Summary:
Brig. Gen. Jubal A. Early commanded the Third Division of the Army of Northern
Virginia which includes the 52nd Va. Inf. Early reports on the defense of the
railroad, an engagement with the enemy, and contact with enemy skirmishers.
Captain
January 12, 1863
CAPT:
In accordance with instructions from the headquarters of the corps I submit the following report of the operations of this division since the movement from the neighborhood of Gordonsville northward in the month of August last until it reached Bunker Hill in September:
THE THREE-DAYS' FIGHTING NEAR MANASSAS.
As soon as the troops of the division were supplied with provisions at Manassas, of which they stood in great need, they were moved in the direction of Centreville toward Bull Run, and the several brigades bivouacked separately between Manassas and Bull Run.
At dawn next morning my brigade, by direction of Gen. Ewell, moved to the bridge at Blackburn's Ford, where it crossed and proceeded up to the stone bridge through the fields on the north side of Bull Run, followed by Trimble's brigade, again crossing there and proceeding along the Warrenton turnpike for a short distance, and then turning to the right through the fields near the old Carter house and Matthews' house, close to which the first battle of Manassas began. My brigade was marched across the road running from the stone house on the turnpike to Sudley Church, and formed in line in the woods north of that road. The other brigades were halted in the woods north of that road, Lawton's and Hays' brigades having missed their way and gone in the direction of Centreville, but having turned back on the Warrenton turnpike and come up with the others. After remaining in this position for some time the division was ordered to move under cover of the woods in the direction of Gainesville, following Jackson's division, commanded by Brig.-Gen. Taliaferro. My own brigade was the leading one of the division in this movement and followed Jackson's division, moving through the woods until we reached the track graded for a railroad, and thence along that to the point where it leaves the woods, not far from Groveton. We here turned to the right and were formed in line in the edge of a piece of woods, with the left resting on the railroad track and the right a short distance in rear of Starke's brigade, of Jackson's division. Hays' brigade was formed just behind my own, and Lawton's and Trimble's brigades were moved farther to the right by Gen. Ewell, who accompanied them, and directed me to take command of my own and Hays' brigade.
I saw no more of Gen. Ewell subsequent to this until after night, when I saw him wounded. I am unable to give the particulars of the operation of Lawton's and Trimble's brigades, but I am informed that they were placed in line by Gen. Ewell on the right of Starke's brigade, and when the advance was made on the enemy as he moved down the turnpike late in the afternoon these two brigades were ordered forward by Gen. Ewell and participated in the attack on the enemy, constituting the left of our line of attack, and crossing the railroad and advancing to close quarters with the enemy. These two brigades suffered very severely, Lawton's loss being quite heavy. Gen. Ewell himself received a very serious wound in the knee while leading one of the regiments near the close of the fight.
Just before dark I received an order from Gen. Jackson, through one of his staff officers, to advance to the front, and immediately put my brigade in motion, followed by Hays' brigade, and while advancing I received another order to send two regiments to the right to Gen. Jackson, and detached the Forty-fourth Virginia and Forty-ninth Virginia, under Col. William Smith, for that purpose. On arriving at the railroad cut I found it so deep that I could not pass over it, and I moved by the right flank until I reached a ravine with high embankments on both sides and an interval between, through which I moved by flank, forming by file into line in front of it. This movement brought me near the left of the position to which Trimble's brigade had advanced, and during it the brigade was exposed to a galling fire of shells and canister. By the time I had succeeded in forming my line in front of the railroad the enemy was retiring, and it having become dark and impossible to tell whether I should encounter enemies or friends, I advanced no farther, and Hays' brigade was halted on the railroad. In this position the two brigades lay on their arms during the night. A short distance in front of me Gen. Ewell was lying wounded, and I had him carried to the hospital. Lawton's and Trimble's brigades lay on their arms a short distance to my right, near the points where they were at the close of the fight.
Early next morning the division, then under command of Brig.-Gen. Lawton, was formed in line on a ridge perpendicularly to the railroad track, with the right resting on the Warrenton turnpike and facing toward Groveton. In a short time thereafter I received an order from Gen. Jackson to move with my own and Hays' brigade to a ridge west of the turnpike and the railroad track, so as to prevent the enemy from flanking our forces on the right, a movement from the direction of Manassas indicating that purpose having been observed. In making this movement two of my regiments, the Thirteenth and Thirty-first Virginia Regt.'s, were detached by Gen. Jackson and placed in a piece of woods on the east of the turnpike to observe the movements of a body of the enemy that was moving toward our right. I formed my own and Hays' brigade in line on the ridge indicated, placing them under cover in the woods, and advanced skirmishers to the railroad track and posted a detachment on my right flank, so as to prevent any surprise from that direction. Johnson's battery was also placed in position so as to command my front.
