New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-07-23
The WAR FOR THE UNION.
NATIONAL DISASTER ATBULLSEuN.
The Conflict and the First Success.

spsn Our Special Correspondents .r

qnsEce IL is true that an attempt ur"n me
euemy's position was bcgVn, ard that 1t fehe0;
but IL was not made in force, aod occasi"ned
US DO serious loss 1t is difficult 60 uhdrrstahu'
even now, tie precise ib,enrOn Of orr GenrEaiS
in arraDg Dg the attack. Tue preparations "c'o
too important for skrm'sh or reconnaissance
and LOT sufficiently so for an eGecti'e 'neai''
meat. The fact probably is, that cur opers,Y".
were conducted on 30 partephr pia"' u'' "'''
The Successive dispositions OF our "'pP'
guided By vague impulses, rather 'oS" ~ s'O"u
judgment. Unfortunate errors cer'any were
coumi.tsd, both ut tae commt nc' hens ana dui'Eg
the nrooresa of the skirnlish, but to what eSteot
the, NAV have Affected tie result can D"~ only
be- c.sircfurd After tho potion stall have
been taken, and tbs ground examined, we caD
judge more surely.
last n.glt sent an extremely basty account Of
Che affair, g. which some details may le added
to-day, at the ii Of oess,soBol reprtiaiUns.
Wben the head of our division left tue encaup-
mept near CebIre,ile on Thursday morning, 1t
was suppos, tOet the four bEigades woid 'c"w
reguI ry, AID that tho movement "af, 90 1t had
been. The previous day, enc of mipDtnde a1d
forces Under this imprrssidp, we paced through
Cen,revHl5 (~hrrc, by tho way, we learned tbEt
FIVE or six Thousand Rebel tro"ps, with artillery
and cavalry, had ma ched from Fariax toward
Manassas the nieht before, ana tbero We might
have intercepted Enrm had we advanced Instead
Of batting for the night betaee6 Germantown
aud Gsntrcyi!e, ard thus prevented their joining
tue Rebel 'Orco at Bulls Rur, OF eIse~bere), AID
made gradual proe rsss soulbw, Td. The sh1nsh-
ers We're somewhat less cautiously post d. and
indeed, the eafIro hne Of march se' Ined to DO
les carefully preserved than durieg tie day te-
fore. Tie second brigade, US II a'er"ard ap-
peared. was upward Of mile behind the hrst
and the remaining two we're ie't at such d's'
tauee as to forbid any hope of pr mpt reinforce
meOt from them, 10 cass OF an engagement. Tho
day was excessively wSr'n, and Che troops, ex-
ceptIpg those OF the advance, marched laugaidy.
They were hated at about q mIle hOm Bulfs
Run, To await the result Of recoDnO ssaUcn by
Gen. Tyler, who, preceded by tue skra'i'hers,
and att. nded BY squadron of cavalry under
Capt Bracket, rode forward to Toe position
wbIeh was tuhse Iuenty taken up by our forces
Bulls Run is un Insignificant creek, the banks
Of which ae sufficiently high and steep at this
syot to suit it fJr service as ditch 10 artificial
en.bankmcuts. 1t is tOlcealed from view, except
ing upon a near approach, by thickets aud under
brush The peculiar chasm through which 1t runs
was perhaps the cause OF lis selection as part
of Beauregard's long line OF Qualifications. In
ether ways, the position is naturally strong. Long
ranges of hills Use behind it, vi frequent levi
platforms, like terraces, which appear excelently
sui,ed for batteries of any dimensions. The woods
NJ a tto aud
excepting in one or two speLiICs, compl,ftly hide
oil operations that may be carried on The pTin-
cirsl ruad--that upon which We were advancing
takes sudden turn Just at the edge Of these woods,
and is thereafter almost ndistinguishabe. On the
side where we low nd on selves, the elevation,
though considerable, is in eriOr, aid is wholly III.
sheltered. The hill dcscends smoothly, without an
sodulation or a single tree for some hundreds Of
rods at each side of the road. Upon its summit,
20 the left, small country house, barn, aud other
buildings stand, surrounded by few trees. To
the right is an open whea,-fed, with trees al
It's rear. By this house, Ger. Tyler advanced aud
made his observations The skirmishers hao rested
half way down the hill, having detected pickets
near them, which were suddenly withdrawn at
fheir approach. For q short time it was hard to
discover indications Of the e-emy's presence, but
presently in the en- 81 aces among the woods,
bodies of cavalry were dsCerned, some in motion,
and some at rest and ev.Ge lily encamped. Higher
up, there were lines of infantry in motion, and
toward the summit tents were visible. No bat.
tars of any Kind were in 81 hit. 1t did not
appear, while the examination vas going ON, that
any Of our party kew We had arrived at Bulls
RuH, although it had long been understood that
he Rebels had at that place established some Of
their strongest intrenchments.
4 house and barn little beyond the center of
tbe valley slddea)y swaruIed WITH sold.ers. Their
sppearsBce was probably an inadvert nee, for
nsey withdrew themselves Immediately, aud were
aiter~ard only imperieetly secD. This was the
nearest point at which we had observed The eoe
my. 1t was barely half a mile distant upon the
msis road, and was appsrestly unsupported.
Gen. Tyler said: "What can you d. with tLtm.
Capt. Bracket ~ and Captain Bracket IN
swered, I" If taey have batteries, they'll pick
good many of my men of Wills We 20 down;
hut If you say the word, I'll take them." Gen.
Tier thee sent orders back for the advance Of
kse artillery, and the leading brigade. Caut.
Bracket showed that his concern rupect No tho
Batteries vas not personal one, by riding down
entirely siOIe, some distance beyond where the
esemy's pickets had 6rst been seen, aud sp.
pScachlBg the barn sufficiently near to iud that
it communicated by sentiaeis with force some.
x.hara hehind iha treaa Thts int.lit uauca ma.