General Lee now came up with the greater part of the Southern army, leaving only a small force to watch General McClellan. The plan of the Southern leaders was to rout General Pope and march northward to threaten Washington, thus compelling General McClellan to leave his camp on the James river.
The main body of Lee’s army moved nearer to Pope’s front, while Jackson’s corps moved off to the northwest, and was again “lost.” It was marching across the Rappahannock and behind Bull Run mountains, which hid it from the enemy.
General Jackson preparing for battle.
On August 26th it passed through the mountains at Thoroughfare Gap, and took a position between Pope and Washington city.
Jackson at once took Manassas Junction, where three hundred prisoners and immense quantities of stores were captured. The poor, hungry soldiers took what could be carried away, and the rest was burned.
As soon as Pope heard that Jackson was in his rear, he moved to meet him, and ordered McDowell to close in upon him from the direction of Gainesville, saying, “We shall bag the whole crowd.” But the wary Jackson was a match for his foes. Taking a good position upon the old battle-field of Manassas, he at once attacked the enemy coming up on the evening of August 28th. When darkness fell upon the blood-drenched plain, the Confederates were the victors. On the next morning the fight was renewed, but Jackson’s men were almost exhausted, when Longstreet’s corps appeared and soon turned the tide of battle.
It was not long before Pope’s army was in full retreat towards Washington, and Jackson was again victor. During a part of the battle a severe storm came up. An aide from General A. P. Hill rode up, and reported that his ammunition was wet, and asked leave to retire. “Give my compliments to General Hill,” said Jackson, “and tell him that the Yankee ammunition is as wet as his; to stay where he is.” “There was always blood and danger,” says a friend, “when Jackson began his sentences with, ‘Give my compliments.’”
General Lee now determined to cross the Potomac and threaten Washington, and Jackson led the advance. On September 6th he reached Frederick and remained there several days, resting and refitting his command. When General Lee came up, he at once sent General Jackson to Harper’s Ferry (September 10th), to capture the Federal forces at that place. After taking the heights around that town, he proceeded to take the town by storm.
In a short while the garrison of eleven thousand men, with seventy-three cannon, thirteen thousand stand of small-arms and a vast amount of stores, surrendered. Jackson, leaving General Hill to receive the captured prisoners and property, at once set out to return to General Lee, at Sharpsburg, a little village two and one-half miles from the Potomac river. After a weary night-march he reached that place on the morning of the 16th. He found General Lee facing the hosts of McClellan and drawn up for battle. When he had rested his worn-out men for several hours, he took his position on the left, next to the Potomac river. This was the post of danger, for against it, on the 17th, McClellan massed forty-four thousand men.