noon
The troops were in high spirits now , for they knew that their long period of inactivity was over , and that , although ignorant when and where , they were on their march to meet the enemy . They had no wagons or rations , the need for speed was too urgent even to permit of food being cooked . Without a halt they pressed forward steadily , and after two days ' march , exhausted and half famished , they reached the Manassas Gap Railroad . There they were put into trains as fast as these could be prepared , and by noon on the 20th joined Beauregard at Manassas . The cavalry had performed their duty of preventing the news of the movement from reaching the enemy until the infantry were nearly a day 's march away , and then Stuart reassembled his men and followed Johnston . Thus the Confederate plans had been completely successful . Over 30,000 of the enemy , instead of being in line of battle with the main army , were detained before Winchester , while the little Confederate force who had been facing them had reached Beauregard in time to take part in the approaching struggle .