The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-08-07
OUR SOUTHERN EsTAFETTE,
BATTLE OF STONE BRIDGE.

| which G
different from anything we have vet seen. that W
republish it In full, although extracts from it bav
already appeared in other papers. The Dispatc
says:
The following statement was prepared by a di
tinguished officer, who bore conspicuous part @
the field OF battle, on the 2lst of July:
The Battle of Manassas.
RICHMOND, July 27, 1861.
Editors Of the Dispatch-lt may not be unaccep
able to your readers to learn something of tn
| battle OF Manassas from an eyewitness, who ha
| better opportunities of observation perhaps tha
any one else The first gun fred bV the enemy wa
| Al hive IN nutes past six o'clock in the morning
batteries opening against our centre as feint L
| conceal the movement against our left. A shor
| time afterwards, General Johnston and Genera
Beauregard, with their staff rode off to the npares
point OF elevation and observa to tn,
centre ana there awaited developments, whilst the
iron hail whiried around and over them. sngu.
lar m'sconception seems to pcrvade the public mind
which has not yet been corrected, that Genera
Beaaregard fought the battle, and that General
1ohnSfon y'etded to preconceived plans. Whilst &C
| coIdlng to General Beauregard all the merit To
which he is entItled-and there does not live a more
| gallant gentleman and officer, nor one for whom
have higher admiration a General--it is due to
General Johnston to say, that he planned the battle
Preemlnenty a modest man, General Johnston.
| perhaps, would never claim the high honor which
| Is his due, and, therefore, it devOves upon his
| friends to portray the
| without such General, the Republic would no
longer flourish so greeDiy, for would have
| sho"efed upnn our arms, and despondency would
wreathe our faces Instead of the bright CLEANS OF
| nope. Essentially a man of judgment, General
Johnston has never ris6ed during the campairu n
| any battle where cur chances not good
| Though our men murnlured vastly when ordered
to go backward from Harper's Ferry from Bunk.
| er's Hill, from Darksve, and from Winchester
no one can now dare to dispute the sagacity which
| planned all the movements. To bave risked bat
tie by attacking superior numbers, entailing defeat
| upon us, would doubtless have crushed our pr oud
Republic in its inception. When Gen. Johnston,
| (who has always been in correspondence with Gep
Beauregard in regard to the junction of their ar
mics, and who for weeks has also pointed out to the
President the absolute necessity OF such a move
ment,) received orders to form the junction, it
came at fortunate moment, when Patterson had
moved to Charleston, twenty four miles distant,
and had placed it out of his power to attack us in
the rear. 0nly 10000 of our column arrived in
time for the battle. but they mere enough.
10 return, however, to the battle: our line was
extended over distance of eight miles, in a posi-
tian nearly assimatng a semicircle. On Satur-
day night Gen. Johnston assumed command and
nearly the entire night consumed bv the staff
OF both Generals 10 writing orders to the different
brlgades to prepare for forward movement in the
morning. General Beauregard's plans were to be
carried out in great measure, and the rout of the
enemy would have been more signal, and doubtless
aShingtOn would now be in our possession if our
attack had not been converted into defence by
the movements Of the enemy. We Intended to
move about eight O'Clock and thay commenced
| their attack before movement could b. made
| From letter written by one of the enemy, dated
| July 20, nine Z. NJ, and afterwards found bV the
writer, their position taken and movements
commenced at that hour. Our Generals waite ed
| patiently upon the knoll which | have designated:
but the same cannot BE- said Of your humble servant
or the other gentlemen around about-until finally
the rattle OF musketry upon our extreme left betO-
| kened that "somcDody was getting hurt"
To understand the battle, you must know that
| F,Cn DO, Dali
| atey back of it, defending the various fords. Bv
| turning our flank, the line OF battle was changed
| t. direction perpendicular to the one which we
had assumed, and commencing at our left extended
| back Tor mile and quarter. When the musket-
| ry betrayed the Fcat in the meal tub" away went
| the Generals and their staff, flying upon the wings
of the wind to reach the of action distant full
| ly three miles. The country was a rolling one,
| thickiy interspersed with pine thickets. and the
| battle ground was an open valley with hill upon
| each side, rising 100 feet above the low
| ground, and distant from each other about 600
| yards. The struggle was an alternate movement
| of regiments. When the head of McDowelPs col
umn reached Sudley's spring, "a ford much higher
up than it was anticipated they would cross, as
| the Stone Bridge the point we were defending
upon the extreme LEFT quietly they sneaKed along,
! getting in behind us, until discovered, believe,
| by General Evans Brigade, who opened fire upon
| them.
