Battles of Manassas • Tour the Battlefield • Monuments • Facts • The Armies
The Blocking the Union Advance wayside marker is on the Matthews Hill Loop Trail which begins at Stop 4 on the Manassas Battlefield Driving Tour.
From the wayside marker:
Blocking the Union Advance
Knowing they were badly outnumbered, Evans’ 900 Confederates stared across this open field, waiting for the enemy to appear over the crest of the hill. Their only hope was to slow the 15,000-man Federal column long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
When the first Federals topped the rise, the Confederates fired. Both sides rushed reinforcements into the fight, and the battle raged on a half-mile front. After 1 ½ hours, outflanked and overwhelmed, the Confederates retreated in disarray toward Henry Hill. The battle seemed lost.
From the caption to the painting on the right:
The 4th Alabama Infantry reinforced the Confederate line.
From the caption to the portrait at the bottom:
Col. Egbert J. Jones led the 4th Alabama to shore up the Confederate line. Wounded and captured, Jones responded defiantly, “You may have me…, but ten thousand… will take my place.” His response proved prophetic.
