Dawn breaks in Virginia, some miles north of Richmond, astride a seemingly insignificant stream, two slumbering armies stir. Breakfast is hastily cooked, NCOs and Junior Officers tart rushing about trying to look busy and knowledgeable about what the coming day will bring.
To the south of the stream, keen eared pickets can make out a few works of a popular campfire song ringing out.
“Away down South in the land of traitors,
Rattlesnakes and alligators,
Right away, come away, right away, come away”.
Somewhere south of the stream, other southern troop respond with their own song.
“Our Dixie forever!
She's never at a loss!
Down with the eagle
And up with the cross!”
Suddenly drums start to beat, trumpets roar into life and the camps up and down the length of the stream burst into real activity, it’s not yet 6am.
INITIAL DEPLOYMENTS
North of the Bull Run Creek, Heintzelman deployed his III Division of the Union Army of North Eastern Virginia, with the agreement of is Brigade commanders. General Holt-Oglethorpe, taking a leading role in this area due his previous military experience in Europe and his basis skills in German – making him ideal in communicating to his German superior officer.
On the Union right wing are deployed the Green Mountain Vermont Brigade, under Holt-Oglethorpe’s command, in a T-BONE2 formation, with defend orders and the 1st Vermont Cavalry on the extreme right, looking for a chance to exploit their position.
In the Centre, the ‘Italian Stallion’, General Starbuck, deployed his State of New York brigade in a line of battle with defend orders
On the Union left wing are General De Krackere’s Iowa Brigade, deployed in a attacking T-BONE2 formation with a view to try and tur the Rebel right wing and get in amongst their reserves.
Behind the front line is positioned Bank’s Massachusetts brigade, with Reserve orders but with Banks personally displaying massively aggressive stance. The two infantry regiments formint the crossbar of the T-BONE2 formation and his cavalry forming the base.
To the south of the creek, the Confederates of General Johnson’s Army of the Shenandoah, are formed up as follows.
On the left wing are General Green’s Virginians, in a T-BONE2 formation with the artillery placed centrally, all with aggressive defend orders.
In the centre, General Coltrane has his Mississippian brigade in line of battle, whilst to his right is General Kirby-Smith’s brigade of Marylanders, Tennesseans and Virginian mongrels, formed in a T-BONE2 formation with aggressive defend orders.
Finally in the rear, reserve are Clayton‘s Georgia Legion, again in a T-BONE2 formation with infantry to the front and the Georgia Hussars to the rear with a ‘sweeper’ role to mop up any dangers.
06:00 – 08:00 AM
“Fire Peter, Fire Paul” bellows Captain ‘Jubilee’ Jackson of the Hazard Mississippi Battery as they erupt into life, joining other rebel cannons in response to the Artillery bombardment initiated by the Yankees north of the river.
With both armies well positioned in defensive cover and awaiting the other side to take the initiative, the impact of these artillery exchanges was not as effective as might have been hoped. However, they continued without rest for most of the rest of this fateful day.
Overall the rebel artillery slightly out gunned their northern counterparts in this somewhat equal contest.
08:00 – 10:00 AM
As nerves settled in each army and the commanders and their men began to get used to being under fire, orders and leadership began to kick in. Each side stepped up their aggression and initiated firefights along the length of the line. Some units performing better than others.
Coltrane’s Mississippians poured withering fire into the Snob Nosed Yanks that stood before them and in return took little effective fire back. On the Rebel left, however, the opposite was true, with the Vermont Green Mountain Boys executing their orders and drills effectively, it is General Green’s readership and aggression that saves the day here.
On the Union Left General De Krackere’s Iowans are facing Kirby-Smith’s brigade and the initial shooting from the southerners is accurate and enough to shock the 5th Iowa, stopping them in their tracks. Luckily it appears De Krackere, is not just ‘all talk and no walk’, and he decisively inspires his men under heavy fire, managing to stabilise the line.
10:00 – 12:00 AM
Just before lunch the crunch time has arrived. De Krackere, having stabilised his line orders an attack on Kirby-Smith’s brigade ahead of him, the 7th Iowa surges forward but the 5th Iowa, remains behind. Thinking on his feet De Krackere is able to pull his supporting 10th Iowa regiment forward with him to assault the Rebs, during this period De Krackere, was struck by flying debris and took a light had wound.
This is the Union ‘hightide’, 5 casualties are inflicted on Kirby-Smith’s brigade and the same taken back in return as troops clash in hand to hand fighting, many men were captured on each side. In the centre, the fierce firefight between the Mississippians and New Yorkers continues with roughly equal casualties each side but the Yanks just getting the better as the 1st SNY Infantry get into their groove inflicting 4 casualties on the 3rd Mississippi alone. However the 2nd SNY Infantry had had enough and started to withdraw, whilst General Starbuck seemingly being unable or unwilling to stop them.
On the Union right flank, Holt-Oglethorpe dispatched the 1st Vermont Cavalry to sweep in on the flank of the 20th Virginia, where their firing line inflicted a casualty unopposed. Meantime the 20th & 24th Virginia continued their firefight with the Vermont boys – again a pretty equal affair.
12:00 – 14:00 PM
After a brief picnic lunch, hostilities resumed. (Really!?)
The most spectacular move being the charge of the Georgia Hussars to clear the 1st Vermont Cavalry form the flanks of Green’s Virginia brigade, in an action that will be written about in years to come.
Fighting along the whole front continued a pace, with a number of units deciding that they’d had enough, on the Rebel left the 24th Virginia withdrew and were replaced in the line by the 25th Virginia. In the Centre the 3rd Mississippi also withdrew, requiring General Clayton to dispatch his 56th Georgia from the reserve to plug the gap and on the Rebel right the brave Marylander’s stepped back, to be relieved by the 10th Virginia. Somehow at this stage Clayon was hit in the arm by a pistol ball, inflicting a light wound.
On the Federal side, things looked bad in the centre, having already 1st and the 2d SNY Infantry their sister regiment, the 3rd SNY Infantry, also stepped back, requiring Banks to deploy his infantry regiments into the centre to help stabilise the line. As Starbucks men withdrew, he was wounded in the back and they left behind a field gun, that was later captured.
On the Union left, De Krackere’s 5th and 7th Infantry regiments had both had enough and the 10th Iowa took another pasting form Kirby-Smith’s units in a new firefight. Only bright spot here was the previously mentioned forced retirement of the Marylanders.
Finally, on the Union right the 1st Vermont, stepped back from a vicious firefight to be replaced by the 3rd
14:00 – 16:00 PM
The ‘End Game’ became clear as the early afternoon rolled on towards teatime, Union regiments stepped back from the line across the board, leaving only token resistance in the right and centre – where the reserve had been deployed to hold what was left of the line.
Starbuck and his New Yorkers had left the field earlier and replaced by Bank’s brave Massachusetts men, to the left De Krackere’s Iowans had been fought to a halt and then completed a managed withdrawal and on the Union right only the 3rd Vermont was still able to hold the line.
Opposing them where still six viable units across the length of the battlefield. Artillery cannonades continued as the armies parted, both too damaged to put together a serious pursuit, although the northerners were panicked by rumours of the dreaded Georgia Hussars being on their tails, the reality was both sides had to lick their wounds. It was a win for the South, who live to fight another day!
