General McDowell's order shows that he comprehended the views of the army commander. It read:

I. Major-General Sigel will immediately march with his whole corps on Manassas Junction, his right resting on the Manassas Railroad.

II. Brigadier-General Reynolds will march on the turnpike, immediately in the rear of General Sigel, and form his division on the left of General Sigel, and march upon Manassas Junction.

III. Brigadier-General King will follow immediately after General Reynolds and form his division on General Reynolds's left and direct his march on Manassas Junction.

IV. Brigadier-General Ricketts will follow Brigadier-General King and march to Gainesville, and if on arriving there no indication shall appear of the approach of the enemy from Thoroughfare Gap, he will continue his march along the turnpike, form on the left of General King, and march on Manassas Junction. He will be constantly on the lookout for an attack from the direction of Thoroughfare Gap, and in case one is threatened, he will form his division to the left and march to resist it. The headquarters of the corps will be at King's division, @

General Pope believed the enemy to be between Gainesville and Manassas, and this conclusion was warranted by such information as he had received.

The enemy in the meantime had made new dispositions. Talliaferro's division, late on the night of the 27th, or early in the morning of the 28th, moved from Manassas by the Sudley Church road and took position on the Warrenton pike near Groveton, three miles and a half east of Gainesville. Ewell's division, crossing Bull Run on the morning of the 28th, moved up the north bank, and then joined Talliaferro, via the Warrenton pike. A. P. Hill at the same time moved to Centreville, turned to the left, and via the Warrenton pike hastened to join the other two divisions west of Bull Run. Jackson's cavalry pressed on to Fairfax Court-House. Whether the enemy had remained at Manassas on the morning of the 28th, or was executing the movements just explained, it admits of no doubt that had General Pope's order been executed (by McDowell's command), Jackson must have been totally defeated, if not captured.

On a front of two lines, omitting Ricketts's division, which was wisely ordered to Thoroughfare Gap, General McDowell's two corps would have extended almost two miles. To execute the movement directed in General McDowell's order, King's division, which was to form the left, must have marched by the Warrenton pike as far east as Groveton before turning off for Manassas. This will appear the more certain, when it is stated that had line been formed with the right resting on the Manassas Gap Railroad, three miles east of Gainesville, the left would have reached to Groveton. To cover properly the advance of McDowell's left, his cavalry should have been sent at least two miles east of Groveton, which would have enabled it to overlook Bull Run and thus discover any movement of the enemy on the Warrenton pike west of Stone Bridge. Had this precaution been observed, or even had the left column advanced without cavalry as far east as Groveton, the enemy's position would have been discovered and a battle would have been inevitable. But to prevent such a result a series of contretemps now occurred, for which General Pope was in no wise responsible.

On the evening of the 27th, one division of Sigel's corps was at Gainesville, the other a mile or two in its rear. McDowell's corps

Report of Military Operations during the Rebellion, vol. 6, p. 222.

was at Buckland Mills, three miles west of Gainesville. General Pope's order prescribed that the troops should move at earliest dawn, but at 7.30 a. m. General McDowell was notified by General Reynolds, commanding the leading division of his own corps, that Sigel's corps was halting at the junction of the pike and the Manassas Gap Railroad, and that it was making no preparations to advance, the men at the time being engaged in cooking their breakfasts. Although an adjutant-general was sent to correct the neglect, it was not till late in the forenoon that the head of the corps began the march for Manassas. Meanwhile Reynolds's division, crossing the railroad and advancing toward Groveton, had a brush with the enemy, whose sudden disappearance led to the belief that it was merely a rear guard or a detachment of cavalry with artillery, sent out to reconnoiter.

The demonstration, however, slight as it was, made both Reynolds and Sigel deploy--the former perpendicular, the latter parallel to the pike. This caused another delay, succeeded by a mistake which more than any other proved fatal to the campaign. In resuming the march, General Sigel misconstrued his orders and began a circular movement to place his right on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Reynolds and King followed in echelon, on the left. As a consequence,

the whole force which was to have advanced on the north of the Manassas Gap Railroad, crossed to the south and proceeded in this false direction until the right arrived within 24 miles of Manassas, Here the cavalry reported that the place had been evacuated.

General Sigel states in his report that, before he faced his corps about and moved back to form line near Gainesville so as to assist General Reynolds, the cavalry sent out a mile and a half to the left of the road to Manassas was shelled by the enemy. This fact, in connection with General Reynolds's skirmish at Gainesville, denoted the presence of the enemy in the direction of Groveton. Later in the day, when the movement was again resumed, the two corps passing around the enemy's flank lost their contact, and hence when they arrived near Manassas had no information to communicate. General Pope was thus left to divine the enemy's movements from such information as he could gather at Manassas,

The orders that followed, with the serious consequences they entailed, will justify us in pausing for a few moments to call attention to the inadequate strength of the Adjutant-General's Department.

