THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.

467

Porter’s claim of fa-tigue ridiculous. Tocompare the condi-tion of this corpsand its marches withthose of any of thetroops of the Armyof Virginia is a suffi-cient answer to sucha pretext. The im-possibility of march-ing on account ofthe darkness of thatnight finds its bestanswer in the fact that nearly every other division of the army, and thewhole of Jackson’s corps, marched during the greater part of the night in theimmediate vicinity of Porter’s corps, and from nearly every point of thecompass. The plea of darkness and of the obstruction of a wagon trainalong the road will strike our armies with some surprise in the light of theirsubsequent experience of night marches. The railroad track itself was clearand entirely practicable for the march of infantry.

According to the testimony of Colonel Myers, quartermaster in charge of thetrain, the train was drawn off the roads and parked after dark that night; andeven if this had not been the case, it is not necessary to tell any officer whoserved in the war that the infantry advance could easily have pushed the wag-ons off the road to make way for the artillery. Colonel Myers also testifiedthat he could have gone on with his train that night, and that he drew offthe road and parked his train for rest and because of the action of Hooker’sdivision in his front, and not because he was prevented from continuing hismarch by darkness or other obstacles.

At 9 o’clock on the night of the 27th, satisfied of Jackson’s position, I sentorders to General McDowell at Gainesville to push forward at the earliestdawn of day upon Manassas Junction , resting his right on the Manassas GapKailroad and extending his left to the east. I directed General Eeno at thesame time to march from Greenwich, also direct on Manassas Junction , andKearny to move from the same place upon Bristoe Station. This move ofKearny was to strengthen my right at Bristoe and unite the two divisions ofHeintzelman’s corps. ,1

Jackson began to evacuate Manassas Junction during the night (the 27th)and marched toward Centreville and other points of the Warrenton pike westof that place, and by 11 o’clock next morning was at and beyond Centrevilleand north of the Warrenton pike. J. I arrived at Manassas Junction shortlyafter the last of Jackson’s force had moved off, and immediately pushed for-

,1 General Pope’s orders of the 27th for the move- reached General A. P. Hill early the next morning,meats of the 28th directed his whole army upon through the captured orders. — Editors.

Manassas . Full information of these dispositions & At this time Jackson’s command was concen-

^Vlnte Plains

Slid V§L (S

RELATIVE

POSITIONS OF FORCES

AT SUNSET.

AUG.271362 .