The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 10. 1861.

T.HE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHINGTON, JULY 24.
As no one can say what a day or night may bring
forth, particularly in time of war, I avail myself of
a chance of probable quiet, such as it is, amid the
rolling of drums, the braying of trumpets and bands,
the noise of marching men, rolling of waggons, and
general life and activity in the street, to write
some remarks on the action at Manassas or Bull's
Run. Of its general effects abroad, and on the
North and South, a larger and perhaps a better
Navvy can be taken from Europe than on this side of
the Atlantic. There is a natural and intense
anxiety to learn what impression will be made
abroad by the battle,—for, notwithstanding the
vulgar and insolent arrogance of the least reput-
able portion of the press in the United States, gene-
rally conducted by aliens or persons who have left
Great:Britain from cause—it is felt that the result
of the action must have very strong influences
over the fortunes of the contending parties, par-
ticularly in the Money-Market, to which recourse
mast be had in fear and trembling. It would be
well not to arrive at hasty conclusions in reference
to the bearing of the defeat on the actual struggle.
Those who are persuaded that the North must and
will subjugate the South see in the disaster merely a
prolongation of the war, a certain loss of material,
or even an increment of hope in the spirit it will
arouse, as they think, among the Unionists. Others
regard it as an evil omen for the compromise they
desire to effect, as it will give the North another
insult to avenge, and inspire the South with addi-
tional confidence. The Confederates will accept it
as proof demonstrative of their faith that the North
cannot conquer them, and may take it into their
heads to corroborate it by an attempt to inflict on
the North that with which they have been menaced
by the Cabinet of Washington and its supporters.
"What will England and France think of it ? is the
question which is asked over and over again. The
news must go forth in its most unfavourable form,
and it will be weeks, if ever, before the North can set
a great victory to the credit side of its books against
the Confederates. In 30 days or so the question will
be answered—not hastily or angrily, in spite of pro-
vocation and offence, but in the spirit of honourable
neutrality. In the States one thing is certain—the
Cabinet will resist the pressure of the mob, or be
hurled out of office. If they yield to the fanatics
and fight battles against the advice of their officers
they must be beaten ; and the tone of New York
indicates that a second defeat would cost them
their political existence. They can resist such
pressure in future as has been brought on them
hitherto by pointing to Bull's Ran, and by saying,
"See the result of forcing General Scott against his
wishes." Of the Cabinet, Mr. Chase, the Secretary
of the Treasury, is perhaps the only man who bore
up against the disheartening intelligence of Mon-
day morning ; but Mr. Seward and others are reco-
vering their spirits as they find that their army
was more frightened than hurt, and that the Con-
federates did not advance on the capital immedi-
ately after their success. It was a sad rude sweep
of the broom to the cobweb-spinners—to the spider
politicians, who have been laying out warps in all
directions, and are now lying in frowsy heaps among
the ruins of their curious artificers. Nothing can
restore them to their places in the popular estima-
tion ; nothing could have kept them there but the
rapid and complete success of their policy and the
„speedy fulfilment of their prophecies. The sword
they have drawn is held over their heads by the
hands of some coming man whose face no one can
see`yet, but his footsteps :are audible, and the
ground shakes beneath his tread. If Mr. Lincoln
were indeed a despot, with the genius to lead or
direct an army, now would be his time. All the
odium which could be heaped upon him by his
enemies, all the accusations that could have been
preferred, North or South, have been fully urged,
and he could not add to them by leading his army
to victory, while with victory would certainly come
the most unexampled popularity, and perhaps an
extraordinary and prosperous tenure of power.
The campaign would be one worthy of a_Napoleon,
nor could it be determined by even 500,000,000
dole. and 500,000 men, unless they were skilfully
handled:and well economised. If popular passion be
excited by demagogues, and if it be permitted to
affect the councils of the State, it is easy to foresee
the end, though it is not so easy to predict by what
steps ruin will be reached at last. The Ministers
are already ordered to resign by the masters of the
mob, and suffer a just punishment for their tempo-
rary submission to the clamour of the crownless
monarchs of the North-East. The Secretary-at-
War, Mr. Cameron, whose brother fell at the head
of his regiment in the field, is accused of making
the very submission—which was indeed a crime if
ever it occurred—by the very people who urged it
upon him, and there are few Ministers who escape
invective and insinuation.
The great question to be decided just now is the
value of the Union sentiment in the North. Will
the men and the money be forthcoming, and that
soon enough •to continue the war of aggression or
recuperation against the Seceded States ? The
-troops here complain of want of money, and say
they are not paid. If that be so, there is proof of
went of funds, which, if it lasts, will prevent the re-
organisation of another army, and I think it would
not be safe to rely on the present army, or to de-
pend on many of the regiments till they have been
thoroughly reorganised. It must be remembered
that the United States is about to lose the services
of some 80,000 men, many of whom have already
gone home. These are the " three months' men,"
called out under the President's proclamation.
Wnether they will enlist for the term of three
years, now proposed, cannot be determined ; but.
judging from their words, they will not do so if
their present officers are continued or recommis-
sioned. At all events, they will nearly all go home
to be " mustered out of the service,"
as it is called,
in regiments, at the expense of the Government. It
is reported in Washington that steps were taken
long ago to supply the places of the retiring batta-
lions, and that there were also offers of 83 batta-
lions, which have been accepted by the Govern-
znent, sent in as soon as the news of the disaster at
Bull's Run was communicated to the North. Row
the regiments about to leave in a day or two were
sent .into the field at all is one of the mysteries of
the War Department.
While Congress has been passing bills of pains
and penalties, confiscating rebel property, and
amending sundry laches in the penal code, as well
as filling up rat-holes, through which conquered
and run-away Secessionists might escape, in the
laws and body of the constitution, the conquest is
suddenly deferred, and cotton stands king on the
battle-field. " We are glad of it," cry the extreme
abolitionists, "actually delighted, because now
slavery is doomed." The extreme depression which
followed after the joy and delight caused by the
erroneous statements of victory, complete and
brilliant, has been gradually disappearing, in pro-
portion to the inactivity of the enemy or to their
inab:lity to take advantage of their success by im-
mediate action. The funds have recovered, and men
are saying, " Well, it's not so bad as it. might have
been." The eye of faith is turned on the future, the

