The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-06 00:00:00

THE CIVIL TV,. 14 1- :\ A MERI

THE DEFEAT AT MANASSAS.
(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHINGTON, JULY 19.
The army of the North is fairly moving at last,
and all the contending voices of lawyers and dispu-
tants will be speedily silenced by the noise of the
cannon. Let no one suppose that the war will be
decided in one or two battles, or conclude from any
present successes of the Federalists that they wilt
not meet with stern opposition as they advance.
The Confederates uniformly declared to me after
their failure to take either Faneini-hall or the
Capitol they would wait in Virginia and entice the
Federalists into certain mysterious traps, where
they would be " destroyed to a man." There is great
reliance placed on masked bat teries in this war, and
the country is favourable to their employment hat
nothing can prove more completely the unsteady
character of the troops than the reliance which is
placed on the effects of such works, and indeed
there is reason to think that there have been panics
on both sides—at Great Bethel as well as at Laurel-
hill. The telegraph ie faster than the post, and all
the lucubrations of to-day may be falsfled by the
deeds of to-morrow. The Senate and Congress are
sitting in the Capitol, within the very hearing of
the guns and the sight of the smoke of the conflict
which is no NIP raging in Virginia. Senators and Con—
gress men are engaged in disputations and speeches,
while soldiers are working out the problem in their
own way, and it is within the range of possibility
that a disastrous battle may place the capital in the
hands of the Confederates; and the news which has
just come in that the latter have passed Bull's Run,
a small river which flows into the Potomac below
Alexandria, crossing the railroad from that place,
is a proof that Fairfax Court-house was abandoned
for a reason. It is stated that the Confederates
have been repulsed by the 69th (Irish) Regi-
ment, and the 79th (Scotch) New York Volun-
teers, and as soon as this letter has been
posted I shall proceed to the field (for the cam-
paign has now fairly, commenced) and ascertain
the facts. If the Confederates force the left of
IlPDowell's army they will obtain possession of the
line to Alexandria, and may endanger Washington
itself. The design of Beauregard may have been to
effect this very object while he engaged the bulk of
the Federalists at Manassas Junction, which you
must not confound with Manassai Gap. The re-
ports of guns were heard this morning in the direc-
tion of the Junction and it is probable that M'Dowell,
advancing from Centreville, has met the enemy
prepared to dispute his passage. There are some
stories in town to the effect that General Tyler has
met with a severe check on the right, but the ad-
vance of 111‘Dowell was very cautious, and he would
not let his troops fall into the ambuscades against
which they have been especially forewarned. Let
speculation, which to-morrow's news must outstrip,
cease here, and let us examine the composition of
the forces actually engaged with the Confederates.
The head of the naval and military forces of the
United States is the President, in theory and in the
practice of appointments, but Lieutenant-General
W. Scott is " Commanding-in-Chief" of the United
States' army. His staff consists of Lieut.-Colonel
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant-General, Chief
of the Staff; Colonel H. Van Ransselaer, A.D.C.
(Volunteer) ; Lieutenant-Colonel G. W. Cullum,
United States' Engineer, A.D.C. ; Lieut.-Colonel
Edward Wright, United States' Cavalry, A.D.C.
Lieutenant-Colonel Schuyler Hamilton, Military
Secretary.
The subjoined General Order gives the organisa-
tion of the Staff and of the several Divisions of the
army under Brigadier-General M‘Dowell, now ad-
vancing into Virginia from the lines opposite
Washington :
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 13.
Head-quarters Department, N. E. Virginia.
Washington, July 8, 1861.
Until otherwise ordered the following will be the organi •
sation of the troops in this Department :
STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT COMMANDER.
Adjutant-General's Department.--Captain James B.
Fry, Assistant Adjutant -General.
/lutes. de-Camp—First Lieutenant H. W. Kingsbury,
sth Artillery; Major Clarence S. Brown, N.Y. State
Militia; Major Jas. S. Wordsworth, N.Y. State Militia.
Acting Inspector-General—Major W. H. Wood, 17th
Infantry.
Engineers—Major J. G. Barnard; First Lieutenant F.
E. Prime.
Topographical Engineers—Capt. A. W. Whipple ; First
Lieutenant Henry L. Abbott ; Second Lieutenant Haltli-
mend S. Putnam.
Quartermaster's Department—Capt. 0. H. Tillinghast,
Assistant Quartermaster.
Subsistence Department—Capt. H. F. Clarke, Commis-
sary of Subsistence.
Medical Department—Surgeon W. S. King; Assistant-
Surgeon David L. Magruder.
FIRST DIVISION.
Brigadier-General Daniel Tyler, Connecticut Militia com-
manding.
First Brigade—Col. E. D. Keyes, 11th Infantry, com-
manding. Ist Connecticut Regiment Volunteers ;2d ditto ;
31 ditto; 4th Maine ditto; Capt. Varian's Battery of New
York Bth Regiment; Company B, Second Cavalry.
Second Brigade-Ist Ohio Regiment Volunteers ; 2d
ditto ; 2d New York ditto; Company E, 2d Artillery (Light
Battery),
Third Brigade—Col. W. T. Sherman, 13th Infantry,
commanding. 69th Regiment New York Militia; 79th
ditto; 13th ditto, Volunteers; 2d ditto, Wisconsin ditto;
Company E, 3d Artillery (Light Battery).
Fourth Brigade—Col. J. B. Richardson, Michigan
Volunteers, commanding. 2d Regiment Michigan Volun-
teers; 3d ditto; Ist ditto Massachusetts; 12th ditto New
York.

SECOND DIVISION.

Col. David Hunter, 3d Cavalry, commanding.
maFnidrsint Bg.rigßaadte—Co
talionl.
ofAndrew
itegnlaPr olrntefar,ntlry6thc2ldn,fa3ndt,ray eo
n,
dBm-
th
Regiments) ; Bth Regiment New York Militia ; 14th ditto
Squadron 2d Cavalry, Companies G and I ; Company sth
Artillery (Light Battery.)
Second Brigade—Col. A. E. Burnside, Rhode Island
Volunteers, commanding. Ist Regiment Rhode Island
Volunteers; 2d ditto; 71st ditto New York Militia; 2d
ditto New Hampshire Volunteers ; Battery of Light Ar-
tillery, 2d Rhode Island Regiment.

THIRD DIVISION.

Col. S. P. Heinfzeltuan, 17th infantry, commanding.
First Brigade—Colonel W. B. Franklin, 12th Infantry,
commanding. 4th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia ; sth
ditto Massachusetts ditto; Ist ditto, Minnesota Volunteers;
Company E,
2d Cavalry ; Company I, Ist Artillery (Light
Battery.)
Second Brigade—Colonel 0. B. Wilcox, Michigan 'o-
lunteers, commanding. Ist Regiment Mfrhigan Volun-
teers ; 11th ditto, New York ditto ; CompaaY D, 2d Artil-
lery
(Light Battery).
Third Brigade—Colonel 0. 0. Howard,'
1 tears, commanding. 2d Regiment Maine Volunteers ; 4th
1 ditto ; sth ditto ; 2d ditittl Vermont ditto.
.vE. Maine Volun.
FOURTH DivisioN.
Brigadier
New Jersey Militia, three months'
com-
manding. Ist Regiment
ditto, ditto; 4th ditto,
New Jersey Militia,
• Volunteers, 2d ditto, ditto ; 3d
ditto ; Ist ditto, three years
Volunteers; G2edneradilttlo, Rd:l:toy:ll3'd
d.
ditto, ditto.

