As Porter’s attack fizzled north of the Warrenton Turnpike Longstreet prepared to attack the Union left flank. His 28,000 men were well rested and in a line of battle that stretched for 2 miles south of the turnpike. Only Reynolds and 2 small brigades stood between Longstreet and Henry Hill. The steep banks of Bull Run would make it hard for Pope to retreat east to Centreville. If Longstreet could gain control of the high ground at Henry Hill along the turnpike he could cutoff the Union line of retreat. On the morning of the 30th Brigadier General John Bell Hood’s division and Brigadier General Shanks Evans Independent Brigade formed for attack in the fields around the Cundiff House, Meadowville, shown in the pictures below.

At 4:00 PM Longstreet ordered Hood to move forward. Law’s brigade was north of the turnpike and Hood was on the south side. Kemper’s division would be on Hood’s right. Brigadier General Ravid R. Jones would be on the extreme right. Brigadier General Cadmus Wilcox’s division would be north of the turnpike on Longstreet’s extreme left (shown on the map below).

Just before Longstreet attacked, Union Major General Irvin McDowell ordered General Reynolds division to move his men off of Chinn Ridge to the north side of the turnpike moving the only sizeable force in Longstreet’s path to Henry Hill out of the way to reinforce Kearny’s right flank. This error in judgment left only two small brigades in front of Longstreet and handed Lee the opportunity to completely destroy the Union army.

As Hood’s men moved forward Union cannons from Lieutenant Charles Hazlett’s Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery began to fire on them from a ridge a few hundred yards east of Groveton. Other batteries also fired on them from the vicinity of the Dogan house and ridge. These guns prevented Law’s brigade and Wilcox’s division on Longstreet’s left from playing a role in the initial stages of the attack. Hood’s Texas brigade spearheaded the attack. The only troops in their path were the 1,100 men of the 5th and 10th NY, known respectively as Duryee’s and the National Zouaves, under Colonel Gouverneur Warren. Porter had ordered Warren to move his men there when he saw that Hazlett’s guns were unsupported. Pictures from the ridge, its interpretation and monuments to the 5th and 10th NY from the New York Avenue Driving Tour Stop #9 are shown below.

The Texans quickly overwhelmed the New Yorkers who fled across Young’s Branch (shown in map #2). After Private James Webb crossed the Branch, he realized the precarious position that Hazlett’s battery was in, and he quickly ran back up the hill to warn Hazlett. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. The 5th NY suffered the greatest percentage of men killed or wounded by an infantry regiment in the entire Civil War with 102 killed, 235 wounded and 75 missing. In, addition the 10th NY lost 21 killed, 65 wounded and 27 missing.

Hearing the roar of gunfire across the Warrenton Turnpike McDowell realized the error of his ways in removing Reynolds from Chinn Ridge. He halted the rear elements of Reynold’s column and marched Colonel Martin Hardin’s Pennsylvania brigade and two artillery batteries to a knoll about 300 yards behind Warren’s original position. Martin was irate that his men were being sacrificed to provide time for Union forces to get in front of Longstreet. The remnants of Warren’s men joined Martin and his artillery and momentarily halted Hood’s men. Captain Sellers was commanding Hood’s men and halted and regrouped them in the ravine of Young’s Branch. The right wing of the 5th TX commanded by Colonel Upton didn’t get the order to halt. Advancing into the woods they attacked the exposed left flank of the Federals causing the Pennsylvanians to retreat. The 4th TX and 18th GA captured all four of Captain Mark Kern’s guns. In the process the 4th TX suffered 88 men killed and wounded (see map #3 below).

Although Hood’s brigade pushed back the Pennsylvanians, in the process their various regiments became so fragmented that they would be unable to fight as a cohesive unit the rest of the day. Longstreet’s men moved forward toward Chinn Ridge (shown in maps #4 and #5) where they came under fire from Colonel Nathaniel McLean’s Ohio brigade and enfilading fire from the guns on Dogan Ridge. John Bell Hood was commanding the division and as a result the command of the Texas brigade had fallen to Captain Sellers. At this point the Texas brigade suffered from the absence of Hood and the regimental commanders began to act on their own. Under heavy cannon fire the 5th TX, 18th GA and Hampton’s Legion moved to the cover of a forest without informing Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Carter of the 4th TX of their plans. Carter’s men were now alone in front of Chinn Ridge and under heavy fire from Colonel McLean’s brigade. McLean was moved to Chinn Ridge by Major General Franz Sigel. Sigel had sent the 4th NY Cavalry to determine what the Confederate force was south of the turnpike. When he determined it was Longstreet, he obtained permission from Pope to move his men there. McLean immediately realized the importance of holding Chinn Ridge and deployed his men on the crest.

McLean’s men first fired on the Texas brigade as shown in the map below forcing the 5th TX, 18th GA and Hampton’s Legion to shelter in the woods while the 4th TX retreated to Young’s Branch. They reformed and attacked again but were repulsed.

