Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to episode 56 of our Civil War Podcast, I'm Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all, welcome to the podcast.

In the last episode, the Federal's turning movement had carried them to Sudley Ford and

then to Matthews Hill, where they were intercepted by Confederates, led by Evans, B, and Bartow.

But then at the end of the last episode, the rebels had just been driven from Matthews Hill,

a bit before noon, and the Union Army's commanding general, Urban McDowell, thought that

the battle was as good as one.

This was not, of course, how Confederate General PGT Beauregard had imagined the battle

would develop.

He had expected McDowell would unimaginatively attack at Mitchell's Ford, straight down

the road from Sinerville to Manassas.

Beauregard judged such a move on the Confederate center could be easily repulsed, and that,

at the same time, it would leave McDowell vulnerable to an attack on his left and rear.

To take advantage of this, Beauregard had envisioned the Confederate brigades at the lower

Ford swinging around the Federal left and moving on Sinerville.

The attack was to be made with Richard S. Ull at Union Mills on the far right, beginning

the offensive, and then the other rebel brigades at the other Ford's would follow his lead,

one after the other.

This was not Beauregard's original plan.

His original plan had been based on the assumption that Confederate General Joseph E.

Johnston would march his force east from the Shenandoah Valley, and that the two Confederate

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