[selections from Col Philip St. George Cocke’s 22 page report on the Battle of First Manassas]
To Genl. Beauregard
Commanding Army of Potomac
General:
The battle of the 21st July having
been fought wholly within the position which
had been assigned to; and held by my Brigade
and the troops temporarily attached thereto,–
it be-comes important that I should suc-
cinctly describe that position, the disposition
made by the troops under my command
for defending and holding that position and
the subsequent part of your Army participated coming
up as they did during the day from other
positions–
The position of the 5th Brigade, that of the
Stone Bridge and Lewis’ farm, “Potier,” was the
extreme left position of the Army of the Potomac
along the line of Bull Run.
The position of the Army on Bull Run was the
partresult of strategic movements, which com
[page 2]
menced with the recall of our more advanced forces
and which finally ended in the great battle of
the 21st July:
By your General Order of the 8th July it was
directed “that if attacked by a superior force
of the enemy, the three Brigades of the Army
of the Potomac serving in Fairfax will retire
in the following manner and order,”
…”The whole of the 5th Brigade on the
Bull Run Stone Bridge, and adjacent
fords making a stand if practicable at the
Suspension bridge across Cub Run.”
Accordingly I issued Brigade orders on the
12th inst. and on the 17th I recalled, united
and withdrew my entire command to the
position assigned to it in perfect order, and
without any loss or accident whatsoever.
The enemy moving the same day to occupy Fairfax C H in great strength–
Topographical description of the position
of my Brigade and of the Battle field.
[here follows a minutely detailed 4 1/2 page description of the terrain concluding:]
Perceiving the impracticability of holding Ball’s
ford, by troops placed on its flat, and uncovered
bank, in front of a forest and eminence, such as those
just described, if once allowed to fall into the hands of the
enemy, it became necessary to place the troops in-
tended for the defence of that pass upon the eminence
in the forest, on the Eastern side of Bull Run, and
on either side of the old road crossing at that ford,
accordingly Withers’ Regt. 18th Va. was ordered to
occupy the wood to the our[sic] left of the road, and
Preston’s Regt, 28th. Virginia, the forest on our right
of the road, and to oppose the enemy in whatever
force he might advance, by guerilla fight from
every position, from every cover,from every tree–
and if still overpowered by numbers, and forced to
yield ground to continue the fight, through the forest
flanking our right of Lewis’ farm, towards the crest
of the hill, sough of Lewis house, or until they could
be supported by other troops coming to their relief.
Preston’s Regt the 28 also covered the approaches to the Island ford and
one other ford below the Island ford on my exteme right–& this
was practicable in consequence of a bend of the creek–to the rear of the right of that Regt (see map)
[This is followed by 4 1/2 pages giving the position of troops of the 5th Brigade]
He concludes this section by noting:
At Sudley Mill, a broad
road crosses from the direction of Leesburg, passing
directly towards Manassas, intersecting the turnpike
at right angles, at a Stone house one mile and a quarter
West or in our rear of the Stone Bridge.
It was this road, of which the enemy availed
himself, to turn our left, and to get on our flank
and rear at Stone Bridge, in his boasted march
for Manassas. His plans were well arranged
and skilfully conducted–for whilst he
threatened our entire front, from Stone Bridge
to below Lewis’ ford by a force estimated
at from 12 to 15,000, and kept a large portion
of my Brigade engaged, by this force in their
front of treble their number, backed by batteries
of Artillery, at several points, opposite our
front, and by skirmishers advanced in front
of our lines, he meanwhile marched his
main column, of 25 or 30,000 men, by Sudley
Mills to take the whole position in flank and
rear, I shall endeavor briefly to show,
in what manner, he was met by my command
both in their first position and subsequent movements–
[Excerpts from Cocke’s 12 page description of the battle:]
The Battle
The enemy having taken up his position
in our front, early in the morning–fired his
first gun about 5 1/2 o’clock A.M. this
seemed to be a signal gun, as it was answered
from Mitchell’s ford, 4 miles below and
where also on that day, he made an attack–
and this gun might also have been a
signal to the column marching by Sudley
Mill on our left. The batteries in our fron
along Bull Run continued firing on the Stone
Bridge, on Lewis house, and on our position
at Lewis’ ford until a late hour in the day….
Whilst this was going on in our front, the
enemy having arrived, to threaten Major Evans’
left flank, with overwhelming numbers of
his main column marched by Sudley Mills.
