Shortly after dusk, under orders from General Ewell, I moved to Manassas Junction.
Our loss was comparatively slight in this affair, and the men behaved admirably, withdrawing from under fire and moving back in excellent order. General Trimble having been detached from the division the night previous, his movements were under the immediate direction of General Jackson, and I am unable to furnish any account of them.
the three days fighting near Manassas.
As soon as the troops of the division were supplied with provisions at Manassas, of which they stood in great need, they were moved in the direction of Centreville, toward Bull Run, and the several brigades bivouacked separately between Manassas and Bull Run.
At dawn next morning, my brigade, by direction of General Ewell, moved to the bridge at Blackburn's Ford, where it crossed and proceeded up to Stone Bridge through the fields on the north side of Bull Run, followed by Trimble's brigade. Again crossing there, and proceeding along the Warrenton turnpike for a short distance, and then turning to the right through the fields near the old Carter house, and Matthew's house, close to which the first battle of Manassas began, my brigade was marched across the road running from the stone house, on the turnpike, to Sudley Church, and formed in line in the woods north of the road. The other brigades were halted in the woods north of that road, Lawton's and Hays's brigades having missed their way and gone in the direction of Centreville, but having turned back on the Warrenton turnpike and come up with the others.
After remaining in this position for some time, the division was ordered to move, under cover of the woods, in the direction of Gainesville, following Jackson's division, commanded by Brigadier-General Taliaferro. My own brigade was the leading one of the division in this movement, and followed Jackson's division, moving through the woods until we reached the track graded for a railroad, and thence along that to the point where it leaves the woods not far from Groveton. We here turned to the right, and were formed in line on the edge of a piece of woods, with the left resting on the railroad track, and the right a short distance in rear of Starke's brigade, of Jackson's division. Hays's brigade was formed just behind my own, and Lawton's and Trimble's brigades were moved farther to the right by General Ewell, who accompanied them, and directed me to take command of my own and Hays's brigade. I saw no more of General Ewell, subsequent to this, until after night, when I saw him wounded. I am unable to give the particulars of the operation of Lawton's and Trimble's brigades; but I am informed that they were placed in line by General Ewell, on the right of Starke's brigade, and when the advance was made on the enemy as he moved down the turnpike late in the afternoon, these two brigades were ordered forward by General Ewell, and participated in the attack on the enemy, constituting the left of our line of attack, and crossing the railroad and advancing to close quarters with the enemy.
These two brigades suffered very severely, Lawton's loss being quite heavy. General Ewell himself received a very serious wound in the knee, while leading one of the regiments, near the close of the fight. Just before dark, I received an order from General Jackson, through one of his staff officers, to advance to the front and immediately put my brigade in motion, followed by Hays's brigade; and while advancing, I received another order to send two regiments to the right to General Jackson, and detached the Forty-fourth Virginia, under Colonel Wm. Smith for that purpose. On arriving at the railroad cut, I found it so deep that I could not pass over it, and I moved by the right flank until I reached a ravine with high embankments on both sides and an interval between, through which I moved by flank, forming by file into line in front of it.
This movement brought me near the left of the position to which Trimble's brigade had advanced, and during it the brigade was exposed to a galling fire of shells and canister. By the time I had succeeded in forming my line in front of the railroad, the enemy was retiring, and it having become dark, and impossible to tell whether I should encounter enemies or friends, I advanced no farther, and Hays's brigade was halted on the railroad.
In this position, the two brigades lay on their arms during the night. A short distance in front of me General Ewell was lying wounded, and I had him carried to the hospital. Lawton's and Trimble's brigades lay on their arms a short distance to my right, near the points where they were at the close of the fight.
Early next morning the division then under command of Brigadier-General Lawton was formed in line on a ridge perpendicularly to the railroad track, with the right resting on the Warrenton turnpike and facing toward Groveton. In a short time thereafter, I received an order from General Jackson to move, with my own and Hays's brigade, to a ridge west of the turnpike and the railroad track, so as to prevent the enemy from flanking our forces on the right, a movement from the direction of Manassas indicating that purpose having been observed. In making this movement, two of my regiments, the Thirteenth and Thirty-first Virginia, were detached by General Jackson and placed in a piece of woods on the east of the turnpike, to observe the movements of a body of the enemy that was moving toward our right. I formed my own and Hays's brigade in line on
