Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-03-24
THs SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS.

THs SECOND BATTLE OF MANASSAS.
f! The following account was written by a
member Of the 18th Virginia regiment, who
was detailed with the commissary depart
! ment at the time of the battle:
The weather had been fearfully hot, and
! camp-iin in tents OH the miasmatic levels
! bclow Richmond was almost insupportable,
\ when Que night he order was borne through
/ the camp to take three days rations, leave
I tents standing and heavy baggage behind,
/ and prepare to move at q moments warn
! ing. Before day General kemper's brigade
| of LongslreeCs corps, to which the writer 9
| regiment belonged, had taken up the march.
When the brigade arrived in the neighbor-
| hood Of Go.dcnsviiic. tho booming of can
| non in that direction indicated some serious
obs; acle. The brigade was soon under
arms and on the march in tho direction Of
the firing. The men expected soon to be
engaged in Il general battle, but none of
Longstreets corps were needed. Reach
| ing the bank of the river, Long.
streets corps was strung out from where
the railroad bridge crosses the Rappahan-
mock, thence up the liver covering all the
crossings to Waterloo bridge. There were
several demonstrations as if crossing was
intended, and some artillery duels were in.
dulged in by our batteries and the Federal
batteries posted On the opposite bank of the
river. The casualties were but few on
our side. One, however, which caused
great grief in my company, was
the death of Taylor Marshall, a grand
son of Chief Justice Marshall, who
WAS killed by the burstingofa riHed cannon,
which ne was working as member of the
Washington Artillery General Jackson
had now begun that movement which
brought him in the'rear of General Pope's
army at Manassas junction and brought on
the second battle of Manassas. AS fast as
the rear brigades of Jackson withdrew from
the upper fords, brigades of Longstreet's
corps were substituted. When General
Jackson was we'll across the river and it was
evident that the enemy had discovered his
movement, one night Longstreet moved his
corps by forced march, and crossed the
Rappahannock. Owing to the incapacity or
carelessness of Longstreet's quartermasters,
his troops were poorly provided with shoes.
There were plenty in the depots at Rich
mond and there was ample time to issue
them As usual some one had blundered,
and as a consequence by the time the troops
got across the Rappahannock numbers of
| them were so foot sore as TO be unit for
either marching or fighting. When the
! head of Longstreet's column on the after
noon of the 2Sth of August reached the
Plains ut Thoroughfare Gap, the enemy was
| discovered in force, to dispute the pas.
sage Il hot artillery and infantry
lieh, Was maintained during the afternoon,
aud il was after sundown before the enemy
were finally dislodged Our brigade rested
near the Plains until next morning and
passed through the gap shortly after sunrise.
1t seemed to Us that an inferior force ought
TO have been able TO easily resist the passage
cf largely superior numbers in such dehle.
The brigade got to Gainesville about noon,
and after resting all hour or so by the road
side, was moved forward to take its place in
the line of BATTLE and, by the way, the men
were at this time nearly starved, for the
commissary trains had been outmarched,
and there was no such thing as subslstlng
on that ravaged section.
The brigade was resting in line in corn
field to the right of house situated about
half mile or so from the spot near where
was General Lees headquarters and where
General Longstreet the next day planted
his batteries to en6Iade the red-breeches
column, which made the fierce assault on
Jackson's troops posted in the old railroad
cut From this point pretty good view
could be obtained of the field of battle.
Longstreet's line formed an obtuse angle
with that Of Jackson, the legs stretching
forward and to some extent inclosing the
enemy. Skirmishing was going on in live
" manner all along the line, with an occa-
sonal rattle of yolley and the bang bang!
Of battery.
When the ball opened with the dawn, the
scene from the bill where the writer was
stationed was a beautiful one. The long
lines capped with g'ttering steel; the roll
of smoke along the front of the infantry
lines as they advanced the blaze and pufs
OF smoke from the numerous batteries, the
dancing of the battle flags, and as bright q
sun and as blue sky as ever canopied
| battle-all this was as inspiring as it was
terrible under the circumstances. The bat
tie had not been long joined before dense
pail of smoke hung over the battlefield, and
| it was only here and there, in the pauses of
the conflict, that the forms Of the combat
ants could be distinguished. The battle
field assumed the appearance as If waves of
gray mist were rolling against each other,
now advancing and then reeedng. When
| the grand assault was made on Jackson
began to feel apprehensive, for, up to that
| time. the Confederates did not seem to have
gained much ground, even if they had lost
none. But when saw Longstrest plant
ing his batteries to take that gallant
column in flank, Lord! what a relief
it was. They charged again and again
with determined vim. but the terrific front
| and flank fire was too withering and
finally they went back broken and shatter-
ed, leaving the field literally covered with
their dead and wounded. Later on my at
tention was directed to my own brigade,
which had been lying down in cornheid
and which was now standing at attention
AS knew afterwards, there was Rhode
Island battery of twelve guns on hill dl'