Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 2.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[318] the First brigade, came up to a point at the foot of a steep hill, some two and a half miles this side of Fall's Church, one of his aids, who had been reconnoitring in advance, dashed up to him and reported having seen two hundred of the enemy's cavalry a short distance ahead, to the right of the road. A halt was at once made, and six companies of the First and an equal number of the Second Connecticut Regiments deployed as skirmishers to the right and left of the road. Thus protected against surprise, the army again moved on, and after a march of two hours reached this point just before sunset, without coming in sight of the enemy.

Arrived here, the different regiments of the two first brigades were at once marched into the adjoining fields, stacked their arms, partook of their cold supper, and then prepared for their night's rest. At about eight o'clock Col. Sherman's and Col. Richardson's brigades came in, and at this hour of writing--nine P. M.--the whole division is encamped about the town, and strong pickets are stationed on all the roads leading towards the enemy, and the batteries accompanying the division are stationed so as to command all the approaches. The nearest picket of the enemy, one hundred strong, is only a mile from town, on the road to Fairfax Court House.

Lieut. Tompkins, of the cavalry company, went out reconnoitring this evening, and discovered obstructions on the road a short distance from town. The half demolished train of platform cars that carried the Ohio troops on their unfortunate reconnoissance of this point, some weeks since, is still standing where it was fired upon from the masked battery.

Leonard B. Perkins, a well-known Union man of Fairfax County, acts as guide to the division.

General Tyler's staff will spend the night at the house of Mr. J. B. Bowman, another enthusiastic Union man, who made himself so obnoxious to the rebels by transporting the dead and wounded Ohio men into Alexandria free of charge.

The wife of Colonel Richardson, commanding the Fourth brigade, is the only lady with the expedition.

Great relief is felt by all the Union men in this vicinity in consequence of the appearance of the Union troops, as rebel squads had for the last two days scoured the country for the purpose of forcibly impressing all male inhabitants into service.

The division is ordered to resume its march at five o'clock to-morrow morning. Its destination is Germantown, a village one mile west of Fairfax Court House. Gen. Tyler's orders are to take such a position as to cut off all communication between Fairfax Court House and Manassas Junction.

I am now permitted to state, what has been known to me for several days, namely, that General Tyler's First, and Colonel Hunter's Second, Colonel Heintzelman's Third, and Colonel Miles' Fifth division, representing a force of over forty thousand men, will all move over different routes towards Fairfax Court House, and occupy such positions as to leave the rebels no other alternative than retreat or surrender. A similar plan of operations will be followed in regard to the rebel forces at the Junction.

To-day's march of the First division will be slow, as many obstructions will have to be removed from the road. It is almost certain that the troops will have to fight a portion of their way.

The entire division is now forming. All the men are still full of metal, in spite of the uncomfortable night they spent in the moist fields, and show their gladness at the immediate prospect of an encounter with the rebels by continued cheering. The Ohio regiments seem particularly anxious to square up their Vienna account.

The second day's movements of the First division of the grand army, under General Tyler, from Vienna to this point, although more obstructed than yesterday's, have been entirely successful up to the time of writing. The column commenced moving at half-past 5 o'clock this morning, in the order observed yesterday, with a variation in the Third brigade, which was to-day headed by the gallant New York Sixty-ninth. The road, immediately after emerging from Vienna, enters heavy timber. About a mile from the village a heavy obstruction, consisting of about fifty large trees, was discovered in the road. Captain Alexander, of the Engineer corps, immediately put his pioneers to work with their axes, and in less than twenty minutes the whole of the barricade was cleared away and the column moved onward.

Having reached the edge of the timber, two companies of each of the Connecticut regiments were again deployed as skirmishers on the right and left of the column, under command of Colonel Spiedel. Captain Hawley's company of the First Regiment had been in motion but a few minutes when it came up with three mounted rebels, who allowed themselves to be captured without resistance. At about the same time some stragglers of the Sixty-ninth, while upon an excursion to an adjoining farm-house, during a halt, surprised a fourth mounted rebel. The prisoners were brought before General Tyler, to whom they gave free information as to the position of the enemy. According to their statements, a strong force was intrenched about two miles ahead of the column, in front of Fairfax Court House.

The division marched a short distance further on, when a reconnoissance by Colonel Keyes, commanding the First brigade, resulted in the discovery of two evidently mounted earthworks, protected by bodies of infantry and cavalry, to the left of the road, at the distance