eye
of speculation is directed on the hoards of capi-
tal, and there is a firm belief that some clever per-
son or another will succeed in inducing John Bull
to Part With a little of his surplus cash, for which
he will receive egregious p ercentage.
If the t
North is ulk of the capital and population of the
thrownth into this struggle, there can be but
one hope for
Confederates—brilliant victories
on the battle-field,pewhicb must lead to recognition
from foreign
Powers.
The fight cannot go on for
ever, and if the Con
States meet with re-
verse--if their capital
'''.
ftccupied, their Congress
dispersed, their territory
stisat which they claim as
theirs) occupied, they mu
submit to the conse-
quences of defeat. Is not tb.at equally true of their
opponen is ? On what ground c,ll the United States,
a
which were founc.ed on saceesst• 1 rebellion, claim
they did
exemption from the universal lair which.
gs of the
so much to establish ? Whatever the fh
een
North may nosy be, there can be no doubt that th
reverse of Manassas caused deep mortification and
e
despondency in S Vaslaington. Gen. Scott, whether
he disapproved, as it is said, the movement onwards
or not, was certain that ti Confederates would be

defeated. Every hour messengers were hurried off
from the field to the end of the wire some miles
away, with reports of the progress made by the
troops, and every hour the telegrams brought good
tidings up to 4 o'clock or so, when the victory
seemed decided in favour of the Federalists ; at
least, the impression was that they had gained the
day by driving the enemy before them. Then came
the news of the necessary retirement of the troops ;
nevertheless, it is affirmed that up to 8 o'clock in
the evening Gen. Scott believed ix the ultimate
success of the United States troops, who under his
own immediate orders had never met with a re-
verse. The President, the Secretary of War, and
other members of the Government, were assembled
in the room where the telegraph operator was
at work far into the night, and as the oracles of
fate uncoiled from the wires gloom gathered on their
faces, and at last, grave and silent, they retired,
leaving hope behind them. It must have been to
them a time of anxiety beyond words ; but of old the
highest honours were given to him who in calamity
and disaster did not despair of the Republic. And
it is to the credit of the President and his advisers
that they have recovered their faith in the ultimate
success of their cause, and think they can subjugate
the South after all. If the Confederates have suf-
fered heavily in the battle, as is believed to be the
case, they may be disheartened in spite of their vic-
tory, and the news of a second uprising and levee en
masse in the North may not be without an unfa-
vourable effect on their ardour. Such men as Wade
Hampton, who is reported killed, leave gaps in their
ranks not readily filled, and the number of colonels
reported to be hors de combat would indicate a con-
siderable loss. But the raw levies are not likely to
be fit for much for months to come, and it is difficult
to see how they will be fit for anything until they
get proper officers. Some of the so-called regiments
which have recently come in are mere mobs with-
out proper equipments, uniform, or arms ; others are
in these respects much better, marching well and
looking like soldiers, but still no better than the
troops who were beaten. It is not courage (need it
be said ?) which is wanting—it is officers, and with-
out them men are worth little or nothing. The men
of some regiments fought well, others did not. There
was little or no difference between the privates of
the one and those of the other; there was probably
a marked distinction between the officers. The West
Point cadets will all be used up by the increase of
the regular army of the United States to 40,000 men
just agreed upon by Congress, after some disputes
between the Senate and the House of Representa-
tives, and the bulk of the officers with military ex-
perience and education are provided for already.
The President is not exempt from the fate of the