FIFTH DIVISIOr

2d ',lf...Lay, commanding.
Colonel D. S. Miles,
i Blenker, New York Volunteers,
Regiment New York Volunteers ; 29th
c° Garibaldi Guard ; 24th Regiment Peunsyl-
ditto, Ell ttO ;
vania Volunteers.
Second Brigade—Colonel Davies, New York "Volunteers,
niFiztnßdirlifra.de—tstheitol
commanding. 16th Regiment New York Volunteers; 18th
ditto, ditto ; 31st ditto, ditto ; 32d ditto, ditto ; CompanY C,
2d Artillery (Light Battery).
By command of Brigadier-General wpowe"'

Some changes
JAMES B. FRY, Assistant-Adjutant-General.
have been made since this order
was published, and the corps has been strengthened
by the accession of two regular field-batteries. The
effective strength of the infantry, under M‘Dowell,
may be taken at 30,000 and there are about 60 field
pieces at his disposal, and a force of about ten
squadrons of cavalry.
The following is an approximation to the number
of General M'Clellan's division iniVestern.
with their positions previous to the late acltion. The
numerical strength of his command is nea .r 35,000,
nearly all volunteers :
At Beverley, Laurel-hill, and BuckhannonL Head-
quarters of Major-General AV Clellan and Brigeglier-Gene-
rals Rosecrans and Schleich-3d Ohio Volunwea s, Colonel
J. H. Marrows; 4th ditto, Colonel Lorin Andrews; 6th
Ohis, Colonel Bosley; 9th Ohio Volunteers, Colonel R. L.
riv Cook ; 10th ditto, Colonel W. H. Lytle; 14th: ditto, Col.
J. B. Steadman; 17th ditto, Colonel J. M. Counell; 18th
ditto, Colonel J. Stanley; 19th ditto, Colonol Samuel
Bratty; 20th ditto, Colonel Thomas Morten; Ott Indiana
ditto, Colonel W. P. Benton; 9th ditto, Colon el R. M.
Milroy ; 10th ditto, Colonel M. D. Manson; It ith ditto,
Colonel G. D. Wagner; Chicago Dragoons, Cal Main
Baker; Chicago Sturgiss Rifles, Captain W.,Sturilii is; Cold

waters Artillery, Michigan, Captain T. W. Culp; Chicago
Cavalry, Captain Barker; Flying Artillery, Captain Howe.
At Cheat River-15th Ohio Volunteers, Colonel G. W.
Andrews; 16th Ohio Volunteers, Col. J. Irvine ; Ist Vir-
ginia Union Volunteers, Col. --.
At Clarksburg-2d Virginia Union Volunteers, Colonel
--; 3d Virginia Union Volunteers, Col. --; Cincin-
nati Rover Dragoons, Capt. W. H. Stevens.
At Grafton—Headquarters of Brigadier-Gen. Hill-7th
Indiana Volunteers, Col. E. Dumont; troop of horse, Col.
Regular Artillery, from Kansas, Col. —; Com-
pany 1, 4th Artillery, Lieut. Ward ; 13th Ohio Volunteers,
Col. W. F. Smith ; sth Ohio Volunteers, Col. Dunning.
Phillippa—Brigadier-Gen. Hill-6th Indiana Volunteers,
Col. Crittenden.

Along railroad from Parkersburgh to Grafton-22d Ohio
Volunteers, Col. W. E. Gilmore.
Glenville-7th Ohio, Col. E. B. Tyler.
Ripley-21st Ohio Volunteers, Col. J. S. Norton.
En route by the Kanawha—Brigadier-Gen. Cox-Bth
Ohio Volunteers, Col. Du Puy; 12th Ohio Volunteers,
Col. J. W. Lowe ; Ist Kentucky Volunteers, Col. W.
Woodruff; 2d Kentucky Volunteers, Col. W. G. Terrell.
En route-13th Indiana Volunteers, Col. J. C. Sullivan;
14th Indiana Volunteers, Col. N. Kimball ; 17th Indiana
Volunteers, Col. Hascall."

The division under General Patterson is about
22,000 strong, and has three batteries of artillery
attached to it; and General Mansfield, who com-
mands the army of Washington and the reserve
watching the Capitol, has under him a corps of
16,000 men almost exclusively volunteers. Gene-
ral M'Dowell has also left a strong guard in his
intrenchments along the right bank of the Potomac
guarding the bridges and covering the roads to
Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church. The divi-
sion in military occupation of Maryland under Gen.
Banks, most of which is concentrated in and around
Baltimore, consists of 7,400 men, with some field
guns. The corps at Fortress Monroe and Hampton
under Gen. Butler is 11,000 strong, with two field
batteries, some guns of position, and the fortress
itself in hand. Gen. Lyon, who is operating in
Missouri with marked success, has about 6,500 men.
Gen. Prentis at Cairo commands a division of 6,000
men and two field batteries. There are besides these
forces many regiments organised and actually in the
field. The army under the command of Gen. Beau-
regard at Manassa Junction is estimated at 60,000,
but that must include the reserves, and a portion of
the force in the intrenchxnents along the road to
Richmond, in the immediate neighbourhood of
which there is a corps of 15,000 men. At Norfolk
there are 18,000 or 20,000, at Acquia Creek 8,000
or 9,000, and Johnson's corps is estimated at 10,000,
swollen by the debris of the defeated column. The
railways from the South are open to the Confederates,
and they can collect their troops rapidly, so that it
is not at all beyond the reach of probability that
they can collect 150,000 or 160,000 men in Virginia,
if that number is not now actually in the State. In
cavalry they have a superiority, but the country is
not favourable for their operations till the armies
approach Riehmond. In field artillery they are not
so well provided as the Federalists, They have,
however, a great number of heavy batteries and
guns of position at their disposal. Food is plenti-
ful in their camps ; the harvest is coming in. In
general equipments and ammunition the Federalists
have a considerable advantage. In discipline there
is not much difference perhaps in the bulk of the
volunteers on both sides, hut the United States'
forces have the benefit of the example and pre-
sence of the regular army, the privates of which
have remained faithful to the Government. If we
are to judge by what may be seen in Washington
there are mauvais sujets in abundance among the
United States' troops. The various foreign Minis-
ters have been so much persecuted by soldiers
coming to their houses and asking for help that
sentries were ordered to be put at their doors.
Lord Lyons, however, did not acquiesce in the pro-
priety of this step, and in lieu of that means of
defence against demands for money, a document
called " a safeguard" has been furnished to the
domestics at the various legations, in which appli-
cants are informed that they are liable to the
penalty of death for making such solicitations.
(len. M'Dowell writes in his despatch from Fairfax
Court-house—" I am distressed to have to report
excesses by our troops. The excitement of the men
found vent in burning and pillaging, which, however
soon checked, distressed us all greatly." What will
take place at the close of a hardly contested action in
the front of populous towns and villages ? The vast
majority of the soldiers are very well behaved, but
it will require severe punishment to deter the evil-
disposed from indulging in all the licence of war.
The energy displayed in furnishing the great
army in the field with transport and ambulances is
very great, and I have been surprised to see the rapi-
dity with which waggons and excellent field hos-
pitals and sick carts have been constructed and for-
warded by the contractors. The corps in Virginia
under M'llowell may be considered fit to make a
campaign in all respects so far as those essentials
are concerned, and the Government is rapidly pur-
chasing horses and mules which are not inferior to
those used in any army in the world. These few lines
must suffice till the despatch of the mail on Wed-
nesday.

