Jackson Opens Fire

At sunset, after reaching a commanding position near Brawner's house, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson saw a column of tired, unsuspecting Federal troops marching eastward on the Warrenton Pike, their flank exposed, and chose to attack at once, revealing his position and drawing the Union Army of Virginia into battle on ground favoring the Confederates. As Confederate shells burst overhead, the Federals raced for cover along the roadside and the Battle of Second Manassas began. Two divisions of Jackson's hardened infantry surged from the wooded ridge behind the house but met unexpected stiff resistance from six Union regiments advancing from the turnpike. In the intense, close-range firefight that lasted until darkness fell, Confederate division commanders William Taliaferro and Richard Ewell were severely wounded. The fight at Brawner's Farm ended in stalemate, leaving Jackson frustrated by his troops' inability to break the Union line.

Haymarket, Virginia · United States