Will's Bull Run ... afternoon ...

Being part two of our First Battle of Manassas game

Noon came and went with continued fighting around the Stone House

 ... and the Zouaves who had spent most of the morning working their way around the Confederate flank pushing into action ...

They took a smothering of cannon and musketry ... and turned and fled, leaving the attack to their supports.

*********

Just in case, the Rebs had invested Henry Hill ...

Meanwhile Northern troops arrived from the East, compromising Evans at Buck Hill ...

The fight for the forward positions at Stone House and Buck Hill would prove pivotal ...

(2pm: overview of the near surrounded Stone House - Buck Hill position)

(the action seesaws between the two sides)

(Northern battleline on Matthews Hill)

(The fight for Buck Hill)

With the Northerners faltering under fire, the Rebs decide to push even harder in the centre and advance on Matthews Hill

Meanwhile, the second wave was turned back from the advance on Henry Hill (they stood in the face of the Rebel Yell, but came out the worse in the bayonet session and joined the skedaddle) ...

(last gasp of the move on Henry Hill)

... and arrivals which the Confederate commanders had expected to deploy to shore up Henry Hill could be pushed along the Manassas road to keep the fight going in the centre.

*********

By this stage, the forces around the Stone House and Buck Hill had been driven back to their start points and the Northern commanders had built up overwhelming force.   Evans, who had stood like a stonewall all afternoon (indeed!) was thrown back, and the battery on Buck Hill which had anchored the position was finally overrun ...

(4:30 ... Northern troops finally clear Buck Hill)

The tide was turning but by now it was 5pm and the Confederate position had held.   By bullishly fighting for the central position, they had made the Northerners fight all afternoon for positions half a mile away from Henry Hill (the holding of which had been set as their objective.

*********

Although the Northern positions looked good, it was late afternoon, not the middle of the day ... and with no prospect of success in the remaining hours, the union attacks were called off.

(Manassas/Bull Run ... late afternoon, showing the final manoeuvres before the Union commanders called a halt to their action)

So a bloody stalemate and a frustrating day for the Union commanders.

Nice layout and soldiers by Will, played to an adapted version of CWB about which there was much rumination ...