In the mean time our whole line of battle had been so modified as to place it along the railroad track, and Lawton's and Trimble's brigades were moved so as to conform to this new disposition. My own and Hays' brigades thus constituted the extreme right, being thrown back a little in rear of the direction of the main line. The Thirteenth Virginia Regt. (under Col. Walker) and the Thirty-first (under Col. [John S.] Hoffman) by skirmishing kept the body of the enemy's infantry which has been mentioned in check until the head of Gen. Longstreet's corps made its appearance on the Warrenton turnpike from the direction of Gainesville. When this corps had advanced sufficiently far to render it unnecessary for me to remain longer in my position or for the Thirteenth and Thirty-first Regt.'s to remain where they were, I recalled them and moved to the left, for the purpose of rejoining the rest of the division. I found Gen. Lawton with his brigade in the woods not far from the position at which I had been the evening before, but formed in line so as to be parallel to the railroad, Trimble's brigade being posted on the railroad cut on the right of our line as thus contracted. I was ordered by Gen. Lawton to form my brigade in line in rear of his brigade and Col. Forno was directed to form on my right.
Shortly after this the enemy began his attempts to drive our troops from the line of the railroad, and about 3.30 p. m. Col. Forno was ordered to advance to the front by Gen. Jackson to the support of one of Gen. A. P. Hill's brigades, and he advanced to the railroad and drove the enemy from it and took position on it with his brigade. After this affair Col. Forno was wounded by one of the enemy's sharpshooters so seriously as to require his removal from the field.
Subsequent to this advance by Col. Forno a messenger came to me from Gen. A. P. Hill, stating that the enemy were pressing one of his brigades on the railroad whose ammunition was nearly exhausted, and requesting me to advance to its support. I immediately did so, and as I passed Gen. Lawton's brigade I found him preparing to send forward the Thirteenth Georgia Regt., of his brigade. I continued to advance to the front, accompanied by the Eighth Louisiana Regt., under Maj. [T. D.] Lewis, which had not been with its own brigade, having been sent off to replenish its ammunition the day before and having returned just in time to join my brigade.
On reaching the railroad I found the enemy had possession of it and a piece of woods in front, there being at this point a deep cut, which furnished a strong defense. Gen. Gregg's and Col. Thomas' brigades, of A. P. Hill's division, having nearly exhausted their ammunition, had fallen back a short distance, but were still presenting front to the enemy. My brigade and the Eighth Louisiana Regt. advanced upon the enemy through a field and drove him from the woods and out of the railroad cut, crossing the latter and following in pursuit several hundred yards beyond. In this charge, which was made with great gallantry, heavy loss was inflicted on the enemy, with comparatively slight loss to my own brigade, though among others two valuable officers, Col. [George H.] Smith and Maj. [J. C.] Higginbotham, of the Twenty-fifth Virginia Regt., were severely wounded. The Thirteenth Georgia Regt. also advanced to the railroad and crossed it to my right. The messenger from Gen. Hill had stated that it was not desirable that I should go beyond the railroad, and as soon as I could arrest the advance of my brigade I moved it back to the railroad and occupied it. This was the last attempt made by the enemy on the afternoon of Friday, the 29th, to get possession of the line of the railroad.
On the afternoon of this day Gen. Trimble was wounded by a shot from one of the enemy's sharpshooters, though I believe his brigade was not engaged during the day. Gen. Trimble's wound was a very serious one, and the command of the brigade devolved on Capt. Brown, of the Twelfth Georgia Regt., as the ranking officer present.
During the night of the 29th my brigade and the Eighth Louisiana and Thirteenth Georgia Regt.'s lay on their arms on the part of the line they were at.