JULY 22.

I sit down to give an account—not of the action
yesterday, but of what I saw with my own eyes,
hitherto net often deceived, and of what I heard
-with my own ears, which in this country are not so
much to be trusted. Let me, however, express an
opinion as to the affair of yesterday. in the first
place, the repulse of the Federalists, decided as it
-was, might have had no serious effects whatever be-
yond the mere failure—which politically was of more
consequence than it was in a military sense—but for
the disgraceful conduct of the troops. The retreat
on their lines at Centreville seems to have ended in
a, cowardly route—a miserable, causeless panic.
Such scandalous behaviour on the part of soldiers I
should have considered impossible, as with some
experience of camps and armies I have never even
in alarms among camp followers seen the like of it,
How far the disorganisation of the troops extended
I know not ; but it was complete in the instance
of more than one regiment. Washington this morn-
ing is crowded with soldiers without officers, who
have fled from Centreville, and with "three mo'nthe,
men," who are going home from the face of the
enemy on the expiration of their term of enlist-
ment. The streets, in spite of the rain, are crowded
by people with anxious faces, and groups of waver-
ing, politicians are assembled at the corners, in the
hotel passages, and the bars. If in the present state
of the troops the Confederates were to make a
march across the Potomac above 'Washington, turn.
inn the works at Arlington, the Capitol might fall
into their hands. Delay may place that event out
of th,r, range of probability.
The North will, no doubt, recover the shock.
Hitherto she has only said, " Go and fight for the
Union." The South has exclaimed, " Let us fight
for our rights." The North must put its best men
into the battle, or she will inevitably fail before the
energy, the personal hatred, and the superior fight-
'mg powers of her antagonist. lii my letters, as in
my conversation, I have endeavoured to show that
the task which the Unionists have set them-
.selves is one of no ordinary difficulty, but in
'the state of arrogance and supercilious confi-
elence, either real or affected to conceal a sense of
'weakness, one might as well hive preached to the
',Pyramid of Cheops. Indeed, one may form some
metion of the condition of the public mind by ob-
serving that journals conducted avowedly by men
of d:sgraoeful personal character—the be-whipped
and be-kicked and unrecognised pariahs of society
of New York—are, nevertheless, in the very midst
of repulse and defeat, permitted to, indulge in ridi-
utoue rb odomontacle towards the nations of Europe,
move our laughter by impotently malignant
l'attdactkos on " our rotton old monarchy," while the
:stones . of their bran new republic are tumbling
About their ears.
It will be amusing to observe
the change ca tone,
for we can afford to observe
and be amused at the
On Sat D
aeeeelurday night I resolved time.
eselvcd to proceed to Gene-
ti'ral 1 rig arrny;,as t
Was obvious to me that
the repulse at Ball's le„ and the orders of the
General directed against
the excesses
sol-
diery Heated serious
defects inh.army—not
of his
more seri:ous, however, than I had r
Eason to believe
existed. How to get out was the difficulty. The
rumours of great disaster and repulse had spread
through the city. The livery-stable keepers,
to send out ker
• with
one ease ption, refused sea to the
scene of action—at least the exception told me so.
keenaton ; and Congress men were going to Make a ,

day of it, and all the vehicles and horses that could
be procured were in requisition for the scene of ac-
tion. This curiosity was aroused by the story that
M'Dowell had been actually ordered to make an
attack on Manassas, and that General Scott had
given him till 12 o'clock to be master of Beaure-
gard's lines. If General Scott ordered the attack
at all I venture to say he was merely the mouth-
piece of the more violent civilians of the Govern-
ment, who mistake intensity of feeling for military
strength. The consequences of the little skirmish
at Bull's Run, ending in the repulse of the Fede-
ralists, were much exaggerated, and their losses
were put down at any figures the fancy of the in-
dividual item who was speaking suggested. " I
can assure you, Sir, that the troops had 1,500 killed
and wounded ; I know it." I went off to the
head-quarters, and there General Scott's side in-
formed me General M'Dowell's official report gave
6 killed and 37 wounded. The livery keepers stuck
to the 1,500 or 2,000. The greater the number hors
de combat the higher the tariff for the hire of
quadrupeds. All I could do was to get a kind of
cabriolet, with a seat in front for the driver, to
which a pole was affix€d for two horses, at a Derby-
day price, and a strong led-horse, which Indian ex-
periences have induced me always to rely upon in
the neighbourhood of uncertain fighting. I had to
enter into an agreement with the owner to pay him
for horses and buggy if they were " captured or
injured by the enemy," and though I smiled at his
precautions they proved not quite unreasonable. The
master made no provision for indemnity in case of
injury to the driver, or the coloured boy who rode
the saddle-horse. When I spoke with officers at
General Scott's head-quarters of the expedition, it
struck me they were not at all sanguine about the
result of the day, and one of them said as much as
induced me to think he would advise me to remain
in the city if he did not take it for granted it was
part of my duty to go to the scene of action. An
English gentleman who accompanied me was
strongly dissuaded from going by a colonel of cavalry
on the staff, because, he said, " tt e troops are green,
and no one can tell what may happen." But my
friend of his pass from General Scott, who was
taking the whole affair of Ball's Run and the pres-
sure of the morrow's work with perfect calm, and
we started on Sandaymorning—not so early as we
ought perhaps, which was none of my fault—for
Centreville, distant about 25 miles south-west of
Washington. I purposed starting in the beautiful
moonlight, so as to arrive at M'Dowell's camp in
the early dawn, but the aides could not or would
not give us the countersign over the Long-bridge,
and without it no one could get across till after
five o'clock in the morning. When M'Dowell
moved away he took so many of the troops about
Arlington that the camps and forts are
rather denuded of men. I do not give, as may
be observed, the names of regiments, unless in special
cases—first, because they possess little interest, I
conceive, for those in Europe who read these letters ;
and, secondly, because there is an exceedingly com-
plex system—at least, to a foreigner—of nomencla-
ture in the forces, and one may make a mistake be-
tween a regiment of volunteers and a regiment of
State militia of the same number, or even of regu-
lars in the lower figures. The soldiers lounging
about the forts and over the Long-bridge across the
Potomac were an exceedingly unkempt, " loafing"
set of fellows, who handled their firelocks like pitch-
forks and spades, and I doubt if some of those who
read or tried to read our papers could understand
them, as they certainly did not speak English, The
Americans possess excellent working materials,
however, and I have had occasion repeatedly to re-
mark the rapidity and skill with which they con-
struct earthworks. At the Virginia side of the
Long-bridge there is now a very strong tete depont
supported by the regular redoubt on the hill over
the road. These works did not appear to be strongly
held, but it is possible men were in the tents near at
hand, deserted though they seamed, and at all events
reinforcements could be speedily poured in if neces-
sary.

