by General Joseph E. Johnston’s troops from the Shenandoah Valley arriving by rail. Also reinforcements came in the form of General J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry and General Thomas J. Jackson’s Virginia Brigade.

As the battle resumed and moved to Henry Hill, the Confederates now had the advantage – higher ground and artillery for closer range usage. Here is where General Jackson was given his name “Stonewall” by General Bernard Bee. As Bee's troops started to break, he shouted to them "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians."

The conflict waged for hours on Henry Hill with the Southerners taking the upper hand.  Chinn Ridge experienced this struggle also when late in the afternoon, the Union lines crumbled under a strong attack. With fierce and bloody fighting throughout the afternoon, and certain cannon changing hands several times, the Northern lines finally broke as the soldiers fled the field and ran, helter-skelter, back across Bull Run, through Centerville, and all the way to Washington, D.C.  

The first battle of the Civil War was over and the field belonged to the Confederates. They were able to rally their troops, and being led by outstanding generals, drove the Yankees into retreat. Both sides realized that their thoughts of one simple battle and the war would be over were gravely wrong.

This was the beginning of a long, bloody, and costly rebellion.

Thirteen months later, in 1862, these fields and hills would, again, bear witness to this conflict as the Second Battle of Manassas would take place on Chinn Ridge, Henry Hill, Matthews Hill and the surrounding areas.

COLD HARBOR

As Grant’s Overland Campaign continued, he moved his army southeasterly toward Richmond, the Confederate Capitol, with the thought that capturing this city would bring an end to the war. The problem he encountered was the determination and stamina of General Lee’s Rebels.

Although neither army won the previous two major battles – Spotsylvania and the Wilderness – the conflicts benefitted the Northerners more as the casualties depleted the Southern troops while the Yankees simply refilled their ranks. General Grant understood that attrition would eventually win the war and preserve the Union.

After battles and skirmishes at North Anna River and Totopotomoy Creek following Spotsylvania, Lee, although unable to stop Grant, did manage to slow down his progress in his march to Richmond. Grant, at this point, realized the importance of the crossroads at Old Cold harbor.

On May 31, 1864 Grant sent Major General Phillip Sheridan’s cavalry to take the crossroads. Sheridan encountered a Confederate cavalry here and as the conflict grew, it was joined by Rebel infantry. The Union eventually drove the Confederate troops off and the Rebels dug in southwest of this location. The following day as the Southern troops grew, Lee ordered his army to attack the Union forces but was again unsuccessful. Encouraged by the actions of his troopers, Grant ordered up additional troops and decided on a full scale attack knowing if he could break through the Confederate lines he had a direct route to Richmond. After temporarily breaking through, the Federals were repulsed and the fighting ended for the day.

Due to a misguided march by troops, the condition of his troops, and several postponements for an attack, Grant lost the next day – June 2. This delay gave Lee the opportunity to dig in with an excellent zigzag of breastworks along a six mile front.

 The morning of the 3^rd saw the Union, at 50,000 strong, launch an assault on these well-manned, well-placed breastworks which were supported by artillery. They were required to traverse open fields and slopes to reach the Confederate strongholds. Needless to say, it was a slaughter field. The Federals, with no place to hide, were cut down like target practice. Unable to move forward and unable to retreat, many soldiers lay on the ground and using bayonets, cups, plates, and canteens dug what protection they could waiting for night to fall. This day alone saw nearly 6,000 Union troops killed or wounded, most within one hour’s time.

The battle was over. The next four days, Grant and Lee negotiated a truce in order to collect the hundreds of wounded from the battlefield, but by then most had not survived. From June 4 through June 12, both sides traded artillery fire, sniper fire, fortified their positions, and incurred minor attacks. This battlefield became a siege battle.

All in all, the Federals suffered 12,000 casualties while the Southerners incurred almost 4,000 in the two weeks of battle following Spotsylvania.

The frontal assault that General Grant ordered on June 3 was, I believe, the only maneuver that he was said to have regretted.

Grant pulled his forces from the field on the night of the 12^th and moved south to cross the James River with the intent of capturing the City of Petersburg, a great rail hub for the South. Taking this rail hub would severely cripple the Rebels efforts by cutting off their supplies. Thus began the long and arduous siege of Petersburg. The beginning of the end for the Confederate States.

General Lee would win no more major battles following his success at Cold Harbor. His army would be stretched thin in the defense of both Richmond and Petersburg which lay only 10 miles apart. They would be required to entrench in excess of 35 miles from Richmond’s east side south and west around Petersburg in order to stop Grant and attempt to protect both cities.