Early next morning the enemy's sharpshooters commenced firing on my left flank along the railroad, killing a very valuable young officer in the Thirteenth Virginia Regt., Lieut. [T. J.] Willeroy, and I became then aware for the first time that my flank was exposed, as I had been informed that one or more of Gen. Hill's brigades were to the left of me; but for some purpose whatever force was there had been drawn, and I thus found myself in this position. I soon discovered that the enemy's skirmishers were crossing the railroad to my left and advancing through a corn field, and I immediately sent word to Gen. Hill of the state of things, and after some delay some brigades were sent to occupy positions to my left.
During the course of the morning the skirmishers from my brigade, which were under command of Capt. [R. D.] Lilley, of the Twenty-fifth Virginia Regt., repulsed a column of the enemy which commenced to advance, and a short time afterward an arrangement was made so as to place Gen. Hill's troops on the left, this division in the center, and Jackson's division on the right. In making this arrangement there was room left in the front line for only three of the regiments of my brigade, and I left the Forty-fourth, Forty-ninth, and Fifty-second in position under Col. Smith, of the Forty-ninth, and withdrew the Thirteenth, Twenty-fifth, Thirty-first, and Fifty-eighth Virginia Regt.'s a short distance to the rear. The position of the brigades of the division under this disposition was as follows: On the right was Trimble's brigade, under Capt. Brown; on the left of Trimble's was Lawton's brigade, under Col. Douglass, and on his left the three regiments of my brigade, under Col. Smith, the whole occupying the line of the railroad. Hays' brigade had gone to the rear to get ammunition, and did not return.
In the afternoon, when the enemy made his determined attack on the line of the railroad beginning on the right, Trimble's brigade by a cross-fire aided in repulsing the column that advanced against Starke's brigade. Another column advanced in front of the three regiments of my brigade and was repulsed by their fire and that from Lawton's brigade. The attack seemed to be general along the whole line and the fire ran from right to left. As the enemy retired the three regiments of my brigade dashed across the road in pursuit, very unexpectedly to me, as I had given express orders for them not to advance until ordered to do so, and I immediately moved up the regiments that were in rear to fill up the gap that was thus left. The other regiments were, however, soon brought back by Col. Smith.
Late in the afternoon, after Gen. Longstreet had made his advance and but a short time before night, Gen. Lawton received an order to advance to the front, and Trimble's, his own, and my brigades were ordered forward and commenced advancing. My own brigade advanced through the woods until it reached a field in front, and I halted here a moment for Gen. Lawton and the rest of the division to come up, as I was a little in advance, but Gen. Jackson soon rode up and ordered me to move by the left flank, as it was reported that a body of the enemy was moving to our left. I immediately did so, sending in front skirmishers under [Lieut. ] Col. James B. Terrill, of Thirteenth Virginia Regt., and continued to move on until I came to the railroad, and then along that until I came to a field. It was then getting dark, and as soon as my skirmishers entered the field they were fired upon from a hill to my left. This was very unexpected, and I immediately sent back to Gen. Jackson to let him know the fact, as it would have been folly for me to advance if this fire was from the enemy in the direction I was going. A message was soon received directing me to send and ascertain from whom the fire came, and stating that it was probably from some of Gen. Hill's troops. It was impossible to distinguish uniforms or colors at a distance when this firing took place, and the only chance of ascertaining from whence it came being to send a messenger, with the certainty of his being captured if it was the enemy. A young man from the Forty-fourth Virginia Regt., who volunteered for the purpose, was sent, and he soon returned with the information that the firing was from the skirmishers from Branch's and Gregg's brigades, who mistook us for the enemy. Fortunately, however, no damage was done. I was then ordered to advance to the front, and in a view minutes afterward I was ordered to move back by the right flank, the report of the movement of the enemy around our left flank having proved unfounded. I found that the other brigades had already bivouacked near where I had left them and my own did the same.
Most of the batteries of the division were engaged at different points and times during the fighting on these days, but as they were separated from their brigades on account of the difficulty of following them in the woods, I am unable to give a sufficiently accurate account of the operations, and shall therefore not attempt it.
I hope I may be excused for referring to the record shown by my own brigade, which has never been broken or compelled to fall back or left one of its dead to be buried by the enemy, but has invariably driven the enemy when opposed to him and slept upon the ground on which it has fought in every action, with the solitary exception of the affair at Bristoe Station, when it retired under orders, covering the withdrawal of the other troops.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. A. EARLY,
Brig.-Gen., Comdg. Division.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I. Vol. 12. Part II, Reports. Serial No. 16, Page 703, Broadfoot Publishing Company, , .