The long and weary way was varied by different
pickets along the road, and by the examination of
our papers and passes at different points. But the
country looked vacant in spite of crops of Indian
corn, for the houses were shut up, and the few in-
digenous people whom we met looked most blackly
under their brows at the supposed Abolitionists.
This portion of Virginia is well wooded, and undu-
lating in heavy regular waves of field and forest;
but the roads are deeply cut and filled with loose
stones, very disagreeable to ride or drive over. The
houses are of wood, with the usual negro huts ad-
joining them, and the specimens of the race which I
saw were well dressed and not ill-looking. On
turning into one of the roads which leads to Fairfax
Court-house and to Centreville beyond it the distant
sound of cannon reached us. That must have been
about 9.30 a.m. • It never ceased all day; at least,
whenever the rattle of the gig ceased the booming
of guns rolled through the woods on our ears. One
man said it began at 2 o'clock, but the pickets told
us it had really become continuous about half-past 7
or 8 o'clock. In a few minutes afterwards a body of
men appeared on the road, with their backs towards
Centreville and their faces towards Alexandria.
Their march was so disorderly that I could not have
believed they were soldiers in an enemy's country—
for Virginia hereabout is certainly so—but for their
arms and uniform. It soon appeared that there
was no less than an entire regiment marching away,
singly or in small knots of two or three, extending
for some three or four miles along the road. A
Babel of tongues rose from them, and they were
all in good spirits, but with an air about them I
could not understand. Dismounting at a stream,
where a group of thirsty men were drinking and
halting in the shade, I asked an officer " Where are
your men going, sir ?" " Well, we're going home,
sir, I reckon, to Pennsylvania." It was the 4th
Pennsylvania Regiment, which was on its march, as
I learnt from the men. " I suppose there is se-
vere work going on behind you, judging from the
firing ?" " Well, I reckon, sir, there is." " We're
going home," he added after a pause, during which
it occurred to him, perhaps, that the movement
required explanation—" because the men's time is
up. We have had three months of this work."
I proceeded on my way, ruminating on the feel-
ings.of a General who sees half a brigade walk
quietly away on the very morning of an action, and
on the frame of mind of the men, who would have
shouted till they were hoarse about their be-
loved Union—possibly have hunted down any poor
creature who expressed a belief that it was not the
very
quintessence of everything great and good in
government and glorious and omnipotent in arms—
coolly turning their backs on it when in its utmost
peril because the letter of their engagement bound
them no further. Perhaps the 4th Pennsylvania
were right, but let us hear no more of the excellence
of three months' serviee volunteers. And so we left
them. The road was devious and difficult. There
were few persons on their way, for most of the
Senators and Congress men were on before us.
Some few commissariat waggons were overtaken at
intervals. Wherever there was a house by the road-
side the negreee were listening to the firing. All
at once a terrific object appeared in the wood above
the trees—the dome of a church or public building,
apparently suffering from the shoctkhse mostof an
veioarietnht-
quake, and heaving to and fro in
manner. In much doubt we approached as well as
the horses' minds would let us, and discovered that
the strange thing was an inflated balloon attached
to a car and waggon, which was on its way to en-
able General M'Dowell to reconnoi're the position
he was then engaged in attacking just a day too
late. The operators and attendants swore as horri-
bly as Anna's warriors in Flanders, but they could
not curie down the trees, and so the balloon seems
likely to fall into the hands of the Confederates.
About 11 o'clock we began to enter on the disputed
territory which had just been abandoned by the
Secessionists to the Federalists in front of Fairfax
Court-house. It is not too much to say that the
works thrown pp across the road were shams
and makebelieves, and that the Confederates
never intended to occupy the position at an, bet
sought to lure on the Federalists to Manassasl
Gap, where they
were pr
Had it been otherwise
vaepear
have been of a different characte2erda,rattto meetweio4rhkes
would have bad regulii tNtVrhooeolirli.
plds
bivouac huts of branchee:morptsraeensd. t e
on tfs ,e ionusrtseea dthe

troops of the enemy did not wish to be cut off, and
so they had cut down trees to place across the road,
and put some field-pints in their earthworks to
command it. On no side could Richmond be so
well defended. The Confederates had it much at
heart to induce their enemy to come to the strongest
place and attack them, and they succeeded in doing
so. But, if the troops behaved as ill in other places
as they did at Manassas, the Federalists could not
have been successful in any attack whatever. In
order that the preparations at Manassas may be
understood, and that General Beauregard, of whose
character I gave some hint at Charleston, may be
known at home as regards his fitness for his work,
above all as an officer of artillery and of skill in
working it in field or in position, let me insert a
description of the place and of the man from a
Southern paper :

" Manassas Junction, Virginia, June 7.
c 4 This place still continues the head-quarters of the army
of the Potomac. There are many indications of an in-
tended forward movement, the better to invite the enemy
to an engagement, but the work of fortification still con-
tinues. By nature the position is one of the strongest that
could have been found in the whole State. About half-
way between the eastern spur of the Blue Ridge and the
Potomac, below Alexandria, it commands the whole country
between so perfectly that there is scarcely a possibility of
its being turned. The right wing stretches off towards
the head-waters of the Occoquan, through a wooded country,
which is easily made impassable by the felling of trees. The
left is a rolling table-land, easily commanded from the
successive elevations, till you reach a country so rough and
so rugged that it is a defence to itself. The key to the
whole position, in fact, is precisely that point which Gene-
ral Beauregard chose for his centre, and which he has for •
tified so strongly that, in the opinion of military men, 5,000
men could there hold 20,000 at bay. The position, in fact,
is fortified in part by Nature herself. It is a succession
of hills, nearly equidistant from each other, in front of
which is a ravine so deep and so thickly wooded that it is
passable only at two points, and those through gorges which
50 men can defend against a whole army. It was at one
of these points that the Washington Artillery (of New Or-
leans) were at first encamped, and though only half of the
battalion was then there, and we had only one company of
infantry to support us, we slept as soundly under the pro-
tection of our guns as if we had been in a fort of the
amplest dimensions. Of the fortifications superadded here
by General Beauregard to those of Nature, it is, of course,
not proper for me to speak. The general reader, in fact,
will have a sufficiently precise idea of them by conceiving
a line of forts some two miles in extent, zigzag in form,
with angles, salients, bastions, casemates, and everything
that properly belongs to works of this kind. The strength
and advantages of this position at Manasses are very much
increased by the fact that 14 miles farther on is a position
of similar formation, while the country between is admir-
ably adapted to the subsistence and intrenchment of troops
in numbers as large as they can easily be manoeuvred
on the real battle-field. Water is good and abundant,
forage such as is everywhere found in the rich farming
districts of Virginia, and the communication with all parts
of the country easy. Here, overlooking an extensive plain,
watered by mountain streams which ultimately find their
way to the Potomac, and divided into verdant fields of
wheat and oats, and corn, pasture and meadow, are the head-
quarters of the army of the advanced forces of the Potomac.
They are South Carolinians,Louisianians, Alabamians, Mis-
sissippians, and Virginians, for the most part; the first two,
singular enough, being in front, and that they will keep it
their friends at home may rest assured. Never have I seen
a finer body of men—men who were more obedient to disci-
pline, or breathed a more self-sacrificing patriotism. As
might be expected from the skill with which he has chosen
his position, and the system with which he encamps and
moves his men, General Beauregard is very popular. I
doubt if Napoleon himself had more the undivided confi-
dence of his army. By nature, as also from a wise policy,
he is very reticent. Not an individul here knows his
plans or a single move of a regiment before it is made, and
then only the colonel and his men know where it gees to.
There is not a man here who can gi% e anything like a satis-
factory answer how many men ho has, or where his exact
lines are. For the distance of 14 miles around you see tents
everywhere, and from them you can make a rough estimate
of his men ; but how many more are encamped on the by-
roads and in the forests none can tell. The new-comer,
from what he sees at first glance, puts down the numbers at
about 30,000 men ; those who have been here longei.t esti-
mate his force at 40,000, 50,000, and some even at 60,000
strong. And there is the same discrepancy as to the quantity
of his artillery. So close does the General keep his affairs
to himself that his left hand hardly knows what his right
hand doeth, and so jealons is he of this prerogative of a
commanding officer that I verily believe, if he suspected
his coat of any acquaintance with the plans revolving
within him, he wouli cast it off."

