ley's mill, with its great water-wheel. A road crosses the stream by the mill leading south to Manassas. Leaving the run and going down the road, we pass a little church in a grove of oaks. A mile and a half brings us to the house of Mr. Matthews, on the east side of the road, with woods extending eastward towards the stone bridge. There is a beautiful field west of the house. Looking across the field, we see the house of Mr. Dogan. Going on, we descend a gentle slope, and come to a pretty little brook trickling over a rocky bed eastward towards Bull Run. It is Young's Branch, and empties into Bull Run below the bridge. The turnpike is built alongside. We pass a stone house at the junction of the roads, and then ascend a hill. There is a grove of young pines and cedars on the right hand. East of the road is Mr. Henry's house; across the field, still farther east, is the house of Mr. Robinson. We see a lone tree in the field a few rods south of Mr. Henry's, and a short distance beyond a rail fence, with a thicket of pines.

In making this itinerary we have traversed the ground on which the first great battle of the war was fought.

On the afternoon of the 18th General Beauregard had his troops along Bull Run, facing east. He had nearly twenty-two thousand men, with twenty-nine cannon. His brigades were stationed as follows: farthest down stream, at Union Mills, were Ewell's and Holmes's; at McLean's Ford, Jones's and Early's; at Blackburn's Ford, Longstreet's. Next came Bonham's, Cocke's, and Evans's, holding the line covering all the fords and the turnpike bridge. On Friday and Saturday, while McDowell's troops. are resting at Centreville, Johnston's troops are being transported over the railroad. Jackson's brigade is the first to arrive, and is placed near Longstreet's brigade. Bee's and Bartow's brigades are in reserve between McLean's and Blackburn's fords. Johnston brings nearly nine thousand men and twenty-two cannon. General Holmes, who has been south of the Occoquon, comes with his brigade and six guns. The consolidated Confederate force numbers thirty-two thousand and seventy-two men and fifty-seven cannon.

McDowell's engineers are riding along Bull Run, seeking a place where the troops can cross. They discover Poplar Ford, one mile above the bridge, but learn that there is a much better crossing at Mr. Sudley's mill. McDowell intended to attack the Confederate right flank, but the intrenchments are so strong that he must make a new plan, and he decides to leave Richardson's brigade to make a demonstration at Blackburn's Ford, to send General Tyler with the remainder of his division down. the turnpike, to make a show of attacking, to march with Hunter's and

Budley
Forl

Heintzelman's divisions through the fields and woods in the night to Sudley's Ford, march down the road leading towards Manassas, and strike. the Confederate left flank and rear. At the right time Tyler is to change his demonstration to a real attack, cross the stream, and join Hunter and Heintzelman.

EVANS

Toung's

Br

Union Route

Stone

Bridge

11Lewis For

Ball's Ford

COCKE

BEE

BONHAM

JACKSON

Cub R

Warrenton,

Turnpike

Centreville

Blackburn's Ford

Mitchell's Ford

LONGSTREET

EARLY

EWELL

་་

McLean's Ford

HOLMES

MANASSAS

POSITION AT 3 A. M.

Union
Mills

It is Saturday night. Going over to the house of Mr. McLean, we see Beauregard and Johnston in consultation. Johnston is the senior officer, but as Beauregard is familiar with the ground, defers to his judgment. Beauregard proposes that they cross Bull Run and attack McDowell's rear at

Centreville. Johnston accepts the plan, and the order is written for the movement on Sunday morning.

It is two o'clock in the morning when the troops of Tyler's division fold their blankets and move down the turnpike towards the stone bridge. A mistake has been made at the outset. Hunter and Heintzelman ought to have been the first to move; they have a long distance to march. Tyler's men block the way. The flanking column ought to be at the ford at sunrise, but it is nine o'clock, and the sun high in the heavens, before the head of the column reaches the old mill. The march has been tediously slow. When the soldiers reach the ford they stop to fill their canteens and munch their meat and bread, but finally cross the stream and move down the road.

Half-past five. Confederate officers are carrying the orders to the several brigade commanders to attack McDowell, when the stillness of the peaceful morn is broken by a single cannon on the turnpike east of the bridge. It is Ayres's battery beginning the battle. His second shot passes through the tent of Captain Alexander, a signal-officer to Beauregard. A moment later the guns with Richardson's brigade open their brazen lips. General Tyler sends a company of skirmishers towards the bridge. There is a rattle of musketry, a booming of cannon, but nothing more. Tyler made a mistake on Thursday in attacking with too much vigor; now he is over-cautious, and Beauregard and Johnston soon discover that it is a feint.

