Last updated: January 18, 2024
Place
Information Panel: Farm Ford
Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler
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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
First Battle of Manassas, July 21, 1861, 11 a.m.
Colonel William T. Sherman spent the morning searching for a location suitable for this brigade to cross Bull Run. He ruled out the Stone Bridge- its narrow span stood too exposed, and rumors circulated that the bridge was mined. Turning his attention upstream, Sherman received unexpected assistance from a reckless Confederate. A Southern officer, possibly Major Roberdeau Wheat, rode down from this bluff and stood in the creek taunting Union soldiers. In the process, he revealed a shallow crossing place.
When ordered across Bull Run to join the fighting in progress on Matthews Hill, Sherman chose to use the shallow "farm ford" he had discovered earlier. His troops proceeded single file and met no opposition since the Confederates had departed to intercept the Union flanking column. There was no established road to or from the ford, and the steep terrain prevented Sherman's artillery from joining the movement.