It was noon when we arrived at Fairfax Court-
house—a poor village of some 30 or 40 straggling
wooden and brick houses, deriving its name from
the building in which the Circuit Court of the county
is held, I believe, and looking the reverse of flourish-
ing—and one may remark, obiter, that the state
of this part of Virginia cannot be very prosperous,
inasmuch as there is not a village along the road up
to this point, and no shops or depots, only one mill,
one blacksmith and wheelwright. The village was
held by a part of the reserve of 111‘Dowell's force,
possibly 1,000 strong. The inhabitants were, if
eyes spoke truth, Secessionists to a man, woman,
and child, and even the negroes looked extra black,
as if they did not care about being fought for. A
short way beyond this village, Germantown, the
scene of the recent excesses of the Federalists,
afforded evidence in its blackened ruins that Gen.
M'Dowell's censure was more than needed. Let me
interpolate it if only to show that Gen. Beaure-
gard and his rival are at least equal in point of
literal power as masters of the English tongue :
" Head-quarters Department of Virginia,
Fairfax Court-house, July 18.
" GENERAL ORDERS, No. 18.

" It is with the deepest mortification the General Com-
manding finds it necessary to reiterate his orders for the
preservation of the property of the inhabitants of the dis-
trict occupied by the troops under his command. Hardly
had we arrived at this place when, to the horror of every
right-minded person, several houses were broken open, and
others were in flames, by the act of some of those who, it has
been the boast of the loyal, came here to protect the oppressed
and fres the country from the domination of a hated party.
The property of this people is at the mercy of troops who,
we rightly say, are the most intelligent, best educated, and
most law-abiding of any that were ever under arms. But do
not, therefore, the acts of yesterday cast the deepest stain
upon them ? It was claimed by some that their particular
corps were not engaged in these acts. This is of but little mo-
ment; since the individuals aro not found out, wo are all
alike disgraced. Commanders of regiments will select a com•-
missionedofficer as a provost marshal, and tenmen a s a police
force under him, whose special and sole duty it shall be to
preserve the property from depredations, and to arrest all
wrongdoers of whatever regiment or corps they may be.
Any one found committing the slightest depredation, kill-
ing pigs or poultry, or trespassing on the property of the in-
habitants, will be reported to head-quarters, and the least
that will be done to them will be to send them to the Alex-
andria gaol. It is again ordered that no one shall arrest,
or attempt to arrest, any citizen not in arms at the time, or
search or attempt to search any house, or even to enter the
same without permission. The troops must behave them-
selves with as much forbearance and propriety as if they
were at their own homes. They are here to fight the ene-
mies of the country, not to judge and punish the unarmed
and defenceless, however guilty they may be. When ne-
cessary, that will be done by the proper person.
"By command of General M'Dowell,
" JAMES B. FRY, Assistant-Adjutant-General."

The chimney stacks being of brick are the sole
remains of the few good houses in the village. Here
our driver made a mistake, which was the rather
persisted in that a coloured chattel informed us we
could get to Centreville by the route we were pur-
suing, instead of turning back to Germantown, as
we should have done. Centreville was still seven
miles ahead. The guns sounded, however, heavily
from the valleys. Rising above the forest tops ap-
peared the blue masses of the Alieghanies, and wo
knew
ofrthi
oenlVri lartanhi ndowag sehhssoai sel
wsawhmaai
rese
ohsouout
imr
tde emo wtf
ahne edc
vroe eatilolanmegya: n,
ae ioront
Bdt
cal (
)in yiwldoahurgooi
wasapn
and
vo
irrtng
assuredly no descendant of Madame Esmond, told
us that we were " going wrong right away." There
was, he admitted, a by-road somewhere to the left
front, brat people who had tried its depths had re-
I turned to Germantown with the conviction that it led
to any place hut Centreville. Oar driver, however,
wished to try " if there were no Sechesers about ?'
" What did you say ?" quoth the Virginian. " I
want to know if there are any Secessionists there."
" Secessionists !") in a violent surprise, as if he had
heard of them for the first time in his life) " No,
Sir-ree! Secessionists, indeed !" And all this time
Beauregard and Lee were pounding away on our
left front some six or seven miles off. The horses
retraced their steps, the coloured youth who be-
strode my charger complaining that the mysterious
arrangement which condemns his race to slavery
wa,s very much abraded by the action of that spi-
rited qu'aelrz:ved, combined or rather at variance
with the callosities of the English saddle. From
Germantown onwards by the right reac,l there was
nothing very remarkable. At one place a group of
soldiers were buina " Secession money" for some

