Howard’s ascent of Chinn Ridge occured at the same time as the Confederates solidified their position on Henry Hill. At noon, Arnold Elzey’s Brigade had been the last of Johnston’s units to reach Manassas. The three regiments headed for the battlefield led by E. Kirby Smith (whose 5th Brigade had not made it from the Shenandoah Valley and, as Elzey’s senior, had taken command of his brigade). They followed the 2nd South Carolina into the woods on Henry Hill’s southern edge. While the Carolinians turned to the right onto Henry Hill, Elzey and Smith continued straight. When the column briefly halted Smith was seriously wounded in the neck. Without Smith, Elzey moved the brigade across the Sudley Road to Bald Hill and formed into lines of battle facing north. Elzey ordered Lt. Robert Beckham’s Newtown Battery farther to the left to take a position on top of the ridge near the Chinn House and, from a distance of about 200 yards, Beckham’s Battery raked Howard’s line.
