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enemy, and by the light of the smoldering ruins followed the division across Bull run at Blackburn's ford to Centreville.
Here we rested a short time, and thence turned back toward Bull run, and moving by the Warrenton pike crossed the run again near the stone bridge.
At this critical moment the enemy, falling back from the Rappahannock, caused doubtless by our flank movement, were coming down the turnpike from Warrenton, meeting us. We turned to the right, leaving the turnpike, and after going up the run a short distance, changed front and were drawn up in battle array along the line of the unfinished Independent railroad track, facing the turnpike along which the enemy was moving.
As
Gregg's brigade took this position, brisk firing was heard upon the right, where the divisions of
Taliaferro and
Ewell were thrown by
Jackson against the column of
Pope's army coming up the
Warrenton pike, expecting to find
Jackson at
Centreville.
A severe engagement followed, the
battle of Groveton, in which
Ewell and
Taliaferro were both wounded.
About dark
Gregg's brigade was hurried to the scene of action, but the firing soon after ceased.
Jackson resumed his place behind the railroad and lay the night of the 28th in perfect silence, doubtless to create the impression that he had retreated.
Capt. J. F. J. Caldwell, of the First South Carolina,
Gregg's brigade, who has written an admirable history of his brigade, and was himself a gallant participant in all of its hardships and glories, thus describes the night of the 28th of August:
We were placed in columns of regiments and lay during the night in the open field.
The night before a battle is never a pleasant one, but this was peculiarly trying.
Strict silence was enjoined on every man. We had three divisions, which, in all, would not sum up 20,000 men. Before us was Pope with at least the bulk of the Federal army, which, of course, was magnified by many thousands; behind us was no base, no subsistence, no reinforcement!
Longstreet with three divisions was beyond Pope, and must be some time in reaching us. God, Jackson and our own hearts were our dependence.