negroes, who looked as if they could afford to part
l with it as cheaply as men do who are dealing with
other people's property. Buggies and waggons
(Auglice, carriages), with cargoes of senators were
overtaken. The store carts became more nume-
rous. At last Centreville appeared in sight—a few
houses on our front, beyond which rose a bald hill,
the slopes covered with bivouac huts, commissariat
, carts, and horses, and the top crested with specta-
tors of the fight. The road on each side was full of
traces of Confederate camps ; the houses were now
all occupied by Federalists. In the rear of the hill
was a strong body of infantry—two regiments of
foreigners, mostly Germans, with a battery of
light artillery. Our buggy was driven up to the
top of the hill. The coloured boy was despatched
to the village to look for a place to shelter the
horses while they were taking a much required
feed, and to procure, if possible, a meal for him-
self and the driver. On the hill there
were carriages and vehicles drawn up as if they
were attending a small country race. They were
afterwards engaged in a race of another kind. In
one was a lady with an opera glass ; in and around
and on others were legislators and politicians.
There were also a few civilians on horseback, and
on the slope of the hill a regiment had stacked
arms, and was engaged in looking at and comment-
ing on the battle below. The landscape in front
was open to the sight as far as the ranges of the
Alleghenies, which swept round from the right in
blue mounds, the colour of which softened into vio•
let in the distance. On the left the view was cir-
cumscribed by a wood, which receded along the
side of the hill on which we stood to the plain be-
low. Between the hue of this hill, which rose
about 150 ft. above the general level of the country,
and the foot of the lowest and nearest elevation of
the opposite Alleghenies extended about five miles,
as well as I could judge, of a densely-wooded coun-
try, dotted at intervals with green fields and
patches of cleared lands. It was marked by easy
longitudinal undulations, indicated by the form of
the forests which clothed them, and between two of
the more considerable ran small streams, or " runs,"
as they are denominated, from the right to the left.
Close at hand a narrow road, descending the hill,
went straight into the forest, where it was visible
now and then among the trees in cream-coloured
patches. This 'road was filled with commissariat
waggons, the white tops of which were visible for
two miles in our front.
On our left front a gap in the lowest chain of the
hills showed the gap of Manassas, and to the left
and nearer to us lay the "Junction" of the same
name, where the Alexandria Railway unites with
the rail from the west of Virginia, and continues
the route by rails of various denominations to
Richmond. The scene was so peaceful a man might
well doubt the evidence of one sense that a great
contest was being played out below in bloodshed,
or imagine, as Mr. Seward sometimes does, that
it was a delusion when he wakes in the morning
and finds there is a civil war upon him. But
the cannon spoke out loudly from the green bushes,
and the plains below were mottled, so to speak,
by puffs of smoke and by white rings from bursting
shells and capricious howitzers. It was no re-
view that was going on beneath us. The shells
gave proof enough of that, though the rush of the
shat could not be heard at the distance. Clouds of
dust came up in regular lines through the tree tops
where infantry were acting, and now and then their
wavering mists of light blue smoke curled up, and
the splutter of musketry broke through the boom-
ing of the guns. With the glass I could detect now
and then the flash of arms through the dust clouds
in the open, but no one could tell to which side the
troops who were moving belonged, and 1. could only
judge from the smoke whether the guns were fired
towards or away from the hill. It was evident that
the dust in the distance on our right extended be-
yond that which rose from the Federalists. The
view towards the left, as 1 have said, was inter-
rupted, but the firing was rather more heavy there
than on the front or right flank, and a glade was
pointed out in the forest as the beginning of Bull's
or Poole's Run, on the other side of which the Con-
federates were hid in force, though they had not
made any specific reply to the shells thrown into
their cover early in the morning. There seemed to
be a continuous line, which was held by the enemy,
from which came steady solid firing against what
might be supposed to be heads of columns stationed
at various points or advancing against them. It was
necessary to feed the horses and give them some rest
after a hot drive of some 26 or 27 miles, or I would
have proceeded at once to the front. As I was watch-
ing the faces of the Senators and Congressmen, I
thought I had heard or read of such a scene as this
—but there was much more to come. The soldiers
who followed each shot with remarks in English or
German were not as eager as men generally are in
watching a fight. Once, as a cloud of thick smoke
ascended from the trees, a man shouted out, "That's
good; we've taken another battery; there goes the
magazine." But it looked like and I believe was the
explosion of a caisson. In the midst of our little re-
connaissance Mr.Vizetelly, who has been living and,
indeed, marching with one of the regiments as artist
of the illustrated London News, came up and told
us the action had been commenced in splendid style
by the Federalists, who had advanced steadily,
driving the Confederates before them—a part of the
plan, as I firmly believe, to bring them under the
range of their guns. He believed the advantages
on the Federalist side were decided, though won
with hard fighting, and he had just come up to
Centreville to look after something to eat and drink,
and to procure little necessaries, in case of need, for
his comrades. His walk very probably saved his
life. Having seen all that could be discerned
through our glasses, my friend and myself had
made a feast on our sandwiches in the shade of the
buggy ; my horse was eating and resting, and I was
forced to give him half an hour or more before I
mounted, and meantime tried to make out the plan
of battle, but all was obscure and dark. Suddenly
up rode an officer, with a crowd of soldiers after
him, from the village. " We've whipped them on
all points !" he shouted, " We've taken their batte-
ries, and thy're all retreating !" Such an uproar as
followed. The spectators and the men cheered
again and again, amid cries of " Bravo !"" Bully for
us !" " Didn't I tell you so ?" and guttural " hocks"
from the Deutschland folk and loud " hurroos" from
the Irish. Soon afterwards my horse was brought
up to the hill, and my friend and the gentleman I
have already mentioned set out to walk towards the
front—the latter to rejoin hie regiment if possible,
the former to get a closer view of the proceedings.
As I turned down into the narrow road, or lane,
already mentioned, there was a forward move-
ment among the large four-wheeled tilt waggons,
which raised a good deal of dust. My attention
was particularly called to this by the occurrence of
a few minutes afterwards. I had met my friends
on the road, and after a few words rode forward at
a long trot as well as I could past the waggons and
through the dust, when suddenly there arose a
tumult in front of me at a small bridge across the
road, and then I perceived the drivers of a set of wag-
gons with the horses turned towards me, who were
endeavouring to force their way against the stream of
vehicles setting in the other direction. By the side of
the new set of waggons there were a number of com-
missariat men and soldiers, whom at first sight I
took to be the baggage guard. They looked excited
and alarmed, and were running by the side of the
horses—in front the dust quite obscured the view.
At the bridge the currents met in wild disorder.
" Turn back !, Retreat !" shouted the men from the
front, We're whipped, we're whipped ;" They'
cursed and tugged at the horses' head, and struggled
with frenzy to get past. Runnirg by me on foot
was a man with the shoulder-straps of an officer.
" Pray what is the matter, sir ?" " It means we're
pretty badly whipped,
out in puffs, and that's a fact," he blurted
and continued his career. I observed
that he carried no sword. The teamsters of the ad-
vancing
waggons
horses"sno wasallg hhttue shoutptheup cry. "Turn
back—turn y
thewh le
line, and, backing, plunging, rearing, and kicking,
the horses which had
been proceeding down the road
reversed front
and went off towards Centreville.
Those behind them went madly rushing on, the
drivers being quite
indifferent whether glory or dis-
grace led the way, provided they could find it. In
the midst of this
exteaordinaey spectacle an cancer,
escorted by some dragoons, rode 'through the ruck

