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On the 17th of October it was reported (erroneously) that the
Confederates had evacuated
Leesburg.
General McClellan then determined to make a thorough reconnoissance of the
Confederate left, to ascertain their strength, and to cover the operations of his topographical engineers in making a map of that region.
He accordingly ordered
General McCall, who held the advanced command in
Virginia on the right of the
National line, to move forward and occupy Drainsville, about half way between the
Chain Bridge and
Leesburg.
He did so, and pushed his scouts forward to
Goose Creek, within four miles of the latter place.
On the following morning,
General Banks telegraphed to
General McClellan from
Darnestown, saying, “The signal station at
Sugar Loaf telegraphs that the enemy have moved away from
Leesburg.”
McCall had also reported to
McClellan the previous evening that he had not encountered any opposition, and that it was reported that the
Confederates had abandoned the town.
On the strength of
Banks's dispatch, and without waiting for later information from Drainsville,
McClellan notified
General Stone of the movement of
McCall.
He assured him that “heavy reconnoissances” would be sent out that day “in all directions” from Drainsville, and desired him to keep “a good lookout on
Leesburg,” to see if it had the effect to drive the
Confederates away, adding, “Perhaps a slight demonstration on your part would have the effect to move them.”
This dispatch reached
Stone before noon. He acted promptly, and at evening he telegraphed to the
Chief that he had made a feint of crossing the river, during the afternoon, at two places, and had sent out a reconnoitering party toward
Leesburg, from
Harrison's Island, adding, “I have means of crossing one hundred and twenty-five men once in ten minutes at each of two points.”
To this dispatch he received no reply.
The feint had been made at the ferries of
Edwards and
Conrad, already mentioned.
The brigade of
General Gorman, Seventh Michigan, two troops of the
Van Alen cavalry, and the
Putnam Rangers were sent to the former, where a section of
Bunting's New York Battery was on duty.
To the latter
Stone sent a battalion of the Twentieth Massachusetts, under its commander,
Colonel Lee, a section of
Vaughan's Rhode Island Battery, and
Colonel Cogswell's New York (Tammany) Regiment.
The ferry was at that time defended by a section of
Ricketts's Battery.
Colonel Devens was sent to
Harrison's Island in two flat-boats from the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, bearing four companies of his Massachusetts Fifteenth. One company of the same regiment was already there.
A reserve, numbering about three thousand men, was held in readiness to co-operate, should a battle ensue.
With this reserve was the fine body of Pennsylvanians known as the First California regiment, commanded by
Colonel E. D. Baker, then a representative of the
State of Oregon in the
National Senate.
These movements, at first designed as a feint, resulted in a battle.
McCall had made a reconnoissance on Sunday, the 20th,
which had evidently caused an opposing movement on the part of the
Confederates.
An infantry regiment of these had been observed marching from
Leesburg and taking shelter behind a hill, about a mile and a half from the position of the Nationals at Edwards's Ferry.
In order to disperse or intimidate these,
General Gorman was ordered to deploy his forces in their