Of late no argument has been used more effectively to prevent military legislation, than the assertion that the principles of military organization abroad are designed to support monarchies, and that, if not dangerous, they are at least incompatible with free institutions. No delusion could be greater. The student of modern history cannot fail to discover that the principles of organization, like those of strategy, are of universal application, and that no nation has ever violated them, except at its peril.

Under the European system, by means of war academies and interchangeability between the line and the staff, every division commander in time of war is furnished with at least three, and every corps commander with at least six, and every army commander with from half. a dozen to a dozen officers of the general staff, all of whom have made military history and the movements of armies a special study.

a

McDowell's report, Report of Military Operations during the Rebellion, vol. 6, p. 207.

In the Franco-German War, the chief of staff of the Tenth Corps, on the morning of the battle of Gravelotte, detailed one of his subordinates to each division. These officers, accompanied by orderlies, and made acquainted with operations of the day, were instructed to report every important event that transpired. They were not spies on the division commander, but acting on the just theory that the latter would often be too much engaged to communicate intelligence of vital importance, they served as a double line of communication between the corps commander and the troops.

Our Army in 1861, was of course too small to furnish the same number of trained officers as is contemplated in foreign services, but with a little previous preparation, we might have furnished a competent chief of staff to each of the twenty-five corps commanders. Had such an adviser been by the side of General Sigel, to write his instructions for the movements of his divisions, it would scarcely have been possible for his gross misconstruction of orders to have escaped discovery and correction. There was, however, no such officer near him, and, as a consequence, when General McDowell was apprised of his mistake, it was probably too late to correct it.

The left wing having in this manner arrived near Manassas, with no exact knowledge of the enemy's whereabouts, let us see what benefit the country might possibly have derived from having a few competent staff officers at army headquarters. Map in hand, each eager to penetrate the enemy's designs and to suggest the means of circumventing him, they would have asked, on learning of his disappearance from Manassas, the following questions: Will he make a raid around the army with infantry? No; that would be folly. He has reason to believe that our main army is advancing along the railroad; that he might be headed off by troops moving from Fredericksburg, while the main army striking him in flank might cut him in two, if not force him to surrender.

Is he going to move upon Washington? No; that would be equally absurd. He knows that between him and the capital he will encounter formidable entrenchments and that behind them there is still the Potomac. Moreover, through his spies, he ought now to know that the Army of the Potomac is disembarking at Alexandria. To deceive us, will he make a demonstration on Centreville, and then maneuver to the northwest to open communication with his main body? This course, and this one only, conforms to the principles of strategy and on this supposition we should act.

In the meantime the general, presumably better instructed than his staff, would probably have come to the same conclusion, but had he not, the moment they saw him in doubt or about to order a movement upon Centreville, any one of them by exclaiming, "To the Warrenton pike." might have settled the fate of the Confederacy."

It was now but 1 o'clock. Kearny, followed by Hooker and Reno, was at Manassas, less than 6 miles from the pike, which was Jackson's first line of retreat. Sigel, next on the left, was 4 miles, and Reynolds

It is related that on one occasion a soldier who was standing near Napoleon, observed a blunder committed by the enemy when he instantly exclaimed: "Send a squadron there and they are ours!"

Napoleon, who heard the remark, inquired for him after the battle, but he was not to be found. It is possible that from the knapsack of this nameless soldier death snatched the baton of a great marshal.

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but 2 miles, from Groveton. Porter, available as a reserve, was awaiting orders at Bristoe, 6 miles from Groveton. King still remained in the immediate vicinity of Gainesville. Ricketts was disputing Longstreet's advance through Thoroughfare Gap. The enemy at the same time had scarcely more than a division at Groveton, the other two being on the march from the east side of Bull Run. Had a movement now been ordered upon Groveton, King, Reynolds, and Sigel would have engaged Talliaferro's division within less than two hours, while the right wing, Kearny, Hooker, and Reno, advancing on the Sudley Spring and parallel roads, would have engaged Ewell and Hill before they could have joined Talliaferro.

Unfortunately for the country this opportunity to crush Jackson was lost, as General Pope had no information and was left to divine the enemy's movements from what he could learn at Manassas. His troops were now converging to no purpose and new combinations had to be made. All the movements of the enemy previously discussed seemed to have passed through the mind of the commander. His first impulse was correct. He ordered the left wing to Gum Spring, and had there been a single adviser near him to strengthen this resolution, a victory, according to the doctrine of chances, must have ensued. movement would have taken McDowell's two corps to Groveton, and not striking the enemy there, he would have proceeded 8 miles farther to the Little River pike, Jackson's last line of retreat.

