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Valley; and
General Patterson was at
Martinsburg, a few miles below him, charged with the duty of keeping
Johnston from re-enforcing
Beauregard at
Bull's Run.
The subjoined map indicates the theater of operations on which the four armies were about to perform.
Orders for the advance were given on the 15th,
and at half-past 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day,
Tyler's column, forming the right wing, went forward to
Vienna, and encamped for the night.
At sunrise the next morning,
the whole army moved in four columns.
The men were in light marching order, with cooked provisions for three days in their knapsacks.
The village of Fairfax Court House was their destination, where, it was expected, the
Confederates would offer battle.
Tyler, with the right wing, moved along the
Georgetown Road.
Hunter, with the center, advanced by the
Leesburg and Centreville Road; and a portion of the left wing, under
Heintzelman, went out from near
Alexandria, along the
Little River Turnpike.
Another portion, under Miles, proceeded by the old “Braddock road,” that passes through Fairfax Court House and
Centreville, where it becomes the
Warrenton Turnpike.
They found the roads obstructed by felled trees near Fairfax Court House, but no opposing troops.
These had fallen back to
Centreville.
The impediments were soon removed.
At noon, the
National Army occupied the deserted village, and the
National flag, raised by some of
Burnside's Rhode Islanders, soon occupied the place of a Confederate one found flying over the
Court House.
The
Commanding General and
Tyler's division moved on two miles farther to the
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The field of operations. |
little village of
Germantown, where it encamped.
The conquest had been so easy, that the troops, in high spirits, and under the inspiration of a belief that the march to
Richmond was to be like a pleasure excursion, committed some excesses, which the commander promptly rebuked.
He reminded them that they were there “to fight the ”
