Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 2.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[278] for their privations. It was a perfect feast for all; each man filled his haversack with whatever suited him, and they then proceeded to destroy all that was left. Jackson's wagons had not been able to follow; and knowing that he should not long remain in quiet possession of his conquest, he arranged to leave nothing for the Federals but smoking ashes.

While the Confederate soldier was lighting this immense bonfire in the rear of his foe, the greatest confusion prevailed in Washington. Like Pope, the Federal authorities had only been apprised of this raid by the interruption of the telegraph and railway. There were no tidings of the army of Virginia. Stuart's cavalry screened all Jackson's movements as with an impenetrable veil, and had even appeared in the neighborhood of Fairfax Court-house. Had the railway track been destroyed by a mere detachment of this cavalry, or was the whole of Lee's army between Pope and the Federal capital? This state of uncertainty paralyzed everything. It was no longer safe to send provisions and ammunition by rail. The authorities were at a loss whether to send a regiment to the front, or an entire army. The garrison of Washington consisted only of recruits and a very small number of trained troops, for the forty thousand men refused to McClellan had been given to Pope. Fortunately, Franklin's corps had landed on the afternoon of the 26th. It was positively destitute of everything that an army needs for its march, having neither horses, wagons, cannon, rations nor ammunition. Nevertheless, on the morning of the 27th, one of his brigades, composed of New Jersey troops under General Taylor, proceeded by rail as far as Bull Run Bridge, got off the cars, crossed the stream, and boldly advanced to see what they could discover in the direction of Manassas. The Confederates, seeing this handful of men—for they only numbered one thousand or twelve hundred—concealed themselves in the woods and the works; and when the Federals were within a very short distance, they opened a terrific fire upon them, which laid one-third of the party low; the remainder hastily fled to the other side of Bull Run and to Centreville, carrying with them their wounded general. At Centreville a few troops rallied around the debris of this unfortunate brigade.

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