unfortunate in all republics, but he has yet a good
deal of the future to draw upon, and the people are
amused by changes among the military commanders
and by threats and promises, for which they will
all have to pay before the quarrel is adjusted. It is
so generally asserted that General Scott did not
approve the advance, for which his plans were not
matured (and it is so probable, too), that it may be
believed by those who have not the greatest faith in
the firmness of his character, and who think he
might be induced to give orders for the execu-
tion of ill-conceived and hasty projects, or, at
all events, to precipitate operations without
the necessary conditions of success. It is certain the
country was becoming fretful and impatient, and
that men like Mr. Wilson, chairman of the Mili-
tary Committee of the Senate, were loud in their
complaints of the delays and inactivity of the army
and of its chief, and of the pretensions of the regu-
lar officers. The schism which must always exist
betweett professionals and quacks, between regular
soldiers and volunteers, has been greatly widened
by the action on Sunday. The Volunteers indulge
in severe reflections on the generalship of the com-
mander ; the regulars speak with contemptuous
bitterness of the inefficiency and cowardice of the
Volunteer officers. The former talk learnedly of
the art of war, and of the cruelty of being led like
sheep to the slaughter. The latter, without detract-
ing from the courage of the men, inveigh against
those who directed their regiments on the field ;
and the Volunteer privates are glad to add their
testimony against many of the officers, whose pride
in uniforms of gold lace did not permit them to soil
them in the smoke of gunpowder. It is remarkable
that so much hankering after military reputation
should be accompanied, in some instances at least,
by an absence of any military spirit. The tone in
which some officers speak of being ""whipped" is
almost boastful and exultant. Last night I heard
one declaring he thought it was a good thing they
were beaten, as it would put an end to the fight-
ing; " he was quite sure none of his men would
ever face the Confederates again." Another was of
opinion that it was lucky that they had escaped
so well. And so on. It would be, lam certain, as
unjust to the bulk of the officers to suppose they
entertain such sentiments as these as it would
be in the last degree untrue to say that their
men were destitute of courage and were not ready
to fight any enemy, if fairly disciplined and
properly led ; but the expression of these things
is indicative of the want of proper esprit militaire,
and it should be represented by those who wish
to establish the loyalty of the Volunteer army.
No doubt the American papers will fur-
nish detailed lista of killed and wounded, if
you have any fancy to publish them, and
columns of letters from the soldiers and pages
of incidents of the battle which may be consulted
by the curious ; but there is a concarreace of tes-
timony to the good conduct of Blenker's Germans,
the 69th Irish, and the 79th Scotch. Captain Mea-
gher, indeed, I am told, yielded to the universal
panic, and was sees on foot at Centreville making
the best of his way towards Fort Corcoran, with
exclamations which implied that for the mo-
ment he recognised the Southern Confederacy as
highly belligerent. Colonel Corcoran, conspicuous
by his great stature, being a man of six feet and
a-half in height, was an object of attraction to the
enemy, and is lying dangerously, if not mortally,
wounded. The Rhode Island Regiment has been,
however, the most favoured by the voice of praise,
though many competitors are now putting in
claims for at least equal honour.
There are various statements in reference to the
conduct of the regular cavalry and infantry. The
regular officers admit that at one time the cavalry
gave Way, but they did not break or fly ; they
frwereut t
orallied,
the
enemy.dre wT
up in line
regular
ne
gnla
e again,rofficers
o andces
showeddeclare
that it was the infantry which saved the retreat,
covering it steadily in conjunction with the Ger-
mans; and the losses of the United States' Marines
argue that they had a large share of the enemy's
fire. The artillery who lost their guns speak, as
artillery will do under the circumstances,dthegoenfetrhael
infantry which deserted them; an
officers, who must after all be the best judges, bear
strong testimony to the good services and general
steadiness of tha regulars engaged in the action.
'When the statements in the American papers are
compared with the facts I am aware it will be neces-
sary to rely a little on "character," in asking faith
for what I report. There was not a bayonet charge
made by the Federalist infantry during the day ;
there was not a charge of any kind made by the
Confederate cavalry upon any regiment of
notth aeir
enemy until the latter broke. There was
hand-to-hand enccunter between any regiment.
There was not a single " battery charged" or takdn
iy the Federalists. There were no masked batteries
in play by the former. There was no annihilation
of rebel horse by Zouaves, Fire, or other. A
volley fired by one battalion emptied three saddles

among a body of horse who appeared at some dis-
tance, and the infantry which performed the execu-
tion then retired. There were no desperate struggles