The Major promptly & heroically turned to
meet him with his entire force, having
necessarily to abandon, the former front of his
position at Stone Bridge: Never perhaps in
the history of Modern warfare, was there so
unequal a contest as now ensued, with his
small but heroic numbers Major Evans advanced
to fight the head of a column of 25,000 men, amongst
which were some of the best Regiments of the Federal
Army, strengthened by numerous batteries of well
appointed Artillery of the most modern and
improved kind. For more than an hour, this con-
test was maintained without assistance. The
other troops of my command being held to their
position by the strong demonstrations in their
front–which positions if they had abandoned
at this stage of the battle, would have opened the
way to an advance of the enemy also on their
side, and thus inevitably have caused us the loss
of the day–As soon however as I perceived
the first movement of Major Evans
I dispatched the section of capt Rogers’ battery
at full speed, to cover the approaches to the
Stone Bridge….
In the mean while General Bee
and Col Bartow, the first to come up to our support,
reporting to me, on Lewis’ hill were informed by me,
of the progress of the battle…
and those gallant commanders, without halting
their commands, marched directly to the scene
of action and soon, commenced their glorious
part in the battle. col Hampton with his legion
came next, to him too I indicated, the
progress of events and he promptly marched
with his command to the battle—General
Jackson followed next with his Brigade
and from time to time other brigades pushed
on as they arrived–to the deadly conflict….
General J.E. Johnson appearing near my
position about this time–I called his
attention to the state of my command on the
front and right, of Lewis’ farm, and con-
sulted him as to the expediency of risking the
abandonment of that front, and of immedi-
ately ordering forward, the whole of the balance
of my command, to take part in the battle
now raging and becoming critical as to its issue
on our left, It was agreed, to make the move-
ment, and I immediately dispatched my Aides
to order up at “double quick” the Regiments
of Withers, Preston, Strange, and Ham[p]ton,
and the battery, of Latham; and proceeding
myself to meet those Regiments, I advanced
with them, rapidly to the most active scene
of the conflict….Whilst
thus advancing Col Preston came upon and
captured with his own hands Col Wilcox
of the Federal Army a Captain and
other prisoners were taken at the same place…
in the meantime con-
tinuing to advance with Stranges’ Regt, 19th
Va. Vols, and guided by the firing I endeavored
to turn the extreme left of the enemy–
coming athwart an intense fire, and not
being able to see friend or foe through the pines
the Regiment was caused to lie down, whilst
Col Strange and myself, sought a view of the
enemy; entering the Sudley road on the left
I ordered the Regiment to be marched by flank in
that direction, proceeded diagonally
forward & left through the wood skirting our left of that road following a
firing heard in that direction. Emergin
from the wood, into the open field the Regt
pursued a path leading towards Chinn’s
house near to which a battery was firing upon
the enemy. By the time it got up, the
enemy was retreating; and on the hills be
yond Chinn’s house, overlooking the turn-
pike, falling in with some of the Regiments
of Col Early, the 19th Regt continued the
pursuit of the enemy, crossing the meadow
towards the turnpike and proceeding
by Dogan’s house, followed the track
of the retreating column towards Bull
Run below Sudley Mill, and crossed the Run
below & in sight of the mill…
It would thus appear, General, that whilst
my command, in consequence of the disposition
made of the troops, the firm and gallant
manner in which they acted, along my
whole front line of three miles in extent–
that line although threatened throughout
the day; was nevertheless held in the face
of greatly superior numbers, several
assaults repelled and the enemy effectually
prevented from passing that line at any point,
which if he had done might have been so disas-
terous to our cause and thus forcing him to rely
for victory solely upon his great column which
turned the left of our entire position by the way
of Sudley Mills.
That the skilful and heroic struggle of Evans on my left
after he had been turned & taken in flank by
overwhelming numbers–nevertheless his Spartan
band led by himself & by that true & tried soldier
Major Wheat- & the brave Col Sloan–and backed
by men who showed themselves not only insensible of
fear but actually inspired with superhuman
daring and power–carried death & dismay into the
ranks of the enemy–continuing the fight thus for
more than an hour unassisted–and until the rein
forcements of Generals Bee & Batow & others came
to the relief.
and finally when the critical moment had
arrived and the momentous result seemed trem-
bling in the balance that it was promptly deter-
mined to abandon my entire front line along
Bull run and to throw forward the troops
which had so gallantly defended it– to add their
entire numbers and their valorous deeds to those
of other corps struggling in the hottest fight–all of
which contributed to turning the scale of victory
in our favour–and in not only defeating the
Enemy but in ultimately routing disorganzing & demoralizing
him to a degree unprecedented in the history of modern
warfare.
[Cocke than signals out individual officers for commendation as well as the entire 19th Virginia Regt. and concludes:]
And finally trusting that this
command has fulfilled its duties and that impartial
history will do justice to the important part taken by it
on achieving the late glorious victory, I remain General,
Very respectfully
Yr Most Obdt Servt
Philip St. Geo Cocke
Col. commdg 5th Brigade
1st Corps Army of Potomac
MSS 640