with a light cart in charge. Another officer on foot,'
with his sword under his arm, ran up against me.
"What is all this about ?" "Why we're pretty badly
whipped. We're all in retreat. There's General
Tyler there badly wounded." And on he ran. There
came yet another, who said, " We're beaten on all
points. The whole army is in retreat." Still there
was no flight of troops, no retreat of an army, no
reason for all this precipitation. True, there were
many men in uniform flying towards the rear, but
it did not appear as if they were beyond the pro-
portions of a large baggage escort. I got my
horse up into the field out of the road, and
went on rapidly towards the front. Soon I met
soldiers who were coming through the corn, mostly
without arms ; and presently I saw firelocks, cook-
ing tins, knapsacks, and greatcoats on the ground,
and observed that the confusion and speed of
the baggage-carts became greater, and that
many of them were crowded with men, or
were follcwed by others, who clung to them. The
ambulances were crowded with soldiers, but it did
not look as if there were many wounded. Negro
servants on led horses dashed frantically past; men
in uniform, whom it were a disgrace to the profes-
sion to call " soldiers," swarmed by on mules,
chargers, and even draught horses, which had been
cut out of carts or waggons, and went on with har-
ness clinging to their heels, as frightened as their
riders. Men literally screamed with rage and fright
when their way was blocked up. On I rode, asking
all "What is all this about ?" and now and then,
but rarely, receiving the answer, " We're whipped,"
or, " We're repulsed." Faces black and dusty,
tongues out in the heat, eyes staring—it was a most
wonderful sight. On they came like him—
" —who having once turned round goes on,
And turns no more his head,
For he knoweth that a fearful fiend
Doth close behind him tread."
But where was the fiend ? I looked in vain. There
was, indeed some cannonading in front of me and in
their rear, but still the firing was comparatively dis-
tant, and the runaways were far out of range. As I
advanced the number of carts diminished, but the
mounted men increased, and the column of fugitives
became denser. A few buggies and light waggons
filled with men, whose faces would have made up "a
great Leporello" in the ghost scene, tried to pierce
the rear of the mass of carts, which were now solidi-
fied and moving on like a glacier. I crossed a small
ditch by the roadside, got out on the road to escape
some snake fences, and, looking before me, saw there
was still a crowd of men in uniforms coming along.
The road was strewn with articles of clothing—fire-
locks, waist-belts, cartouch-boxes, caps, greatcoats,
mess-tins, musical instruments, cartridges, bayonets
and sheaths, swords and pistols—even biscuits, water
bottles, and pieces of meat. Passing a white house
by the road side, I saw, for the first time, a body of
infantry with sloped arms marching regularly and
rapidly towards me. Their faces were not blackened
by powder, and it was evident they had not been
engaged. In reply to a question a non-commissioned
officer told me in broken English "We fall back to
our lines. The attack did not quite succeed." This
was assuring to one who had come through such a
scene as I had been witnessing. I had ridden, I
suppose, about 3 or 31- miles from the hill, though
it is not possible to be sure of the distance; when,
having passed the white house, I came out on an
open piece of ground, beyond and circling which
was forest. Two field pieces were unlimbered and
guarding the road; the panting and jaded horses
in the rear looked as though they had been hard
worked, and the gunners and drivers looked worn
and dejected. Dropping shots sounded close in
front through the woods ; but the guns on the left
no longer maintained their fire. I was just about
to ask one of the men for a light when a sputtering
fire on my right attracted my attention, and out of
the forest or along the road rushed a number of
men. The gunners seized the trail of the nearest
piece to wheel it round upon them ; others made for
the tumbrils and horses as if to fly, when a shout
was raised " Don't fire ; they're our own men ;" and
in a few minutes on came pell-mell a whole regi-
ment in disorder. I rode across one and stopped
him. " We're pursued by cavalry," he gasped ;
" They've cut us all to pieces.". As he spoke a
shell burst over the column ; another dropped on
the road, and out streamed another column of
men, keeping together with their arms, and elosing
up the stragglers of the first regiment. I turned,
ani to my surprise saw the artillerymen had gone
off, leaving one gun standing by itself. They had
retreated with their horses. While we were on
the hill I had observed and pointed out to my
companions a cloud of dust which rose through the
trees on our right front. In my present position
that place must have beer; on the right rear, and
it occurred to me that after all there really might
be a body of cavalry in that direction, but Murat
himself would not have charged these waggons in
that deep, well-fenced lane. If the dust came, as
I believe it did, from field artillery, that would be a
different matter. Any way it was now well estab-
lished that the retreat had really commenced, though
I saw but few wounded men, and the regiments
which were falling back had not suffered much loss.
No one seemed to know anything for certain. Even
the cavalry charge was a rumour. Several officers
said they had carried guns and lines, but then they
drifted into the nonsense which one reads and hears
everywhere about "masked batteries." One or two
talked more sensibly about the strong positions of
the enemy, the fatigue of their men, the want of a
reserve, severe losses, and the bad conduct of certain
regiments. Not one spoke as if he thought of re-
tiring beyond Centreville. The clouds of dust rising
above the woods marked the retreat of the whole
army, and the crowds of fugitives continued to steal
away along the road. The sun was declining, and
some 30 miles yet remained to be accomplished ere
I could hope to gain the shelter of Washington. No
one knew whither any corps or regiment was march-
ing, but there were rumours of all kinds—" The 69th
are cut to pieces ;" " the Fire Zouaves are destroyed,"
and so on. Presently a tremor ran through the
men by whom I was riding, as the sharp reports of
some field-pieces rattled through the wood close at
hand. A sort of subdued roar, like the voice of dis-
tant breakers, rose in front of us, and the soldiers,
who I think were Germans, broke into a double,
looking now and then over their shoulders. There
was no choice for me but to resign any lurther re-
searches. The mail from Washington for the Wed-
nesday steamer at Boston leaves at 2.30 on Monday,
and so I put my horse into a trot, keeping in the
fields alongside the roads as much as I could, to avoid
the fugitives, till I came once more on the rear of the
baggage and store carts, and the pressure of the
crowd, who, conscious of the aid which the vehicles
would afford them against a cavalry charge, and fear-
ful, nevertheless, of their proximity, clamoured and
shouted like madmen as they ran. The road was now
literally covered with baggage. It seemed to me as
if the men inside were throwing the things out pur-.
posely, " Stop," cried Ito the driver of one of the
carts, "everything is falling out." " you,"
shouted a fellow inside, "if you stop him I'll blow
your brains out." My attempts to save Uncle
Sam's property were then and there discontinued.
On approaching Centreville a body of German in-
fantry of the reserve came marching down and
stemmed the current in some degree, they were
followed by a brigade of guns and another battalion
of fresh troops. I turned u? on the hill half a mile
beyond. The vehicles had all left but two—my
buggy was gone. A battery of field guns was in
position where we had been standing. The men
looked well. As yet there was nothing to indicate
more than a retreat and smile ill-behaviour among
the waggoners and the riffraff of different regi-
ments. Centreville was not a bad position properly
occupied, and I saw no reason why it should not be
held if it was meant to renew the attack, nor any
reason why the attack should not be renewed, if
there had been any why it should have been made.
I swept the field once more. The clouds of dust
were denser and nearer. This was all. There was
no firing—no musketry. I turned my horse's bead,
and rode away through the village, and after I got
out upon the road the same confusion seemed to
prevail. Suddenly the guns on the hill openeo,
and at the same time came the thuds cf a '.;14411"Y
from the wood on the right iceae. The stampede
then became gene al. What occurred at the hill I
oani-tct day, but all the road from Centreville for
miles presented such a sight as can 03)117
ha wtt-
nessed in the track, of tlicl eauawaya at so PO-