except by those who wanted to get away. The whole
matter in plain English amounts to this. The Fede-

ralists advanced slowly, but steadily, under the fire

- -
of their artillery, driving the enemy, who rarely
showed out of cover, in line before them, and gra-
dually forced them back on the right and centre for
a mile and a half towards Manassas. As the enemy
fell back they used their artillery also, and there
was a good deal of pounding at long ranges with
light field guns, and some heavier rifled ordnance,
the line on both sides being rarely within 500 yards
of each other. On one occasion the regiments on
the right were received by a musketry fire from
the enemy
which induced them to fall back, but

they were rallied and led forwards towards the
front. The Confederates again gave way, and the
Federalists advanced one more. Again the line of
the enemy appeared in front, and delivered fire. The
Zouaves, as they are called, and the 11th New York,
which were on the flank, fell into confusion not to
be rallied, and eventually retired from the field in
disorder, to use the mildest terms, with a conta-
gious effect on their comrades and with the loss of
the guns which they were supporting. Nothing
would, or could, or did stop them. In vain they
were reminded of their oaths to "avenge Elles-
worth's death." Their flag was displayed to the
winds, it had lost its attractions. They ran in all
directions with a speed which their fortune favoured.
"I tell the tale as it was told to me" by one who
had more to do with them, and had better opportu-
nity of witness their conduct than I had., for, as I
have already stated in a previous letter, I was late
on the ground, and had not been able to see much
ere the retreat was ordered. Though I was well
mounted, and had left Washington with the inten-
tion of returning early that night, I found fugi-
tives who had preceded me in masses all the way,
and when I crossed the Long-bridge about 11
o'clock I was told that the city was full of those
who had returned from the fight. But, if the
miserable rout and panic of the Federalists have
produced such deplorable results to their cause,
they have still much to be thankful for. Had the
Confederates been aware of their success, and fol-
lowed up their advantage early on Monday morning,
there was no reason on earth why they should not
have either got into Washington or compelled the
whole of the Federalist army that kept together and
could not escape, as it was all on one road, to sur-
render themselves prisoners, with all they possessed.
If the statements in the Federalist papers as to
their strength be correct, the rebels could have
easily spared 30,000 men for that purpose, with a
reserve of 10,000 or 15,000 in their rear. The chain
bridge, the fords above the Falls, were open to them
—at least, there could be but little or no opposition
from the disorganised forces. The columns moving
round from Fairfax to their left by Vienna would
have been able certainly, to cross at Matildavilla ;
others could have got over at the Falls, and still
there would have been enough for Beauregard to
occupy Manassas, and to send on a heavy column
to cover Alexandria and to shut up the Federalists
in the earthworks and tete de pont, if not to wrest
them from troops deeply affected by the rout they
were witnessing. If the Confederates had the
cavalry of which so much has been said, they were
scandalously handled. A detour by a crossroad from
Centreville to the Germantown road would have
placed the horse in the rear of the retreating mass
in half-an-hour, and it is not too much to say that
mass would have thrown itself on the mercy of the
pursuers. If Beauregard's or Lee's force was small,
as they say, and suffered as much as the Federalists
aver, the flight is the more incomprehensible. But
still it is very strange that the victors should not
have been aware of their victory—that is, of the
utter rout which followed their repulse. The at-
tempt to form on the top of Centreville, only par-
tially successful as it was, might have imposed on the
enemy, and saved M'Dowell from the pursuit which
he did his best to avert. The journals, which at first
boasted of the grand Union army of 45,000 men, are
now anxious to show that only 20,000 were engaged.
Why did the other 25,000 run away ? The German
regiment under Col, Blucker, and perhaps some other
corps, may have retired in good order, but eventu-
ally few withstood the incessant alarms. The rain,
which commenced on Monday morning early, may
have had much to do with the undisturbed retreat
of the Federalists, as the enterprise and activity of
the enemy would be much diminished in conse-
quence, and as for the beaten army, it has been al-
ways observed that troops hold together and march
well in rain. But with all allowances and excuses,
it is still mysterious inactivity. Johnston, whose
junction with 40,000 men is said to have taken
place (if he had half the number it is more than I
give him credit for) on the morning of the battle,
must have swelled the force under Lee and Beaure-
gard to 70,000 men at the least. He is the best
officer in the Confederate army, and it is believed
here that he is already away operating in Western
Virginia. There is a suspicious silence in the de-
spatches and telegrams from the West and South-
Western camps of the Federalists which justifies the
Secessionist rumours of disaster in those quarters.
The Confederates by moving out to meet M'Dowell
anticipated the engagement, and brought on the
action sooner than he expected, so much so that he
was obliged to break up his column, and turn out
the regiments right and left as well as he could to
bring them into line. It would seem as if they were
aware of his plans, for they disregarded the move-
ments on their right, and did not exhibit any ac-
tivity there till the force opposite their left began
to give way, whereupon they made an attempt on
the left flank of the Federalists, which added to the
alarm of the retiring army.
In my last letter, sent at 4 o'clock on Tuesday
morning by special courier to Boston, where it
arrived in time for the Wednesday packet of July
24, I brought down my narrative to the Monday
preceding, such as it was, and have nothing to add
to it of much consequence. One of the first
acts of the Secretary of War on being made
aware of the reverse was to telegraph to General
M'Clellan to come to Washington, and to de-
mand reinforcements from the Governors of
the Northern States, as well as to put the autho-
rities at Fort M'Henry on their guard against
a rising in Baltimore. On Tuesday, the rain
having ceased in the morning early, the streets
were crowded with baggage carts and with
soldiers who wandered up and down astonish-
ing the natives with anecdotes of battle, and doing
anything but duty with their regiments. These
men have now been coerced by the mounted patrols
to repair to the rendezvous assigned for them by
General Mansfield or to go to durance vile; but for
the whole day and night the capital presented an
extraordinary aspect, to which a deeper interest
was lent by the arrival of waggons and ambulances
of wounded.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24.