Just before the troops reached Sudley's mill Mr. Cunningham, who lives near the mill, discovered them, ran to his stable, mounted his horse,

crossed the stream, dashed down the Manassas Road, and informed the pickets of Evans's brigade that the Yankees were coming to turn their flank. Evans, without waiting for orders, changes front and marches

north towards the house of Mr. Matthews.

General Burnside, commanding the leading brigade of Union troops in Hunter's division, throws out the Second Rhode Island Regiment as skirmishers. They move nervously through the woods and fields. Suddenly there bursts upon them a rattling fire from Evans's men. Two cannon open upon them. For half an hour the contest goes on in this fashion. Hunter makes the mistake of attacking slowly when it should be with vigor, and with a force strong enough to sweep Evans in an instant from the field. Wheet's battalion of Confederates comes upon the run to help Evans, but receives a volley which is very destructive. And now the brigades of Bee and Bartow, six regiments of Johnston's troops, hasten across the turnpike, with Imboden's battery of four pieces, the horses upon the gallop.

Just as these Confederate regiments are coming into position General Hunter is wounded by a piece of shell, and is carried to the rear, and General Andrew Porter assumes command. In a few moments the four Union regiments of Burnside's brigade are engaged, together with Reynolds's battery, which the Confederates attempt to capture, but are stopped by Sykes's battalion of regulars, which General Porter brings into line. Griffin's Union battery comes upon the gallop and wheels into position, and opens fire. Burnside's officers are falling; Colonel Slocum is mortally wounded, Colonel Marston receives a bullet in his shoulder, Major Balch falls, with one leg crushed by a cannon-ball. General Porter has sent Sykes east of the road, but the other regiments and Griffin's battery are west of it, the line extending towards Dogan's house. Ricketts's Union battery, near Dogan's, joins in the conflict.

The fire of the Union troops is so destructive that General Bee orders the Confederates to fall back. They go faster and farther than he intended, down the slope, across Young's Branch, up the hill to Mr. Henry's house, where Imboden's battery is stationed. The battle has opened favorably for the Union troops. There comes a lull. It is past eleven, and the advance regiments of Heintzelman are just coming upon the field, swinging out towards Dogan's house. If their bayonets had flashed in the sunlight an hour earlier, far different, in all probability, would have been the result.

Looking eastward, we see Sherman's and Keyes's brigades of Tyler's division marching up the east bank of Bull Run to Poplar Ford, crossing

the stream, turning south, and advancing towards the turnpike. They could not cross by the bridge, because it was covered by a Confederate battery; besides, the report was current that it was mined, and would be blown up the moment the Union troops attempted to cross.

At ten o'clock General Beauregard is at Mitchell's Ford, waiting to hear the opening of the battle at Centreville, towards which General Ewell is slowly advancing. He hears instead a cannon in the direction of the north-west. "There is a cloud of dust towards Sudley's Ford," is the report of the signal-officer. The cannonade increases, and there are volleys of musketry. The conviction comes to Beauregard that

McDowell is turning his left flank. "March towards the sound of battle," is the order to all the brigade commanders, and Johnston and Beauregard both ride as fast as their horses will carry them towards the Henry house, Beauregard taking command of the troops east of the house, Johnston west of it. They come out of the woods south of the house, and see the troops of Bee, Bartow, and Evans retreating in disorder up the hill. The lines are broken, the fugitives are streaming down the road towards Manassas. The officers are trying to stop them. A few turn about, but the greater number keep on. "Every segment of line," says General Beauregard, "we succeeded in forming, was again dissolved while another was being formed. More than two thousand men were

shouting, each some suggestion to his neighbor, their voices mingling with the noise of the shells exploding amid the trees overhead, and all word of command was drowned in the confusion and uproar."

General Jackson's brigade has arrived, and stands by the fence in the thicket of pines south of Mr. Henry's. Jackson has drilled his men, and has been strict in discipline. If some of the men feel like running, they do not go. General Bee sees them, and thus calls out to his wavering men,

"See Jackson standing like a stone wall!" Possibly it does not have much effect upon the Alabama and Mississippi regiments under him, but he has made" Stonewall Jackson" evermore a historic name.

The Confederate line at this moment, with the exception of Jackson's brigade, is in great confusion. Towards Manassas stream the fugitives, crying that all is lost. "The disorder," says Beauregard, "seemed irretrievable; but the thought came to me that if their colors were planted out