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Warrenton
Irvin McDowell, responsible for the left wing of Pope’s
army, finished his orders shortly after midnight and sent them to the division
commanders of his own corps and of Franz Sigel’s corps. Pope planned to trap
Jackson’s Wing of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Manassas
Junction, separating it from Longstreet’s Wing still in the Valley and smashing
it against Bull Run. McDowell was responsible for bringing the over 20,000 men
he had stretched from Warrenton to Warrenton Junction west, following two corps
led by Sam Heintzelman; two waves crashing onto the Stonewall only a few miles
south of his greatest triumph.
To accomplish this, McDowell ordered Sigel’s First Corps,
Army of Virginia to march straight on Manassas Junction, his right-most
brigades marching on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Sigel’s men were to be
augmented by John F. Reynolds’ Pennsylvania Reserves from his own Third Corps,
Army of Virginia on the left, marching down the Warrenton Turnpike [US 29].
Sigel plus Reynolds would form a giant squeegee, sweeping any Rebels in front
of them.
McDowell’s other two divisions were to follow the turnpike
as well. Rufus King, who had not been confined to an ambulance since his seizure
at Rappahannock Station about two weeks earlier, nonetheless was given the
responsibility of guarding the flank, by deploying his men north of the
Turnpike for the march. With their leader confined to bed, McDowell decided to
make his personal headquarters with his old division.
James Ricketts, commanding the final division for McDowell,
was to follow along the Turnpike in reserve as far as Gainesville, where he
would determine if Longstreet’s Wing was attempting to cross through
Thoroughfare Gap. If so, he would go relieve the cavalry units watching the
Gap. If not, he would move into position to King’s left and act as a cork for
any of Jackson’s forces that might think they could escape the bottle Pope
planned to put them in.
Issued as General Orders No. 10,
McDowell sent off the orders and, predictably, they immediately went awry.
Sigel either couldn’t or wouldn’t get his men moving in time, and Reynolds’
fumed while dawn broke, and the sun rose in the sky with no movement made.
West of Thoroughfare Gap
Robert E. Lee had left Salem in Page County before dawn and
rode with his staff towards White Plains [The Plains], where he would meet with
James “Pete” Longstreet. By afternoon they hoped to have Longstreet’s wing of
the army through Thoroughfare Gap, where it could join with Jackson’s to
confront Pope.
Bristoe Station
With Hooker’s division bloodied from the day before [at Kettle Run], Sam
Heintzelman started Phil Kearny’s division first up the O&A Railroad
towards Manassas Junction, he and John Pope riding along. Not surprisingly,
Kearny stepped off exactly on time, with Hooker close behind him.
Manassas Junction
Jackson’s men had spent a busy night. The encounter with
Hooker the day before had alerted him that he had run out of time for raiding,
and it was time for the battle. But Pope had pursued with more skill than
Stonewall had expected, and his divisions were in poor position for a fight.
Jackson decided to move north of the Warrenton Turnpike [US
29], the ideal position to meet a force marching from Manassas Junction while
being reinforced from Thoroughfare Gap. Ewell’s Division was already almost
there, having pulled back to the Manassas Gap Railroad after fighting with
Hooker at Kettle Run.
The supplies he couldn’t carry with him, Jackson torched
around midnight, and began marching with his division, under the leadership of
William Taliaferro, up the Sudley Road to take up position at the old
battlefield, perhaps to gain inspiration. A.P. Hill’s Light Division, along
with Fitzhugh Lee’s brigade of cavalry, he sent north on the Centreville Road,
with orders to destroy the O&A track east of that town, to prevent Pope’s
reinforcement by McClellan from Alexandria.
Greenwich
Jesse Reno’s Ninth Corps was adjusting to command under
Pope. They started their move down what is today (more or less) Vint Hill Road
to Bristoe Station, reaching the sight of the fight on August 27 not long after
Heintzelman had vacated it, and following them up the O&A.
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