Then, in quick succession the enemy's regiments
| deployed in line to their right, whilst ours came
up upon our left. The engagement grew hot and
| heavy. Their column numbered 25, ,000 whilst we
could only oppose them at the beginning with about
5000. Slowly but surely the heavy column KEEP
| on in its MAJ ch, pressing our line back by th'
weight OF numbers, and moving on 10 the settled
| purpose Of turning our flank and attacking il
the rear. Calamity, however, did our 8rmv strug
gle for The right, and despite OF Odds regiment al
ter regiment threw itself in the wav, disputng tn
gty uud, inca by inch, regardless OF the fact that it
WSdgfeefFyorf had bgsn cut to pieces or dispersed
| 1 l.l.. ,
did they do so; but a myriad of YaLaces seemed II
! rise up, who had been hitherto concealed. ant
| pouring IN their fire upon column, il seemed t.
melt away like snow beneath summers Suu. Col
Gardner was here shot down and was tax prisoner
but afterwards retaken by our men later in the dav
The Stb, compelled to retreat with nearly bal
its number wouGded or killed, the attack of th
enemy met by the brigade Of Gen. Bee, com
posed OF Mississppiaus and Alabamians, and on
regiment think, of Tennes5eans. Later in tb
day, Col. Barlow was shot near this spot, willis
leading on the 7th Georgia regiment, COMMANDED
By Col. Gartre. Gen Bees brigade could no
withstand the fierce tornado Of shot and shell
sweeping through its ranks, and slowly rttre
lighting brayely all the time. The 4th Alaham;
regiment suffered terribly, all of its field officer
being shot down, and two (Col. Jones and Majo
Scott) left upon the field. Col. Jones was captur
ed, but afterwards re taken during the rout. Fall
ing back upon the position taken by Hampton
, Legion, whose Prowess can clearly be shown b
the heaps OF dead in front of their line, momenta
| rY cnech was thrown IN the enemE'S approach
They had now retreated to the brow of the hill
! | where the brigade OF General jackson was lvin
Perd", and this was the most critical point of tn
| day. Fighting for hours under a hot sun, withnu
crop OF water near, the conduct OF our me
could not be excelled but human endurance ha
its bounds, aud all seemed about to be lost On
reserves were yet miles distant from the scene {
action, whilst the enemy's reserve kept pregsip
on. From the knoll near the Lewis House. the tw
Generals had remained anxious spectators of th
conflict; but the time had for action. an
plunging their spurs into the quick footed steed
, awaT went the Generals and their staff right int
the thickest of the fight. Coming up first to th
Al8bamaus whJ were without a field officer, Ger
| Johnston placed the colOr-bearer by his hurse
side and moved On-each and all the staff, With t
, Generals, vieDg with each other in words of er
enlargement to the men to come on. And wei
timed this movement.
Already our lines upon the hilltop were givin
way, but melted to fresh deeds of heroism by tn
appearance in their midst of our Generals, appal
entity bringing up reinforcements, they ptche
into the fray with redoubied ardor, aud from tia
: time yielded not an inch of ground. Generi
Beauregard riding over to the left, took charge
operations there, displaying bis reckless braver
] bv riding everywhere in the face of the enemy
fire, and having his horse killed beneath him, fOl
tdhatey escaping uniujured himself. The tide
battle thus checked, away went Gen. Johnston
staff to hurry up the reserves and assign them
proper positions. The first met two mile
back, covered with dust, and coming at a double
the fray, and the sunshine of certainty did nc
gleam from beneath the murky clouds until GEL
Kirby Smith arrived with portion of his diviso
upon the ground. Coming from Winchester h
heard the roar of battle, and without waiting f.
orders he at once disembarked his men, Col. EiZey
brigade, and marched hurriedly to our assistance
Col. kershaw's and Col. Cash'S regiments arrive
L pom the ground at tie same moment, and wit
these four thousand men General Smith prompt
took the extreme left and turned the tide of battle
The enemy had so far turned our flank to hav
gotten entirely behind us, aud nearly 4 900 wer
marching up to attack in the Seeing this
| General Smith determined to cut them off, an
would have done SO, but for bis misfortune in bein
shot through the neck with grape shot just a
Colonel kershaw was within twenty yards Of hiI
for the purpose of receiving orders. His plan
cutting them off was, subsequently,, not carrie
Uut, and they We're enabled to rejoin the mai
| body, hotlv pursued by our men. Gen. Jackson
brigade had been lying for hours sustaining, wiz
unfinching courage, most terrific fire. The Gel
| eral had his horse shot under him, and finger
the left hand shot off, but, cool a cucumber b
still urged bis ''boys" 30 be "steady;" and stead
they were when they charged and butchered ii
Fire Zouaves and other regiments right and left.
The General has way of holding his head U
/ very straight, aud his almost invariable respon
to any remark is, every WELL" whilst his chi
trying to get up towards the top of his hea'
+ The writer remembers, in the midst of the bgh
to have seen the General rallying his men, whli'
, his chin seemed to stick out further, and MS Vef
wells seemed to sound more euphonlouSly tha
, ever, and when the writer wished to pour ltt
! | whiskev upon the shattered niger, ne was toi
, | that it was "of no consequence, ana away "er
| the General with battery following him to tax
| nositi0n in some advantageous spot. 1t any on
1as ever entitled to a sobriquet, the General Ger
: | tsinly deserves that Of cool.
I AN incident connected with this battle is wort
: | mentioning. A young gentleman from kentuck,
| 20 years of age, named Thomas e. Duncan, WI
very desirous of being u the fight, so, by reque'
: of the writer, he was placed alongside of Capital