Cavalry Clash
Second Battle of Manassas
As fighting stalled along Sudley Road, Union and Confederate cavalry partook in the final drama of the battle here on the grounds of Portici. Southern horsemen attempted to dash behind the Union army and cut their escape route. Anticipating this movement, General John Buford deployed his cavalry brigade near Portici to guard Lewis Ford on Bull Run.
The opposing lines crashed together head-on in the nearby fields. Buford's troopers initially surprised and routed the leading Confederate regiment, only to fall back when the balance of General Beverly Robertson's brigade appeared. In danger of being cut off, the outnumbered Federals hastened across Bull Run. The Confederates broke off pursuit short of the Warrenton Turnpike. This closing action of Second Manassas represented the largest cavalry engagement of the war up to that point.
Marker can be reached from Vandor Lane, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
