The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-08-24
General Mcdowell.
HIS OFFICIAL JUSTIFICATION.

Gen. McDowslls Official report of the
battle Of Bull Run is in print. Its nara
tive points have been anticipated by the
many different accounts of that engage
ment from the pens OF newspaper cores
rally differ His defence of the policy
which led him to the attack when and in
the manner he did, is as follows:
As my position may warrant, even if it
does not call, for some explanation of the
causes, as far as they can be seen, which
led to the results herein stated, i trust it
may not be out Of place if | refer in few
words to the immediate antecedeats of
the battle. When l submitted to the
General-in-Chief, in compliance with his
verbal instructions, the plan of operations
and estimate of force required, the time ]
was to proceed to carry it into effect was
fixed for the Sth July, Monday. Every
facility possible was given me by the Gen
eral-in-Chief and heads of the admlnistra-
tive departments in making the necessary
preparations. But the regiments, owing,
l was told to want of transportation, came
over slowly. Many of them did not cross
till eight or nine days after the time fixed
upon, and went forward without my even
seeing them, and without having been
together UelOfe In a brigade.
The sending rentorcements to General
Patterson, by drawing of the wagons, was
further and unavoidable cause of delay.
! Notwithstanding the herculean efforts
of the Quartermaste General and his IA
voring me in every way, the wagons for
ammunition, subsistence, etc. and the
horses for the trains and the artillery, did
not arm c Tor more than week after the
time appointed TO move. ! was not even
prepared as late as the 18th ultimo and
the desire that | should move became
great, and 1t was wished ! should not, if
possible, delay longer than Tuesday, the
10th, was still deficient in wagons for
subsistence. But went forward trusting
to Their being produced IN time to follow
me. The trains thus hurriedly gathered
together, with horses, wagons, drivers and
wagon managers, all new and unused to
each other, moved with difficulty and dis
order, and Were the cause of u days delay
in getting the provisions forward, making
1t necessary TO make on Sunday the at
tack which We should have made on Sat
urday.
/ could not, with every exertion, get
forward with the troops earlier than we
did. | wished to 90 Centreville the sec
ond day, which would have taken us
there on the l1th, and enabled Us, 30 far
as they were concerned, 20 90 into action
/ on the l9th, instead Of the 2lsi but when
| went forward from Fairfax Court House
beyond Germantown, to urge them for
ward, | was told il was impossible for the
men to march further. They had only
come from Nienua, about six miles, and it
was not more than six and half miles
farther 10 Cent!ey.lle-in all a march of
twelve and a halt miles but the men
were foot WARY, not SO much was told,
by the distance marched, as by the time
/ they had been on foot, caused by the OBJ
[ struct-Ous III the road and the slow pace
! we had TO move TO avoid ambuscades
+ he men. Were, moreover, unaccustomed
/ 10 marching, their bodies not in eondition
( for that work, and not used to carrying
even the common load of light marching
! order
! We crossed Bull Run with about lS,-
900 men OF all arms, the fifth division
Miles ana Richardson's brigadel on the
left, at Black burn Ford TO Centreville,
and Schenck brigade, of Tylers Division
on the ie!t ~ the road, near the Stone
/ Bridge not participating in the main
action. ne numbers opposed 10 US have
been varlously estimated. ! may safely
say, and AVOID even the appearance of ex-
aggeration, that the enemy byoght up all
he could which We're not kept engaged
elsewhere. lie had notice OF our comm 9
on the 18th, and time until the Dist 10
bring up whatever he had. Ii Is known
that in estimating the force to go against
( Manassas, | engaged not to have 10 do
wth the enemys forces under johnson,
then kept IN check i'll the valley by Major
General Patterson, or those kept engaged
by Ma or General Butler, and | know
every effort was made 10y the General-in
Chief that this should be done, and that
even if johnson Joined Beauregard, it
would not be because he could be followed
10y General Patterson, but from causes moi
necessary Tor me TO refer to, If | knew
them all. This was not done and the
enemy was free to assemble from every
direction in numbers only limited by the
amount Of his railroad rolling stock anC
his supply of provisions To the forces
therefore, we drove in from Fairfax Cour
r House, Fairfax Station, GelmantowH anC
Centreville, ana those under Beauregarc
at Manassas, must be added those unde
Johnson from Winchester and thos
brought by Davis from Richmond ant
: other places at the South, to which is t
= he added the levy tn naaSSc ordered by tn
Richmond authorities, which was ordere,
/
amounted to, | cannot say-certainly NOR
e than we attacked them with.
;, ! could not as ! have said, more earl
It ush faster, nor could | delay. :
n large, and the best part of my forces, wer
" three month volunteers, whose term {
service was about to expire, but who wer
le sent forward as having long enough t
. serve for the purposes of the expeditio,
t. On the eve OF the battle the Fourth Pen,
II sylvania regiment of volunteers and tn
sc battery of volunteer artillery of New y or
n Eight Militia, whose term of service e1
'' pired, insisted on their discharge. iwrot
to the regiment, expressing a request ft
them to remain short time, and til
Hon. Secretary OF War, who was at tn
g time on the ground tried to induce til
y battery to remain at least five days: br
in vain. They insisted on their dischars
that night. 1t was granted, and the ne,
morning when the army moved forwar
into battle, these troops moved to tx
D. rear to the sound of the enemy's canno
In the next few days, day by day,
should have lost 10000 of the best arme
drilled, otiicered and disciplined troops
;. the army. In other words, every da
10 which added to the strsngth OF the enen
made us weaker.
N In conclusion, l desire to say, IN refe
,. n. ence to the events OF the 2lst ult., th
nd the general order for the battle to whie
e- l referred was with slight modification
ty literally conformed to; that the cor
to- were brought over Bull Run in the ma
: ner proposed, and put into action as befo
arranged, and that up to late in the aite
noon every movement ordered was carr
ing us successfully to the object we h;
"a. propose before starting-that of gettil
es, to the railroad leading from Manassas
- the valley Of Virginia, and going on it
l sh. enough to break up and destroy the col
munication and interyein between t!