Franklin's Corps at 2nd Bull Run

Per Franklin in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War:

August 16th 2-August 24th

THE Sixth Corps left Harrison's Landing on the James River on August 16th, 1862, and arrived at Newport News on August 21st. On the 22d and 23d it embarked on transports for Aquia Creek. My impression is that Burnside's corps started first, landing at Aquia Creek; Porter's disembarked at Aquia Creek; Heintzelman's followed, landing at Alexandria; and the Sixth Corps followed Heintzelman's. As soon as I saw the infantry of the corps embarked at Newport News, leaving the chiefs of the quartermaster and subsistence departments and the chief of artillery to superintend the embarkation of the property for which they were responsible, with orders to hasten their departure to the utmost, I preceded the transports, and on Sunday, August 24th, about 2 o'clock, arrived at Aquia Creek, at which point I had orders to disembark and report to General McClellan. The wharves here were so encumbered with the artillery and stores that were already landed for the corps of Burnside and Porter, that McClellan directed me to have my corps landed at Alexandria, and to report upon my arrival to General Halleck.

August 24th PM Meets with Halleck
Still preceding the corps, I reported to General Halleck at "Washington, arriving there about 4 o'clock p. M. The city was as quiet as though profound peace reigned; no one was at General Halleck's office to whom I could report, and I found him at his house. He 'told me that he felt under no apprehension about Pope's position, and that he doubted whether it would be necessary for me to go to the front at all; that in any event I could be of no use until my artillery and horses arrived—instancing the fact that Burnside had been much crippled, and had done little good so far, on account of the absence of his artillery. He directed me to go into camp in front of Alexandria, and reorganize the corps as the artillery and transportation reached the camp.

August 25th and 26th Infantry Arrives
The infantry arrived on Monday and Tuesday, the 25th and 26th, but no artillery horses, except sixteen, had arrived on Wednesday night.

Tries to get Horese for artillery and Transport
The two division commanders and myself were constantly at work during this time, endeavoring to get horses. But we had no success, the answer to our demands always being that the teams then present were absolutely necessary to feed the troops in the forts from day to day, and that this duty was more important under the circumstances than that of providing transportation for artillery. Without transportation the artillery could not be used.

August 27th
On Wednesday, the 27th, news having arrived that the enemy was at Centreville, Taylor's brigade of Slocum's division was sent there on the cars of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad to reconnoiter. It was received at the railroad bridge over Bull Run by a force of the enemy's artillery and infantry, and lost its gallant commander and many men. The brigade was withdrawn in safety in the face of a large force, four brigades of A. P. Hill's division, Jackson's corps. The order for this movement came from General Halleck.

August 28th
Thursday, the 28th, was employed in organizing such batteries as had arrived, with the horses, which now began to arrive slowly, and in attempting to collect a train for carrying provisions to General Pope's army. Little was accomplished, however.

August 29th and August 30th AM
On Friday, the corps was started to the front with orders to communicate with General Pope, and at the same time to guard his communications with Alexandria. On the arrival of the leading division, commanded by General W. F. Smith, at Annandale, ten miles to the front, its commander reported to me that fugitives were constantly coming in, and reported a large force of the enemy near Fairfax Court House, six miles distant. As he had with him only ten rounds of ammunition for each gun, he considered it prudent to await further orders. General McClellan, upon learning this state of things, directed me to stop at Annandale for the night, and proceed the next morning at 6.

During the night more ammunition and provision wagons were collected, numbering about one hundred, and as I was starting in the morning at the designated time I received orders to delay my start until 8:30 A. M., to protect the train so formed. When I arrived at Fairfax Court House I detached a brigade of General Slocum's division and one battery to take position to guard the point where the Little River Turnpike joins the Warrenton pike between Centreville and Alexandria. The detachment of this brigade had an important effect upon the after events of the campaign, as will appear. Proceeding onwards toward Centreville I received, at 1:30 P. M., an order from General McClellan, directing me to join General Pope at once.

August 30th PM- Arrives on Battlefield
The corps marched forward through Centreville toward Bull Run about three miles in front of Centreville, without stopping. Going to the front I found General Slocum's division formed across the road, in front of Cub Run, stopping what seemed to be an indiscriminate mass of men, horses, guns and wagons, all going pell-mell to the rear. As General Slocum expressed it, it was as bad as the Bull Run retreat of 1861. Officers of all grades, from brigadier-general down, were in the throng, but none of them exercised any authority. We gathered about three thousand in a yard near by. Presently a force of cavalry appeared to the left and front, about one mile off, and the fugitives, imagining that they were the enemy, ran to the rear as one man;—nothing could stop them."

Report of General Franklin on 2nd battle of Bull Run

Report of Gem William B. Franklin, U. S. Army, commanding Sixth
Army Corps, of operations August 30.

CENTREVILLE, August 30 8.15 p. m.

GENERAL: I have opened your dispatch of 2 p. in. to General Pope.
1 arrived at the field this afternoon at 6 o'clock. Found that the road
was filled with fleeing men, artillery, and wagons, all leaving the field
iii a panic. It was a scene of terrible confusion, and I immediately
formed line of battle across the road an(1 attempted to stop and form
the stragglers. It was impossible to succeed in this, the number be-
coining over 7,000 in less than half an hour. The number continued to
increase until I left the position, and I have now moved my corps to
this place. The panic, from the accounts I have had of it, appears un-
accountable. The men are from several divisions. Our left was broken
and turned. I shall make this place as defensible as possible, but my
march to-day has linen 20 miles.

I was unable to find General Pope on the field, but I understand that
he changed his position several times.
Very respectfully, yours,
W. B. FRANKLIN,
Major- General, Commanding.
 General H. XV. HALLECK,
Commander-in- Chief.


No. 117.

Itinerary of the First Division, Sixth Army Corps, Brig. Gen. Henry W.
Slocum commanding, August 16 31. *

August 16, broke camp at Harrison's Landing and marched to Charles
City Court-House, 7 miles.
August 17, marched to and crossed the Chickahoininy at Barrett�s
Ford, 14 miles.
August 18, marched to Simpson's house, Williamsburg, 15 miles.
August 19, marched to Yorktown, 12 miles.
August 20, marched to Young's Mill,14 miles.
August 21, marched to Newport News, 9 miles.
August 22 and 23, embarked on transports for Aquia Creek.
August 24, arrived and debarked at Alexandria, Va.
August 27, the First Brigade moved from encampment near Alex-
Alexandria by rail to Bull Run Bridge. Marched across Bull Run Bridge,
and met a large force of the enemy, under General Jackson, 2 miles
beyond, and was soon forced by vastly superior numbers to retire under
a galling fire from the enemy's artillery. Marched back the same after-
noon to FairfaxCourt-House. The loss in killed, wounded, and missing
in the engagement was very severe. Among those wounded was Gen-
eral George W. Taylor, who subsequently died of wounds then received.
August 29, the division left camp near Alexandria, and marched to
Annandale, on the Little River pike, about 7 miles.
August 30, marched, via Fairfax Court-House and Centreville, to-
ward Bull Run, and just at evening formed line of battle across the
Warrenton pike, beyond Cub Run, to stop the stragglers that were
then coming from the battle-field. Remained in position there all
night, until the army had all retired. Marched this day about 18 miles.
August 31, fell back to Centreville and took position in the fortifica-
tions.