Jackson’s troops were plundering Pope’s supply base for several hours until the revelry was disrupted by the firing of two large cannons from Colonel Gustav Waagner’s 2nd NY Heavy Artillery. Waagner had come up from Centreville and based on the reports he received thought he was dealing with a small raiding party. Jackson had extensive knowledge of the earthwork system that had been created around Manassas Junction and Manassas City prior to the first Battle of Bull Run. He quickly moved Hill’s brigades into position and established a defensive line which was a half-mile arc extending from Fort Beauregard on the left to Fort Mayfield on the right of the railroad. These fortifications are shown below overlayed on a map of modern-day Manassas. Fort Beauregard was located to guard the Centreville Road and Fort Mayfield to protect the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.

They are circled on a Google maps image of the city below. Fort Beauregard no longer exists and is the site of a largely vacant strip mall that formerly contained a Peebles store and a bowling alley. Fort Mayfield still exists today.

The area of Fort Beauregard today is shown below. A strip mall with mostly vacant stores and even fewer cars. This picture was taken on a Saturday afternoon.

War time photograph of Fort Beauregard below.

Fort Mayfield Historic Site- 8401 Quarry Road

At the same time Waagner’s men appeared at Manassas Junction trains bearing George Taylor’s NJ Brigade arrived near Bull Run Bridge. These were men sent to repair the railroad, which they thought had been destroyed by a band of guerrillas, and clear Manassas Junction of the Rebel band. On the first group of trains Taylor had about 1200 men in four brigades, He left the 4th NJ to guard the bridge and with the rest headed toward Manassas Junction without any idea of what he was about to run into. They marched straight into the middle of Jackson and Hill’s defensive arc with devastating consequences. A battlefield map is shown at a Civil War Trails marker at the Connor House.

The full marker is shown below.

The Connor House and its marker are shown below.

The Confederates lost only 5 killed and 20 wounded. General Taylor was killed, and Union casualties totaled 23 killed, 176 wounded, and 246 missing or captured out of a total force of only 1200 men. If a second group of trains carrying the 11th and 12th OH under the command of Colonel Peter Scammon had not arrived at the bridge and aided their withdrawal, things could have been much worse. This disaster coupled with the arrival of McClellan in Alexandria, along with his fondness for immobility, ensured that Pope would receive no further reinforcements before he would have to deal with Jackson.

Markers at Fort Mayfield related to the Battle of Bull Run Bridge are shown below.

As Jackson’s men were enjoying their bounty of supplies in Manassas Pope’s forces were closing in on them shown in the map below.

Joe Hooker’s Division was advancing up the Orange and Alexandria Railroad from Warrenton Junction headed straight for Ewell at Bristoe Station, while Sigel, McDowell, Reno and Kearney were on the move and closing in on Jackson from the west.

Next- Adam Worth, Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarity

Source

Return to Bull Run- The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas by John J. Hennessy.