The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-07-27
IN small open field. separated from Col

a,Ina ,'.;,,. J h - u'"se c "epu' Wien was
"n,,;,. ~ 'is a"u ',''a, ~, eune
onncnaIaJ ~ "r" 80, ~; -:
'I';' '"e 1'e'ny' anu "''eu ,'".e''any u"
" H. ." w ."e "ur""o. o"'"s 10"
49,, 81, H.. s ~ " ~ Io"' Hu""
w.. 49,, wy r, 900 VI W. ,.i, u'e' ","' Ne,i
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f.on, ,,o,n, ~ ro;',, a, oa'n
lr,y.n ,h.,.,,, ~ H. ,N ns naa
road .hirh v.s ,ta Jo,; 80. .t VI.
,.bi,h' Geo e,'a, VIC p.o'I's a,''' ~ 'iat Oh
h,,,.rios H.. r.i,l, .'.s Wv ss vi m rhe''
plapt.t their f,,y d;,oc,I,, j., H. ,
twic. cb.,o,d a,ro.s !, ','',, n,,, anu
witLnn, mac; inc ,ho,n ~, ;"., III" 49, ou'
me, bv = d,s,rnct;v,. fro ava ,,.ro -: W. !
TO fall 81 ii rnr,L., h,ct G..dnaIln ,,
Of fire passed further away, until The dense
clouds Of smoke which marked tho progress
Vi vac COMBAT were al least hal' mile to the
the rebels. f''''" VI
II was now oI o,clock WOO .t ,ho
advanced noi,t Of tho front If nnr col,,,n
some hundred rods beyond the wo,ds in
which the few ,roons then there wers dawn
up. whe, I L.cided 10 dive hack IN tho ,cu.r
As | passed up the road the balls and sh,
from the enemy BEGAN to fall with more Than
us,a, ranidi,v 1,d M. 90. tho nn;n, rrn,,,
which they CANE. but meeting Cap,nir, Av,cs
he said he wa.. ,I,,u, 20 I,,;n" ~, III. ha,,ar,
sup,or,,d bv the Ohm bri.ade rna,r OK
Schneck. to rcprl n rumo,ed aItcmnt or c,v.
alry TO flank This coiumn A. w,n,
forward he passed down. Gen S.hcnck e
brigade was at once drawn I'M across Ih. road
and Cant. Ayres' ours we're ,r,nt.l i, :,
knoll Mt the l,rt wien powrIinl h,,v of
1ebds, with heavy battery. came dnwn
from the direction of Bulls Run. and eno,o.I
this force with tremendous effect. w,nt I'm
C.nlrrylr. sent off NV d,spa,cb. snd started
with all speed TO rctutn-intrpd;.r +, on
with our troops upon whit had been the holly
contested field, never doubling for a mom.nt
that it would remain in their hands.
A,o,ho, ,r,;,. :, ,Lo p,,,.,,.,,,;o D
w." eu'>. >'p'''" "
e'''s 'ne 'oAlo"'hs adui'lonal account Oh the
battle.
1t was impessiLIe for me. in the heat Of
a tc,IiLle engagement, exactly to locate the
position Of our forces during the battle: but
| find my conjecture of Yesterday verified
that it was not al Blll's Run, bu. at Manoas.
ses Gap. In other words, that General
Mcdowell, with an army which, including
the reserves at Centrcville, did not number
more than forty thousand, actually attacked
the rebel forces at Manassas Gap, where
Beauresard has b,en for months preparing
his Notifications, and where he had lined the
hills W 18th elaborate and carefully CONSTRUCTED
entertainments, behind which were rllii d
| cannon oflarge callbre. properly manned and
supported by an army which subsequent
information leads me to estimate at nearly a
bundled thousand men. Behind these bat
terics the Southern troops fought. They
were constructed in manner calculated to
deceive the most experienced eye. The
| brcastworks Were in the shape Of a gently
slipping hill neatly soddrd, with hoe and
there tree lcft growing to more thoroughly
deceive our troops as to their existence.
Their line Of batteries covered two or three
miles. The whole region seemed literally to
he one masked battery. What appeared to
be natural dccliylty would in moment
below forth a most fearful charge Of .,apc-
shot, Shell, and canister and from every
| clnmp of bushes or shrubhrry the terrible
, nj sSenscrs OF death would come al the most
unexpected moment.
| mention this in order that YOU NAV more
properly understand the details of this great
| battle, and more properly appreciate the "a |.
antry Of our men. NOW outstanding they
had slcp! on their arms, and had marched
ten mlks to the place OF engagement, they
rushed into the con,es, weary, wanting food
and water; they drove the enemy from bat.
terry and battery slowly and slowly pushing
| them from their position From nine clock
TILL three the battle was victory. and if at
three O'Clock there had been ten thousand
fresh men to assist them if General Paltrr-
son had only come from Martinsburg. or
Mcclellan over the Blue Ridge from Western
Virginia or If even Miles division of Icser.
YES could have been marched from Ccntrevile.
we could have driven them from the field and
won the day. Our men were weary. and in
many cases incihcigntfy commanded The
enemy was being constantly rcinfoI ccd. So
rapidly did they arrive, taat many of their
regiments rushed into the field with their
knapsacks on their shoulders, and could
distinctly see with strong spy.slass, even
from the hills beyong Cenueville, regiment
after regiment of the rebels coming from the
neighboIing districts and passing over the
roads to Manassas. In many cases the colors
of their flags could be easily distinguished.
| The Causes o: our d,ieat appear to be these:
A premature advance on the enemy without
sufficient force, which may bs attributed to
the clamurs of politicians, aud newspapers
like the New York lrlb"nc the negligence
OF General Patterson iii not intcrcepting Gen.
Johnston at Winchester. and preventing him
from joining Beaureeard at Manassas; the " ant
OF an efficient force of artillery to answer
their masked batteries; the in,fficiency of
many Of the officers, the want of proper
ulSclplnp IL nd