Before breakfast I rode over the Long-bridge to
Arlington. There were groups of soldiers, mostly
without arms or belts, some few shoeless, a good
many footsore, going along the ground or standing
in the streets of the city engaged in the occupation
called "loafing" in these parts. Several of the men
stopped me to inquire after the different regiments
to which they belonged. They were dejected and
broken looking fellows, but, at all events, their
mein was more becoming than that of their officers
who are crowding about the hotels and talking of
their " whipping" with complacency and without
shame. A Washington paper, alluding to the de-
moralisation of the regiments yesterday evening,
calls on these officers " to forego one day's duty at
the bars and hotels," and to return to their corps.
Thousands of men follow the example of their su-
periors. The necessities of others compel them to
seek
ieesoucoetf the quarters of their regiments that they
be fed. One man dressed in uniform had the
intoim-
taoneccdomoetes,
w hmicyhrwooold roommutof-udranyih
,sanad afstupen-
doustera sequel to Munchausen, as to his valour,
i "masked batteries," charges of cavalry, &c., to ask
me for the loan of 5 dols., on the ground that he
was a waiter at the hotel at which I had stopped in
New York. I could perceive by his talk and by
that of some other soldiers the mode in which these
stories about " charges" and "masked batteries"
are made up. A newspaper reporter is made the
victim of some glorious myths by a frightened, in-
toxicated, or needy warrior, and these are duly
made immortal in type. Then hundreds of men, '
anxious to see what is said about them in the
pa
inperscid,aenndt,s
of the affairignorantas ins whicholdiersgtehey
nerahllayvearbeeeonf
the
end,d iggiaogu es
sr
leaf ad of ft e ‘r‘ ,
,B, l a, c, kF
ilrleo r s
ze
oRu aanv ge
se
,r,,s , "
C a"pPt arion-
Meagher on a white charger, with a green flag,
rushing in the midst of inaccessible and impregna-
ble masked batteries, and persuade themselves it is
all true, adding to their subsequent narratives such
incidents of life and colour as may be within their
knowledge or imagination. Excitement has a won-
derful influence on their perceptive faculties. Great
exertions were requite yesterday to prevent the
mob of. disorganise soldiers and the rabble from
maltreating or nntrd ring the Confederate prisoners
ii