demoralised army. Drivers flogged, lashed, spurred,
and beat their horses, or leaped down and aban-
doned their teams, and ran by the side of the road;
mounted men, servants, and men in uniform, ve-
hicles of all sorts, commissariat waggons thronged
the narrow ways. At every shot a convulsion as it
were seized upon the morbid mass of bones, sinew,
wood, and iron, and thrilled through it, giving new
energy and action to its desperate efforts to get free
from itself, Again the cry of " Cavalry" arose.
" What are you afraid of? " said I to a man who
was running beside me. " I'm not afraid of you,"
replied the ruffian, levelling his piece at me and
pulling the trigger, It was not loaded or the cap
was not on, for the gun did not go off. I was un-
armed, and I did go off as fast I could, resolved to
keep my own counsel for the second time that day.
And so the flight went on. At one time a whole
mass of infantry, with fixed bayonets, ran down
the bank of the road, and some falling as they ran
must have killed and wounded those among whom
they fell. As I knew the road would soon become
impassable or blocked up, I put my horse to a gal-
lop and passed on towards the front. But mounted
men still rode faster, shouting out, " Cavalry are
coming." Again I ventured to speak to some
officers whom I overtook, and said, " If these run-
aways are not stopped the whole of the posts and
pickets into Washington will fly also !" One of
them, without saying a word, spurred his horse
and dashed on in front. Ido not know whether
he ordered the movement or not, but the van of the
fugitives was now suddenly checked, and, pressing
on through the wood at the roadside, I saw a regi-
ment of infantry blocking up the way, with their
front towards Centreville. A musket was levelled
at my head as I pushed to the front :—" Stop, or
I'll fire." At the same time the officers were shout-
ing out, " Don't let a soul pass." I addressed one
of them and said, " Sir ! I am a British subject, I
am not, I assure you, running away. I have done
my best to stop this disgraceful rout (as I had) and
have been telling them there are no cavalry within
miles of them." " I can't let you pass, sir !" I
bethought me of General Scott's pass. The adju-
tant read it, and the word was given along the line,
" Let that man pass !" and so I rode through, un-
certain if I could gain the Long-bridge in time to
pass over without the countersign. It was about
this time I met a cart by the roadside surrounded
by a group of soldiers some of whom had " 69"
on their caps. The owner, as I took him to be,
Was in great distress, and cried out as I passed,
" Can you tell me, sir, where the 69th are ?
These men say they are eat to pieces." " I
can't tell you." " I'm in charge of the mails,
sir, and I will deliver them if I die for it.
You are a gentleman, and I can depend on youf
word. Is it safe for me to go on ?" Not knowing
the extent of the debacle, I assured him it was, and
asked the men of the regiment how they happened
to be there. " Shure, the Colonel himself told us to
go off every man on his own hook, and to fly for our
lives," replied one of them. The mail agent, who
told me he was an Englishman, started the cart
again. I sincerely hope no bad result to himself
or his charge followed my advice. I reached Fair-
fax Court-house ; the people, black and white, with
anxious faces, were at the doors, and the infantry
were under arms. I was besieged with questions,
though hundreds of fugitives had passed through
before me. At one house I stopped to ask for water
for my horse ; the owner sent his servant for it
cheerfully, the very house were we had in vain
asked for something to eat in the forenoon. " There's
a fright among them," I observed, in reply to his
ques ion respecting the commissariat drivers.
" They're afraid of the enemy's cavalry." " Are you
an American," said the man. "No, I am not."
" Well, then," he said, " there will be cavalry on
them soon enough. There's 20,000 of the best horse-
men in the world in Virginny !" Washington was
still 19 miles away. The road was rough and un
certain, and again my poor steed was under way ;
but it was no use trying to outstrip the runaways.
Once or twice I imagined I heard guns in the rear,
but I could not be sure of it in consequence of the
roar of the flight behind me. It was most surpris-
ing to see how far the foot soldiers had contrived to
get on in advance. After sunset the moon rose, and
amid other acquaintances I jogged alongside an
officer who was in charge of Colonel Hunter, the
commander of a brigade, I believe, who was shot
through the neck, and was inside a cart, escorted
by a few troopers. This officer was, as I under-
stood, the major or second in command of Colonel
Hunter's regiment, yet he had considered it right
to take charge of his chief, and to leave his battalion.
He said they had driven back the enemy with ease,
but had not been supported, and blamed—as bad
officers and good ones will do—the conduct of the
General ; "So mean a fight I never saw." I was re-
minded of a Crimean General who made us merry by
saying after the first bombardment, "In the whole
course of my experience I never saw a siege con-
ducted on such principles as these." Our friend
had been without food, but not, I suspect, without
drink—and that, we know, affects empty stomachs
very much—since 2 o'clock that morning. Now,
what is to be thought of an officer—gallant, he may
be, as steel—who says, as I hear& this gentleman
say to a picket who asked him how the day went in
front, " Well, we've been licked into a cocked hat ;
knocked to —." This was his cry to teamsters,
escorts, convoys, the officers, and men on guard and
detachment, while I, ignorant of the disaster behind
tried to mollify the effect of the news by adding
" Oh, it's a drawn battle. The troops are re-occupy-
ing the position from which they started in the morn-
ing." Perhaps he knew his troops better than I
did. It was a strange ride, through a country now
still as death, the white road shining like a river in
the moonlight, the trees black as ebony in the shade;
now and then a figure flitting by into the forest or
across the road—frightened friend or lurking foe,
who could say ? Then the anxious pickets and sen-
tries all asking, " What's the news ?" and evidently
prepared for any amount of loss. Twice or thrice
we lost our way, or our certainty about it, and
shouted at isolated houses and received no reply,
except from angry watch dogs. Then we were set
right as we approached Washington by teamsters.
For an hour, however, we seemed to be travelling
along a road which in all its points far and near was
" 12 miles from the Long-bridge." Up hilly, down
into valleys, with the silent grim wood for ever by
our sides. Now and then in the profound gloom,
broken only by a spark from the horse's hoof, came a
dull but familiar sound like the shutting of a dis-
tant door. As I approached Washington, having left
the colonel and his escort at some seven miles on
the south side of the Long-bridge, I found the grand
guards, pickets' posts, and individual sentries burn-
ing for news, and the word used to pass along
" What does that man say, Jack ?" "Begorra, ho tells
me were not bet at all—only retraiting to tho ould
lines for convanieney of fighting to-morrow again.
Oh, that's iligant." On getting to the tete de pont,
however, the countersign was demanded; of course,
I had not got it. But the officer passed me through
on the:production of General Scott's safeguard. The
lights of the city were in sight and reflected on the
waters of the Potomac, just glistened by the clouded
moon, shone the gay lamps of the White House,
where the President was probably entertaining
some friends, In silence I passed over the Long-
bridge. Some few hours later it quivered under the
steps of a rabble of unarmed men, At the Wash-
ington end a regiment with piled arms were wait-
ing to cross over into Virginia, singing
cheer-
ing. Before the morning they received orders, I
believe, to assist in keeping Marylond quiet. For
and
the hundredth time I repeated the cautious account
'
which to the best of my knowledge was,true. There
were men, women, and soldiers to hear it. The
clocks had just struck 11 p.m. at I passed Willard's.
The pavement in front
the ball was crowded.
Q,:
The rumours of defaat had come in, but few of the
many who, Lad been fed upon lies and the reports
of complete victory which prevailed could credit the
,
intelligence. Seven hoera had not elapsed before
the streets told, tho story. The " Grand Army of
the Nortla,4 as. it was called, had represontatives in
ril9), oxders, or offi-
cers,out in the draa ~,
every thoroughfare, without ar
standing 'ling rain. when
all these most unaceonnfs;e4 lun
p,..cna was °mar-
ring I
was int asleep Isecould scarce craditmy
int,mxisui morning, when told me that
the ''aeralists, utterly routed, had fallen back upon
Arlington to defend the capital, leaving nearly five

batteries of artillery, 8,000 muskets, immense quan-
tity of stores and baggage, and their wounded and
prisoners in the hands of the enemy !
Let the American journals tell the story their
own way. I h '.70 told mine as I know it. It has
rained incessantly and heavily since early niorning,
and the country must be unfit for operations;
otherwise, if Mr. Davis desired to press his advan-
tage, he might now be very close to Arlington
Heights. He has already proved that he has a fair
right to be considered the head of a belligerent
Power. But, though the North may reel under the
shock, I cannot think it will make her desist fro°
the struggle, unless it be speedily followed by blows
more deadly even than the repulse from ikfailaar•
There is much talk now (of "masked batteries, of
course) of outflanking, and cavalry, and such raat,
ters. The truth seems to be that the men Were
n
overworked, kept out for 12 or 14 hours in the sa f
exposed to look; range fire, badly officered, and n,
deficient regimental organisation. Then came a most
difficult operation—to withdraw this army, s°
stituted, out of action in face of an energetic enemy
who had repulsed it. The retirement of the baggage'
which was without adequate guards, and was in the
hands of ignorant drivers, was misunderstood and
created alarm, and that alarm became a oath'
which became frantic on the appearance the
runaways. and on the opening of their guns °rl
runaways. But the North will be all the Or
eager to retrieve this disaster, although it 111E'l
divert her from the scheme, which has been sat.Te
gested to her, of punishing England a little while
longer. The exultation of the South can only
understood by those who may see it, and if the
Federal Government perseveres in its design r
make Union by force it may prepare for a struggle
the result of which will leave the Union very littler
to fight for. More of the I, battle" in my next.
pity the public across the water, but they must b,ief
the victims of hallucinations and myths it is out "
my power to dispel or rectify just now. Nall
told so long a story, I can scarcely expect yo-i
readers to have patience, and go back upon the usuri
diary of events ; but the recoi ds, such as they are'
of this extraordinary repulse must command atteir
tion. It is impossible to exaggerate their liner-
tance. No man can predict the results or preten'
to guess at them.