The Confederates retreated down Matthew’s Hill and then Buck’s Hill past the Stone House, stop #3 on the driving tour.

Pictures from inside the house

The marker below is on Henry Hill in the area where Captain John Imboden set up his cannons to aid Hampton in covering the retreat.

Wade Hampton’s Confederates moved from the Turnpike to the Robinson Farm Lane to also cover the retreat up Henry Hill. The next few pictures interpret that action and the Robinson House.

Evans, Bee, Bartow and Hampton had with their resistance on Matthews Hill and the Robinson Farm lane bought the Confederates about 90 minutes to reinforce their position on Henry Hill. Unexpectedly McDowell rather than attack the high ground on Henry Hill before it could be reinforced decided to wait to bring up more troops and the Union frittered away an addition 2 hours before renewing the advance.

The first of the next wave of reinforcements to arrive on Henry Hill were from Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson’s brigade. Jackson’s brigade had gotten off the train at Manassas Junction and walked across Manassas. See route below. This marker is not located at the coordinates listed on HMDB and is called Road to War rather than Jackson’s Route and is located at 38.7882197, -77.5047838. It is along a path on the left side of the end of the parking lot for the Ben Lomond Historic Site.

Jackson while on the way to the Stone Bridge to reinforce the center of the Confederate center learned that Bee was in trouble at the base of Henry Hill and on his own initiative headed toward the sound of the guns there. He and his men emerged from the southeastern end of the Henry farm.

Jackson assessed the situation and deployed his 2,500 men on the reverse slope of the hill where they could not be seen. At about this time Beauregard and Johnston reached the battlefield and began bringing up large numbers of troops. They realized the battle would be decided here on Henry Hill and began to relocate all their troops here. Beauregard would assume command on the battlefield while Johnston would set up his headquarters nearby at Portici and supervise funneling reinforcements into the battle.

McDowell would resume his advance around 1:30-2:00 PM. McDowell then made a very strange decision. Rather than advance his infantry he decided to send forward two batteries of artillery under Ricketts and Griffin up Henry Hill unprotected by infantry. Griffin would have 5 guns and Ricketts six. They were only about 100 yards southwest of the Henry house. Confederate sharpshooters opened fire on them from the Henry house and yard. Ricketts fired cannister at the house. The artillery fire mortally wounded the 85-year old widow Judith Henry and she became the only civilian killed in the battle. The pictures below show the Henry House, the family cemetery and Judith Henry’s grave.

Wade Hampton was wounded near the Henry House.

The Confederates would assemble 13 guns across the field and an artillery duel would ensue with the rival lines only about 350 yards apart.

A marker just outside the visitor center outlines a 1.1-mile walking loop trail of Henry Hill.

Confederate artillery across the field

The 11th NY and 1st MN were sent to protect the Union batteries. When they reached the crest, they mistook the 33rd VA for Union soldiers. Colonel Farnham of the 11th NY was killed, and his unit fled the field. Major John Reynold’s battalion of U.S. Marines was sent up the hill, but they gave way in disorder after being in combat for 15 minutes.

General Bernard Bee was very active in trying to round up additional support. While retrieving the 4th AL from a ravine near Robinson’s farm he told the men “Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall! Let’s go to his assistance.”

Griffin moved two of his guns to the extreme Union right for a better line of fire but they were captured by the 33rd VA only to be recovered in short order by the 14th Brooklyn and 1st MN.

Jackson then launched an attack on the Union guns with the 4th and 27th VA and captured 8 of the 11 Union guns. Ricketts went down with a wound to the thigh and Lieutenant Ramsey was killed.

The 6th NC, 2nd and 11th MS, and 4th SC bolstered the Confederate lines. Colonel Charles Fisher and Lieutenant William Magnum of the 6th NC were killed, and Lieutenant Colonel Bartley Boone of the 2nd MS was captured. Boone was the highest-ranking Confederate officer taken prisoner during the battle.

Beauregard personally led the 5th VA and Hampton Legion forward to retake the ground around the Henry House. As General Bee was leading his men forward, he was mortally wounded and died the next day. Bee was the highest-ranking officer to die in the battle. His monument is shown below.

Colonel Bartow of the 7th GA was also killed by an artillery fragment to the chest. His monument is shown below.

Remnants of the original Bartow Monuments between the trees near the current Bartow Monument

The struggle for Henry Hill wavered back and forth as Colonel William Sherman’s brigade of 3,000 men arrived. Colonel James Camerson, brother of Secretary of War Simon Cameron was killed leading the 79th NY into battle.

Multiple uncoordinated piecemeal Union attacks had been largely ineffective, and McDowell had only one more brigade in reserve that of Colonel Oliver Howard which he directed to move to the Union right toward Chinn Ridge to try and flank the Confederates. Meanwhile Johnston was moving all the Rebels he could to Henry Hill and now the 8th and 18th VA joined the fight and captured the Union artillery pieces for the final time.

McDowell’s only hope now rested with Howard’s troops he had sent to Chinn Ridge.

But while Howard was trying to move around the Confederate left Johnston had added another 4,000 reinforcements from the 2nd and 8th SC, 1st MD, 3rd TN, 10th VA, 7th LA, 13th MS and 7th VA. Howard stood no chance against these numbers. With the collapse of Howard’s brigade, the battle was lost, and the Federals fled in panic and disarray. Some left via Sudley Ford, others by the Farm Ford and the Stone Bridge.

The Confederate army was also disorganized and could not launch an effective pursuit. They did capture a Congressman, Alfred Ely from upstate New York, who had come out to watch the battle and was found hiding behind a tree. He was sent to Libby Prison in Richmond where he remained for 5 months. Down the Warrenton Turnpike a bottleneck occurred at the Cub Run Bridge. Delaware Kemper’s Battery fired a shot that exploded over the bridge causing a wagon to overturn blocking the span. Fleeing troops abandoned 14 guns at the bridge.

Back at the battlefield Jefferson Davis had decided to come up from Richmond by train. He briefly toured the battlefield and on approaching Holkum’s Branch near Protici came across Stonewall Jackson who was having a broken finger tended to by Dr. Hunter McGuire. There Jackson told Davis “We have whipped them; they ran like dogs. Give me 10,000 men and I shall take Washington City tomorrow.”

Other markers or monuments on Henry Hill.

The 5th position of the 7th GA- probably the least visited monument on the battlefield- 38.8161667, -77.5168667 link

The Army of Northern Virginia had suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. They also lost 28 pieces of artillery. nearly 5,000 muskets, numerous wagons and horses, and 10 battle flags. McDowell was relieved of command and replaced by George McClellan on July 26th. General Patterson who failed to keep Johnston in the Shenandoah Valley was discharged from the service when his commission expired on July 27th.

Next- Part 4- Other Sites Relevant to the Battle

Sources

The Battle of First Manassas by Henry P. Elliott. Blue and Gray Magazine Volume XXVII, #5, 2011.