and it was necessary to rescue them by patrols of
dragoons. In one instance a Senator informed Gen.
M'Dowell that he had seen the mob with his own
eyes hanging a prisoner, and that gallant and gene-
rous officer at once rushed off, if he could not rescue
at least to avenge the " rebel," but on arriving at
the place he was happy to find he was in time to
shield the man from the violence of the crowd, and
that the Senator had mistaken an "effigy" for a human
being. Gen. M'Dowell has been much distressed by
the dastardly conduct of some of the beaten troops
towards their prisoners, and there have been strange
scenes in consequence. " General," said one man,
" had I known this, I would have died a hundred
times before I fell into these wretches' hands. Let
me go free, and let any two or four of them venture
to insult me then !" The soldiers are, however,
greatly irritated not only by defeat, but by reports
of the most horrible cruelties and atrocities towards
prisoners and wounded by the Confederates ; indeed,
if it should be the case that the latter burnt an hospi-
tal at Centreville with all the wounded, and that they
cut the throats of captives and dying soldiers on the
field of battle and in the retreat, the indignation
and disgust of the whole civilised world should visit
them, and their cause will be marred by more such
vile cowardice and blood-thirstiness than ten such
victories could advance it. For one, lam loath to
credit these stories, but it is only right to say that
there are many such current, particularly in refer•
ence to the New Orleans Zouaves.
In a previous letter some account was given of
the defences on the right bank of the river opposite
to Washington. Men were engaged in working 4t
the tete de pont, and letting the water of the river
into the newly dug ditch. It is probable the Long-
bridge is Rained, as no one is allowed to smoke upon
it, but the carters, many of whom are negroes, do
not pay much attention to the order when the
sentries are not looking. Apropos of negroes, it is
confidentially asserted that a corps of them is em-
ployed by the Confederates for camp duty, i! not
for fighting, and that they were certainly employed
to guard the prisoners to the intense anger of
Federalists. One officer who came in says that
he was actually in their custody. He escaped by a
method not often resorted to by officers, for he
pledged his word of honour he would not attempt
to go away if he were allowed to go for a drink of
water, and when he had done so he made the best
of his way to Washington, and told the anecdote in
society among whom was a member of the British
Legation. There is an increase of the camps on the
heights up to Arlington, and there must now be a
strong force of infantry there, though there is a
deficiency in field artillery. Of guns in position
in the works there is the greatest abundance. The
road up to Arlington House was dotted with men
returning to the camps, few of whom were encum-
bered with firelocks. General M'Dowell was sit-
ting with some officers before his tent under the
trees which shaded the place from the sun. He is
a man in the prime of life, some 40 and odd years
of age, very powerfully built, with a kindly, honest,
soldierly expression in face and manners, and it was
pleasant to see that, though he was not proud of
being " whipped," there was no dejection other
than that a man should feel who has been beaten
by his enemy, but who knows he has done his duty.
Originally he had proposed a series of operations
different from those which were actually adopted,
and his dispositions for the advance of his columns
after the scheme of attack was decided upon were
carefui and elaborate. But he miscalculated some-
' what the powers of regular troops. All his subse-
quent operations were vitiated by the impossibility
of gaining the points fixed on for the first day's
march, and General Tyler, who engaged somewhat
too seriously with the enemy on the left at Bull's
Run on the Thursday before the battle in making
what was a mere reconnaissance put them on the
alert and hastened up Johnston.

The General was kind enough to go over the plans
of the attack with me, and to acquaint me with the
dispositions he had made for carrying out the orders
he had received to make it, and to my poor judg-
ment they were judicious and clear. With the maps
laid out on the table before his tent he traced the
movements of the various columns from the com-
mencement of offensive measures to the disastrous
advance upon Manassas. It was evident that the
Confederate Generals either were informed or
divined the general object of his plan, which was,
in fact, to effect a turning movement of his centre
and right, while his left menaced their right on
Bull's Run, and to get round their left altogether;
for they had, soon after he moved, advanced their
columns to meet him, and brought on an engage-
ment, which he was obliged to accept on ground and
at a time where and when he had not contemplated
fighting. The initial failure of the movement took
place several days earlier, when his columns were
late on the march, though ample time had been
allowed to them, so that, instead of getting into
Centreville and to the Run, he was obliged to halt
at Fairfax Court-house, and to lose another day in
occupying the positions which ought to have been
taken when he first advanced.

By moving out to attack or meet him the enemy
obliged him to abandon the design of turning them
and getting round their left below Manassas, and
when once they did so it became obvious that he had
not much chance of succeeding, unless he could
actually push back the enemy and " keep them
moving" with such rapidity that they would fly
into and out of their lines jast as his own troops
did from the field. The officers who were present
were all agreed that the Federalists had advanced
steadily on the right and centre, and-that they had
driven back the Confederates with considerable loss
for a mile and a half when the panic took plate in
the regiments on the flank of the right, which neces-
sitated the issue of an order for the retirement of
the whole force, and the advance of the reserves to
cover it. The Volunteers who had broken could
I not be rallied, the movement always dangerous
with such materials, under such circumstances was
misunderstood by the waggon drivers and by other
regiments, and. the retreat became finally the
shameful rout, which was only not utterly disas-
trous because of the ignorance and inactivity or the
weakness of the enemy. Major Barry, an officer
of the regular United States Artillery, told me he
could not stop the runaways, who ought to have
protected his guns, though the gunners stood
by them till the enemy were fairly upon them,
and that, as for the much-talked-of cavalry, two
round shots which were pitched into them by his

battery sent them .to the rightabout at once.
The regular officers spoke in only one way of the

conduct of the officers of the Volunteers and of cer-

tain regiments. Indeed, what could be said of men

who acted after and in action as others acted before

it, and went away as fast as they could ? Thus the
men of a Volunteer battery marched off, leaving

their guns on the ground, the very morning of the

engagement, because their three months' term of

service was up, and the Pennsylvania regiments ex-
hibited a similar spirit. The 69th Irish volunteered
to serve as long as they were required, and so did