The

At 1.20 p. m., General Pope's purpose to march his whole force to the Warrenton pike was clearly defined. He wrote to General McDowell as follows:

I sent you a despatch a few minutes ago, directing you to move on Gum Spring to intercept Jackson. Since then I have received your note of this morning. I will this evening push forward Reno to Gainesville and follow with Heintzelman, unless there is a large force of the enemy at Centreville, which I do not believe. Ascertain, if you can, about this. I do not wish you to carry out the order to proceed to Gum Spring if you consider it too hazardous, but I will support you in any way you suggest, by pushing forward from Manassas Junction across the turnpike. Jackson has a large train, which should certainly be captured. Give me your views fully. You know the country much better than I do. Come no further in this direction with your command, but call back what has advanced thus far. «

It must be admitted that in default of positive knowledge as to the enemy's position, which the commander had a right to expect from the left wing, no act of reasoning ever promised more brilliant results, but before the above order could be received and put into execution, information from another direction changed the plan of campaign. At 4.15 p. m., General Pope, from Manassas, wrote General McDowell:

The enemy is reported in force on the other side of Bull Run, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, as also near Centreville. I have ordered Sigel to march on Centreville immediately, as also Kearny and Reno. I will advance Hooker as reserve. Please march immediately with your command directly upon Centerville from where you are.

Overlooking his, McDowell's, neglect to have Sigel move on Manassas at dawn, it was not till after the order to march on Centreville was received, that the fatal consequences of McDowell's failure to check Sigel's effort, to place his right on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, became fully apparent.

a Report of Military Operations during the Rebellion, vol. 6, p. 222.
Ibid., p. 223.

General Sigel's instructions, received at 3 a. m., required him to march immediately with his whole corps, his right resting on the Manassas Gap Railroad. Had he obeyed them it would not have been possible, as we have seen, for the two corps, Reynolds and King advancing on the left in échelon of columns, to have passed through the interval of 2 miles from Groveton to the railroad, without coming in contact with the enemy. The sound of battle from this direction would have produced an instant change in the movements of the right wing. Kearny and Reno, instead of marching east from Greenwich to Manassas Junction, on learning from the cavalry that the latter point was evacuated, could have turned north and in less than two hours could have arrived on the field of battle. Hooker and Porter following in their footsteps, would have been within easy supporting distance. With all these advantages in our favor it seems incredible that the enemy should have escaped.

As early as 9 a. m. of the 28th, the whole army of Virginia, save Bank's corps, whether moving upon Manassas from Gainesville, Buckland Mills, Greenwich, or Bristoe, were within a circle of less than 6 miles from Groveton, where, with all of McDowell's corps in its rear, but one division of Jackson's force was then posted. Yet, with destruction thus staring it in the face, the faulty use of our cavalry and the movement of the left wing to the south of the Manassas Gap Railroad, permitted Talliaferro's division to remain undiscovered, while passing almost within musket range of its outposts.

After receiving the 4.15 p. m. order, General Sigel states in his report: "I was sure that the enemy must be somewhere between Centreville and Gainesville," and asked permission to march to New Market, a point midway between the Orange and Alexandria Railroad and the Warrenton pike. This speculation, which hours before should have given place to positive information, came too late. Our army had begun the unfortunate march upon Centreville. Its commander, with Kearny, Hooker, and Reno, was already hastening away from the enemy toward the new point of concentration. Sigel's route, from the point where the order of 4.15 p. m. reached him, lay about midway between the Warrenton pike and the road from Manassas to Centreville. On crossing the road from Manassas to New Market, he learned from his advance guard, that the enemy was on the west side of Bull Run, on the roads leading from New Market to Groveton and Sudley Springs. He therefore detached Milroy's and McLean's brigades to advance upon him, and with one brigade and Schurz's division, continued his march till he arrived near the fords of Bull Run. Here, learning that Centreville was evacuated and that his back was toward the enemy, he changed direction to the northwest and moved toward the Warrenton pike to join the two brigades previously detached.

In the meantime, King's division, which in consequence of the de ays and mistakes already related, had remained all day in the vicinity of Gainesville, was directed to move upon Centreville by the Warrenton pike. This order speedily brought him into collision with Talliaferro's and Ewell's divisions, about a mile northwest of Groveton, with whom he fought till toward 9 p. m.

Reynolds's division, in its movement upon Manassas, had arrived near the Sudley Church road, when at 5 p. m., it received the order to

a Report of Military Operations during the Rebellion, vol. 6, p. 106.