Colonel Peter Stevens led Evan’s South Carolina Independent brigade in the next assault shown in map #6 below. The 23rd SC emerged from the woods first and suffered heavy losses. Three sequential commanders of the brigade Colonel Henry Benbow, Lieutenant Colonel John Roberts and then Major John W. Whilden were all killed. They lost 149 of 250 men engaged.

The 17th and 18th SC emerged from the woods next shown below in map #7. The commanders of both these regiments were killed. Kemper’s division appeared on McLean’s left flank but instead of attacking the Federals left flank they chased some retreating Union soldiers down the ridge.

General Jeb Stuart had commandeered several batteries and deployed them under Colonel Thomas Rosser on McLean’s left and left rear and commenced a severe enfilading fire. As fighting raged Brigadier General Zealous Tower’s Union brigade arrived. The overwhelming Confederate numbers shattered the Federal left flank. McLean shifted his front to face the attack on his left flank, shown in map #8.

The unexpected attack on the Confederate left flank caught them by surprise. By this time Kemper’s division realized their error in following some retreating Federals down the ridge and they now also joined the attack, shown in map #9. The axis of the Confederate attack had now switched from west to east to now south to north. Confederates in the vicinity joined the fight on Chinn Ridge losing site of the fact that the ultimate objective was Henry Hill. This gave Pope time to move troops there.

The fight on Chinn Ridge was fierce with McDowell and Sigel sending reinforcements to bolster the Federal lines, shown in map #10. The guns of Captain George Leppien’s 5th ME battery on Chinn Ridge became the focus of the Rebel attack. David Jones division moved around the Union left flank driving the Federals from Chinn Ridge. An attack by Law north of the Warrenton Turnpike was driven back by John Gibbon’s brigade ensuring that the high ground of Dogan’s Ridge remained in Union hands.

Longstreet’s men were now in control of Chinn Ridge but during the 90 minutes that Union forces were able to hold off the Rebels Pope had managed to build a strong line of defense along Sudley Road and was in firm control of Henry Hill. Chinn Ridge is stop #10 on the battlefield driving tour. Images from the walking trail pertaining to the Second Battle of Manassas are shown below.

The Chinn House ruins (Hazel Plain)

Kemper’s Brigade formed for attack at the William H. Lewis House. Its interpretation is shown below.

Daniel Webster’s son, Colonel Fletcher Webster, of the 12th MA was killed on the ridge. His memorial is shown below.

As the fight on Chinn Ridge was raging Pope, McDowell and Porter were rushing troops to Henry Hill preventing Longstreet from gaining the heights along the Warrenton Turnpike, shown on map #11. Brigadier General Robert Milroy and Lieutenant Colonel William Chapman’s brigades were deployed on Sudley Road at the base of Henry Hill. Behind them were two brigades of Reynolds’ Pennsylvania Reserves and one brigade of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Buchanan’s U.S. Regular Army infantry.

Longstreet attacked shortly thereafter, shown on maps #12 and #13. Initial attacks on the Union right by Benning’s brigade (2nd, 15th and 20th GA) failed. On the Confederate right Brigadier General Thomas Drayton was ordered to attack the Union left but he refused. A head on attack by George Anderson’s Georgians also failed. Brigadier General Ambrose Wright’s brigade of Confederate Major General Richard Anderson attacked next without success.

Jeb Stuart moved several Confederate batteries forward on Sudley Road on the Federal’s left flank. Their fire enfiladed the 83rd and 86th NY. When William Mahone’s Virginia brigade attacked the left flank the Union line gave way from left to right. At the same time Milroy’s and Reynolds’ men ran out of ammunition. Buchanan’s Regulars covered the Union retreat on Sudley Road as did Colonel Henry Ferrero’s brigade on Henry Hill.

Henry Hill is located next to the visitor center. All of the interpretation there pertains to the first Battle of Manassas. The pictures below are of the Hill House.

Other sites on the battlefield related to the Battle of Second Manassas are shown below.

The pictures below were taken in the picnic area.

The John Dogan House- 38.8168188, -77.533064, this modern house sits on the site of the John Dogan house.

Although Lee had failed to destroy Pope’s Army he had taken almost 4,000 prisoners and 20 pieces of artillery on the 30th. Overall Pope lost 14,000 men and Lee about 9,000. Pope ordered Banks to destroy all supplies at Bristoe Station and proceed to Centreville. There was a small cavalry battle fought on Francis Lewis’ property (Portici) between Brigadier General John Buford and Brigadier General Beverly Robertson’s Virginia horsemen shown below.

The Union Army crossed Bull Run at the Stone Bridge (shown below) and were in Centreville later in the evening, returning to Washington, D.C.

A rearguard action was fought at the Battle of Chantilly or Ox Hill on September 1st, which will be covered in the next post.

Pope’s Army of Virginia was reabsorbed into George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Pope was relieved of command never to command again during the war, while Robert E. Lee would move to invade Maryland where he would meet McClellan at South Mountain and Antietam.

Next- The Battle of Chantilly (Ox Hill) – September 1, 1862

Sources

Second Manassas, The Fighting on August 30, 1862 by Scott Patchan. Blue and Gray Magazine Volume XXIX, #3, 2012.

Return to Bull Run: the Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas by John Hennessy.