some other carps, I believe ; but there must be some-

thing rotten in the system, military and political,

which generates such sentiments and developes

neither the sense of military honour nor any of that

affectionate devotion for the Union which is called

by one party in America patriotism. As the General
was speaking to me, a Volunteer Colonel came up,
and said abruptly, " General, my men have had no-
thing to eat for four days ; what is to be done ?"
"Make an application to the commissariat officer,

and represent the circumstances to me. There is no
reason whatever why the men should be without

food, for there is plenty of it in camp." " Yes ; but
the carters won't bring it. They go away and leave
us, and, as I tell you, the men have had nothing for
four days." "I tell you, Sir, that must be the fault
of their officers. Why were not the circumstances
reported ? Go over to Capt. --•, and ho will take
the necessary steps."
And after some further cx
patiation on the hardships of his case, the Colonel,
who is as brave as a lion, but who is not very well
•
acquainted with military routine, retired. It need
not be said that the men were not actually without
food for four days, although the Colonel's statement
in reference to the commissariat was true. Reckless
as ad soldiers are of provisions and food, Volunteers
are notoriously extraordinarily so. Then there is
probably a want of organisation in the commissa-
riat. M'Dowell's corps were ordered to march
with three days' food cooked, not including, of

course, the day of marching. The food was, how-
ever, issued inclusive of that day, and next day the
men had eaten up, or wasted, the two days' rations
in one, and had nothing. They were badly pro-
vided with food and with water on the very day
of the action, and some men told me that evening
they had eaten nothing since 230 a.m. Indeed,
the General witnessed the disorder which was
caused by the regiments rushing out of the ranks
to drink at a small stream before they went into
action, though their canteens were filled before
they set out. Mr. Wadsworth, a gentleman of

New York of large fortune, who, with the rank of
Major, is acting as aide-decamp to the General, had
just come in from Centreville from the Confederates,
to whom he had gone yesterday with a flag of truce
relative to the dead and wounded. They would
not permit him to enter their lines, but otherwise
received him courteously, and for warded his de-
spatches. This morning he was told that an answer
would be sent in due time to his despatches, and he
was ordered to return to his quarters. While I was
at Arlington despatches and messengers were con-
tinually arriving. One was from headquarters, ap-
pointing Major Barry to command the artillery.
Another stated that the enemy had advanced to
Fairfax Court-house. Presently in came two young
men, who said they had been prevented going to
that place by the approach of the Confederates, and
that they had heard the sound of guns as they
turned back. The balloon was up in the air re-
connoitring, or, as I suspect, struggling with the
wind, which was drifting it steadily towards the
Confederates. No one seemed to know, however,
what Beauregard and Lee are doing, but it is
affirmed that Johnston has gone off with a corps
towards Western Virginia once more, and that an
insurrection in Baltimore and Maryland is only
prevented by the reinforcements which are pouring
in to General Banks and by the anticipations of
speedy aid from the Confederates. Mr. Bernal, the
British consul, came over to-day to consult with
Lord Lyons on certain matters connected with our
interests in the city of Baltimore. As the truth is
developed the Secessionists in Washington become
radiant with joy, and cannot conceal their exulta-
tion wherever it is safe to indulge it. Their ears are
erect for the sound of the cannon which is to herald
the entrance of the enemy into the capital of the
United States. The Unionists, on the other hand,
speak of the past hopes of the enemy, of the great
reinforcements arriving, of the renewed efforts of
the North, and of its determination to put down re-
bellion. There must be an infatuation which
amounts to a kind of national insanity in a portion
of the North, or is it possible that they believe what
the journals tell them—that they are the strongest,
bravest, richest, mightiest people in the world, and
that they have only to will it, and the world—in-
cluding the Confederate States—is prostrate before
them ? The exaggerations and misstatements of
part of the American press would certainly lead
those who believed it to such conclusions.

