The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-24 00:00:00

ME BATTLE OF BULL'S BUN.

ENERAL M‘DO WELL'S OFFICIAL REPORT OF
THE ENGAGEMENT.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL E. D. TOWNSEND, ASSISTANT-
ADJUTANT-GENERAL, HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY,

WASHINGTON.
Head-quarters Department, N. E. Virginia,
Arlington (Virginia), Aug. 4.
Colonel,—l have the honour to submit the fol-
lowing report of the battle of the 21st July, near
Manassas, Virginia. It has been delayed till this
time from the inability of the subordinate com-
manders to get earlier a true account of the state of
their commands.
_ _

In my communication to you of the 29th ult I
stated it as my intention to move that afternoon,
and drive the enemy from the east side of Bull's
Run, so as to enable the engineers to make a suffi-
ciently accurate reconnaissance to.justify our future
movements. Later in the day they had obtained
enough information of the passage across the stream
to dispense with this reconnaissance, and it was de-
cided to move without delay. It had been my inten-
tion to move the several columns out on the road a
few miles on the evening of the 20th, so that they
would have a shorter march in the morning, but I
deterred to those who had the greatest distance to
go, and who preferred starting early in the morn-
ing, and making but one move.
On the evening of the 20th ult. my command was
mostly at or near Centreville. The enemy was at
or near Manaseas, distant from Centreville about
seven miles to the south-west. Centreville is a vil-
lage of a few houses, mostly on the west side of a
ridge running nearly north and south. The road
from Centreville to Manassas Junction was along
this ridge, and crosses Bull's Run about three miles
from the former place. The Warrenton turnpike,
which runs nearly east and west, goes over this
ridge, through the village, and crosses Bull's Run
about four miles from it, Bull's Run havinga course
between the crossing from north-west to south-east.
The First Division (Tyler's) was stationed on the
north side of the Warrenton turnpike and on the
eastern slope of the Centreville ridge ; two brigades
on the same road, and a mile and a half in advance,
to the west of the ridge; and one brigade on the
road from Centreville to Manassas, where it crosses
Bull's Run, at Blackburn's Ford, where Gen. Tyler
had the engagement of the 18th ult. The Second
Division (Hunter's) was on the Warrenton turn-
pike, one mile east of Centreville. The Third Di-
vision (Heintzelman's) was on a road known as the
Old Braddock Road, which comes into Centreville
from the south-east, about a mile and a half from
the village. The Fifth Division (Miles's) was on
the same road with the Third Division, and between
it and Centreville. A map, which is herewith,
marked A, will show these positions better than I
can describe them.
On Friday night a train of subsistence arrived,
and on Saturday its contents were ordered to be
issued to the command, and the men required to
have three days' rations in their haversacks. On
Saturday orders were issued for the available force
to march.

As reported to you in my letter of the 19th ult
my personal reconnoissance of the roads to the
south had shown that it was not practicable to
carry out the original plan of turning the enemy's
position on their right. The affair of the 18th at
Blackburn's Ford showed he was too strong at that
point for us to force a passage there without great
loss, and if we did that it would bring us in front
of his strong position at Manassas, which was not
desired. Our information was that the stone bridge
over which the Warrenton-road crossed Bull's Run,
to the west of Centreville, was defended by a battery
in position, and the road on his side of the stream
impeded by a heavy abattis. The alternative was,
therefore, to turn the extreme left of his position.
Reliable information was obtained of an unde-
fended ford about three miles above the bridge,
there being another fi.rd between it and the bridge
which was defended. It was therefore determined
to take the road to the upper ford, and, after cross-
ing, to get behind the forces guarding the lower
ford and the bridge, and after occupying the War-
renton road east of the bridge, to send out a force to
destroy the railroad at or near Gainsville, and thus
break up the communication between the enemy's
farces at Manassas and those in the valley of Vir-
ginia before Winchester, which had been held in
check by Major-General Patterson.
Brigadier General Tyler was directed to move
with three of his brigades on the Warrenton road
and commence cannonading the enemy's batteries,
while Hunter's division, moving after him, should,
after pissing a little stream called Cob Run, turn to
the right and north, and move to the upper ford,
and there turn south and get behind the enemy.
(Jul. Heintzeiman',i division was to follow Hunter's
as far as the turning off place to the lower ford,
where he was to cross after the enemy should have
been driven out by Hunter's division—the fifth divi-
sion (Miles's) to be in reserve in the Centreville

ridge.

I had felt anxious about the road from Manassas
by Blackburn's Ford to Centreville, along this ridge,
fearing that, while we should be in force in front,
and endeavouring to turn the enemy's position, we
ourselves should be turned by him on the road; for
if he should once obtain possession of this ridge,
which overlooks all the country to the west to the
foot of the spurs of the Blue Ridge, we should have
been irretrievably cut off and destroyed. I had
therefore directed this point to be held in force, and
sent an engineer to extemporise some field-works
to strengthen the position.
The fourth division (Runyon's) had not been
brought to the front further than to guard our cam-
snunicationaby way of Vienna and the Orange and
Alexandria Railroad. His advanced regiment was
about seven miles in the rear of Centreville.
The divisions were ordered to march at half-past
2 o'clock a.m., so as to arrive on the ground early
in the day, and thus avoid the heat which is to be
expected at this season. There was delay in the
First Division getting out of its camp on the road,
and the other divisions were in consequence be-
tween two and three hours behind the time ap-
pointed—a great misfortune, as events turned out.
The wood road leading from the Warrenton turn-
pike to the upper ford was much longer than we
counted upon, the general direction of the stream
being oblique to the road, and we having the ob-
tuse angle on our side.
General Tyler commenced with his artillery at
half-past 6 a.m., but the enemy did not reply, and
after some time it became a question whether he
was in any force in our front, and if be did not in-
tend himself to make an attack, and make it by
Blackburn's Ford. After firing several times, and
obtaining no response, I held one of Heintzelman's
brigades in reserve in case we should have to send
any troops back to reinforce Miles's Division. The
other brigades moved forward as directed in the ge-
neral orders.

On reaching the ford at Sudley's Spring, I found
that a part of the leading brigade of Hunter's Divi-
sion (Burnside's) had crossed; but the men were
slow in getting over, stopping to drink. As at this
time the clouds of dust from the direction of Man-
assas indicated the immediate approach of a large
force, and fearing it might come down on the head
of the column before the division could all get over
and sustain it, orders were sent back to the heads
of regiments to break from the column and come
forward separately as fast as possible. Orders were
sent by an officer to the reserve brigade of Heintzcl-
man s Division to come up by a nearer road across
the fields, and an aide-de-camp was sent to Brigade-
G2netal Tyler to direct him to press forward his
attack, as large bodies of the enemy were passing
in front of him to attack the division which had
crossed over.

The ground between
s_trhine stream and the road
leading from Sudley., P
wooddeawas for about a mile
ri,idt's Brt;ade niarosle 5 south, and over which
Ilur
fromth 3 ford thickly
cf 'fix rcivl, for about the san., vd'ilisile on the right
try v-c,s clivid,:ld between fields itnatanee, the coun-
enttnoenr large
-a mile from the road the country onZot About
of turn-
the road is open, and for nearly a mile further
of
rolling tizlds extend down to the Warr
pike, which cr0.,6,.s what became the field battle
throuel the valle4y of L“tnall watercourse, a tribu-
tary of Bull's Run.
Shortly
'
ir,ie reachol this cp.-Jul space, an:l "A' 1.1 iI e others
is
r