JACKSON'S command, after having rested
on the morning of the 31st, in the afternoon of that day was put in motion for the purpose
of turning the enemy's position at Centreville. Crossing Bull Run at and near Sudley's
Ford, it moved to the left over a country road, Jackson's division in front followed by
Ewell's and Hill's bringing up the rear, until the Little River Turnpike was reached, when
we turned towards Fairfax Court-House and bivouacked late at night. Early on the morning
of September the 1st, the march was resumed, and continued until we reached the farm of
Chantilly in the afternoon. The enemy was found in position, covering the retreat of his
army, near Ox Hill, not far from Chantilly, and a short distance beyond which the Little
River Pike, and the pike from Centreville to Fairfax Court-House, intersect.
General Jackson at once put his troops in position on the ridge on the east of the Little
River Pike, with his own division on the left, Hill's on the right and Ewell's in the
centre; Hays' and Trimble's brigades only of Ewell's division being on the front line,
Lawton's and mine being formed in the woods in their rear. As we moved into position the
enemy opened a heavy artillery fire on us, and soon the action commenced with some of
Hill's brigades on the right, extending to Trimble's and Hays' brigades. During this
action a severe thunder storm raged, and while it was progressing, General Starke, then in
command of Jackson's division, represented to me that a heavy force was threatening his
left, between which and the pike there was a considerable interval, and requested me to
cover it with my brigade to protect him from the apprehended danger.
After examining the position I
reluctantly consented to yield to General Starke's entreaty, without awaiting orders, as
Hays' brigade was in my front and he represented his situation as critical, and I
proceeded to move my brigade by the left flank to the point designated by him. I had put
myself on the leading flank, and while moving I heard a considerable musketry fire, but as
the woods were very thick and it continued to rain I could see only a short distance, and
took it for granted that the firing proceeded from the troops in front of where I had
been. [Editor's Note: The thick
woods, rain and premature darkness are one of the factors that have contributed to poor
documentation of the battle.]
On reaching the position General Starke desired me to occupy, which was but a short
distance from the place I had moved from, as his left was drawn back in a circle towards
the pike, I discovered that the 13th, 25th and 31st Virginia Regiments which were on my
right had not followed the rest of the brigade. I immediately sent my aide, Lieutenant
Early, back to see what had become of the missing regiments, and he found them engaged
with a body of the enemy in their front. On ascertaining this fact, I moved back at once
and found that my regiment had repulsed the force opposed to them and inflicted
considerable loss on it. Hays' brigade under Colonel Strong had fallen back in
considerable confusion about the time I commenced my movement, and passed through the
three regiments on my right, followed by a considerable force of the enemy. The commanding
officers had very properly detained those regiments, as the affair was entirely concealed
from my view, and they had received the enemy's onset with great coolness, driving him
back out of the woods.
Colonel Strong had attempted to change front when the enemy were advancing on him, and,
being entirely inexperienced in the management of a brigade, he had got it into such
confusion that it was compelled to retire. The 8th Louisiana Regiment, under Major Lewis,
had been halted and formed into line immediately in rear of my regiments, and the
remaining regiments were soon rallied and brought back by their respective commanders.
After quite a severe action, in which the enemy lost two general officers, Kearney and
Stevens, he was repulsed at all points, and continued his retreat during the night. After
the close of the action, Jackson's division was withdrawn from the left to the rear, and
Ewell's division covered the point previously covered by General Starke, and Hays' and
Trimble's brigades, and the men lay on their arms during the night. While Trimble's
brigade was engaged, the gallant old Captain Brown, of the 12th Georgia Regiment, in
command of the brigade, was killed, and Colonel James A. Walker of the 13th Virginia
Regiment was subsequently assigned to the command of the brigade, as it had no field
officer present.
On the morning of the 2nd it was discovered that the enemy had retired from our front, and
during that day Pope made good his escape into the fortifications around Washington. He
had now seen the "rebels" in various aspects and found that his lines of retreat
would not take care of themselves; and very soon he was shipped and sent to the northwest
to look after the Indians in that quarter.
This affair at Ox Hill closed the series of engagements with the enemy under Pope, and it
was again the old story of the "rebels in overwhelming numbers," opposed to a
small army of "Union soldiers." According to Pope's account, his army was
wearied out and broken down by the fatigues of the campaign on the Rappahannock, and the
incessant marching and manoeuvring to confront Lee's army, and was short of rations and
ammunition. It does not seem to have occurred to him that the soldiers of the army which
thus wearied his own were at all susceptible of fatigue or hunger, or that when his own
rations were short, their chances of supplying themselves were slim.
On the 2nd of September our army rested, while the movements of the enemy were being
ascertained. Provisions were now very scarce, as the supply in the wagons, with which we
had started, was exhausted. The rations obtained by Jackson's command from the enemy's
stores, at Manassas, which were confined to what could be brought off in haversacks, were
also exhausted, and on this day boiled fresh beef, without salt or bread, was issued to my
brigade, which with an ear or two of green corn roasted by a fire, constituted also my own
supply of food, at this time. Longstreet's wing of the army was in a worse condition than
Jackson's, as it had not participated in the supply found at Manassas.
|