Let us take a few phrases from the papers in re-
ference to the action at Manassas. One New York
journal on Monday announced positively " the• na-
tional troops undisputed victors." "Bull's Run lost,
they must want water." " The enthusiasm which
carried certain regiments" whose " brave and bril-
liant exploits were pre-eminent,"" into the face of
the intrenched foe was startling in its effect."
" The nation has triumphed ! Praise be to God !
Live the Republic !" It does " not infer the South-
ern men are cowards," but that " all the forgery,
perjury, and telegraphic lying have not weaned a
very large proportion of them from their old love of
the Union." " Splendid Union Victory !" " Terrible
slaughter!" " Twelve hours' terrific fighting !"
" Their last hope gone !" " Heroism of the Union
forces !" " They know no such word as fear !"
"Hot chase of the rebels !" At 5 30, when the Fe-
deralists were in retreat, "an officer telegraphs the
enemy totally routed." There is, of course, plenty
of " flanking" and " masked batteries ;" and, as a
proof of hard work on the part of the pioneers, it is
remarked—" An observer judged it would ordinarily
take three months to do what these lumbermen did
in half a day !" " Guns were discharged as rapid
as two in a minute." "We have successfully out-
flanked the enemy." A " brigadier-quartermaster"
was taken. In several places it is stated that the
men asserted " their officers were cowards." In an-
other journal of New York there are accounts of the
" Greatest battle ever fought on this continent ;"
"Fearful carnage on both sides !" "Incessant roar
of artillery and rattle of small arms !" " Terrible
tenacity !" " After a terrific fight, each and every
rebel battery was taken !" " Now on to Richmond!"
" The rout of the enemy was complete !" " Crushing
rebellion !" " Victory at Bull's Run ; Sumter
avenged !" A " battle of unparalleled severity !"
" Oar gallant laurel-crowned army !" Another
newspaper, " Our army went into battle with firm
step and light hearts, singing patriotic songs."
Bull's Run defeat is placed " among those great
military achievements which in ancient and modern
times have overthrown or marked the beginning of
empires," &c., " not less than 125,000 being en-
gaged on both sides." The poor blusterer tells us
"an army equal in numbers to that of France, and as
well disciplined, will burn to resent the wrongs that
have been offered to the country, and they will re-
joice at being able to display abroad the valour for
which there will be no longer a field at home." It
would be worth while to know what the Secretary
of State thinks of this style of writing at present.
His frame of mind just now, perhaps, is not suited
to such strong expressions, particularly as the people
they are meant to arouse only laugh at them.

THURSDAY, JULY 25.

Last night there was an alarm that the enemy
were advancing. General Scott and his staff were
roused up in the night by messengers from the out-
posts. There was a similar alarm in Alexandria,
1 but the report was untrue. The Confederates,
however, have advanced their pickets within six
miles of the latter place. The War Department is
in ignorance of their general movements, and can
get no intelligence from the country. Several regi-
ments marched out of the city, as their time was
up, and their place will be taken by others coming
in from the north and west. The three months
men are going off just as their services are most
needed. Can any one say the three years men may
not do the same? The proportions of the contest
are not likely to be dwarfed.

FRIDAY, July 26.
I have kept my letter open to the last moment,
but there is no change to announce, except a nearer
advance of the enemy's pickets on the road to
Alexandria. General 111‘Clellan has arrived, and
it is said he will send a force out at once to guard
the Upper Potomac, and to prevent any force cross-
ing in that direction. The weather is not excessively
hot, and is favourable enough for campaigning
operations. Washington is quiet to-day as yet.
There are considerable additions to be made to the
works on the other side, and, indeed, there is a hill
in front of one of the redoubts which commands it
a trifle, and which it is an oversight not to fortify.
In a few days, if any column is ready, I hope to be
able to accompany it.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO IRELAND.--A corre-
spondent of the Cork Examiner says :—' I am now in a
position to state that the characteristic generosity of the
noble house of Kenmare has been remarkably exhibited.
At an adjourned meeting of the committee held on Friday,
to carry out the arrangament, &c., for receiving her Ma-
jesty, it was stated that Mr. Thomas Gallwey, agent to
Lord Castlerosse, will in a short time announce the
route her Majesty will take in going through his de-
mesne, to the people of Killarney, who will be
allowed to remain present when her Majesty passes. It is
now positively ascertained that her Majesty will remain
here but for three days, and not four as was stated. On the
last day she will remain at Muckross House, when Colonel
Herbert will get up a stag hunt on the Upper Lake. The
preparations at Killarney House are all of a most extensive
and superb description. Workmen are busily engaged in
erecting platforms in the last avenue.
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.RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

NORTH DEVON.

The report of the directors states that the gross
receipts of the traffic for the past half-year amount
to £12,335, as compared with £11,910 for the cor-
responding half of last year. The net revenue, after
the payment of interest on debentures, amounts to
£2,456. The dividend on the preference stock will
absorb £1,155, leaving £1,301 available for a divi-
dend on the ordinary stock. The directors recom-
mend a dividend at the rate of 17s. 6d. per cent. on
the original stock,which will leave a balance of £l7.
The increase in the value of money has rendered
the renewal of the debentures a matter of some
difficulty, and the directors have generally been
compelled to increase the rate. They have made a
conditional agreement with Mr. Brassey for work-
ing the line for another year, upon the same terms
and conditions as the present lease. The capital
account to the 30th of June shows that £497,639
has been received, and £496,801 expended, leav-
ing a balance of £B3B. The revenue account
states that £6,023 had been received, and £387
expended, leaving a balance of £5,637.