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Chapter 13: second battle of Manassas.
Though the force of the enemy, consisting of
King's division of
McDowell's Corps moving on the left flank of that corps, with which the engagement took place on the afternoon of the 28th, had retreated in the direction of
Manassas, other troops had moved up to the vicinity, and early next morning it was discovered that
Pope was moving his whole army against us from the direction of
Manassas and
Centreville, to which point it had gone in search of us.
It now became necessary to change our front to meet the approaching columns, and
Ewell's division, under the command of
Brigadier General Lawton as senior brigadier, was formed in line facing
Groveton, near where it had lain on its arms the night before, on a ridge running nearly at right angles to Warrenton Pike, with its right, my brigade, resting on the pike.
The other divisions were retired behind the unfinished railroad on our left, and the whole line faced towards the enemy.
At an early hour the enemy's batteries opened on us and were replied to by ours.
After this artillery firing had continued for some time, the position of
Ewell's division was changed, and
General Jackson in person ordered me to move with
Hays' brigade and my own, and
Johnson's battery of artillery, to a ridge north of the
Warrenton Pike and behind the railroad, so as to prevent the enemy from turning our right flank, a movement from
Manassas indicating that purpose having been observed.
Two of my regiments, the 13th Virginia and 31st Virginia, under
Colonel Walker, were detached by
General Jackson's order and placed in position south of the pike, for the purpose of watching the movements of the force that was advancing from the direction of
Manassas towards our right.
