Co: J, 4th South Carolina Infantry at the First Battle of Manassas #248163

White, fought a due] with their rifles, but neither was killed. In the meantime mcdowell had brought his army down in the neighborhood of Cen treville, and Beauregard had massed his troops at Mitchell's an d Black burn's fords and at Union Mills, further down Bull Run in the direction of Manassas. We a f t e r wards learned that Beau regard had planned to cross Bull Run at one of these fords below us and strike mcdowell's left at centreville,whilemcdow ell had planned to cross Bull Run at Sudley's ford, three miles above the Stone Bridge, and strike Beauregard's left. Of gen. Irwin mcdowell course we did not know of mcdowell's plans, and as Gen. Evans had orders to hold the Stone Bridge at all hazards, we set to work early in the morning of the 18th to make our position secure. We cut every tree that was near enough to the road to fall across it, from the Stone Bridge to the hill near the Van Pelt house. You spoke of some large trees standing near the road about half way from the Stone Bridge to the Van Pelt hill. These must have been only little saplings fifty-one years ago, and too small to be of any consequence in stopping up the road. We cut off and sharpened the limbs of these felled trees and made it practically impossible for anything but infantry to get through.