The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-25
How the Battle was Lost.

N-SS' Va
has diminished, the magnitude of the disaster t
our arms in the battle ut Bulls Run and Ma
nassas and proportonately lifted from the heart
of the people the burden of depression that Il
the first news almost crushed with its appa
rently overwhelming sorrow the spirit of thC
loyal sons and daughters of the Republic. L
now seems to be unquestionably evident thai
our defeat and loss Of baggage, artillery, &c.
was mainly owing TO one of those uniortunat tie
but sometimes unavoidable panics that will put
to flight the most veteran soldiers, and have
on many batte-felds of Europe, turned the for
tunes of the day against the best disciplined
troops.
There is probably nothing that SO tests
ders as the sudden appearance of fresh and
large bodies of enemies whose numbers are I'M
known, coming after retreat and supposed de-
cisive defeat to try again the fortunes of II bat.
tie. The universal military Importance attached
to strong reserve force, in all great battles,
to be pushed forward at the right moment, -
which is often the moment of apparent defeat
deciding as it often does the fate of the day
proves very conclusivey that in military strate-
gy il has much moro significance than the sim
pie strength Of the men and artillery that may
thus be brought fresh into action. The soldiers
who have won Il battle, often need help to main
tain it even more than those who have lost the
day need reenforcements to retrieve the disaster.
The battle at Manassas, tas we are now begin
ming to fully comprehend it in its details, seems
to show tolerably clearly that the defeat is
soldiers. The latter fought with courage
almost amounting to desperation, and an endur
anee of every priyation Of food and drink that
so strengthens the soldiers, that is wholly un-
sell, of the London Times, who was present at
the desperate battles in the Crimea when the
English and French showed such unhinching
bravery IN charging upon strongly cntrenched
positions, also saw our troops as they carried
battery after battery Of the Rebels Sunday
IN 'rnng, and he says that he saw nothing in the
Crinea equal to the determined and enthu-
Slastlc bravery Of our troops. lie never saw
the veterans Of the Old World charge upon
iorllficatlons brlstng with cannon, and belch-
ing forth their terribly destructive fire, as gal
lanty and fearlessly as did the soldiers of the
Republic on the bloody field of Manassas.
What was at first with SO much exage GRAFTON
called the flying rout of our troops, has been re-
duced already mainly to disorderly departure
rom the scene of action of baggage wagons,
private carriages, and civilians, that never
ought to have been in the immediate vioinitv Of
The battle at all, accompanied by five hundred
" thousand soldiers who had either not been
Engaged IN the fight, or had struggled away
rom their separate commands, and were setting
heir faces toward the East and North witbon,
my necessity CT occasion for retreat. The SOL
hers who fought the battle reiterated in good
rder and behaved like brave men throughout.
and had there been a proper reserve force
eady to have taken up the fight and relieved
ur soldiers WHO had so nobly won the day.
nd such force must unquestlonably have
zen in the vicinity of the battle---the ca blurred
osltlons might have been held and the elorv
f the hard fought Gay, not been clouded BY
he disasters of the evening and the night.
There is probably nothing that will so sur
rise the Rebels in the result of Sunday bat
le as the first Northern accounts of the over j.
'helnlins magnitude of our defeat. 1t is now ,
vldent that we lost the day by accident, and ,
hat the enemy were really, up to the time the ,,
isorder commenced among tho transfers and =
pretty soundly beaten Their los, 6
kept In the item of prisoners, is doubtless
eavier than ours, and nothing but the panic |
'st US the battle. The Rebels will get much
omtort from our wild accounts of our disasters =
ut their Generals will hardly venture in haste {
} invite another contest with our brave troons a
IHE IND REcIMENr.-The following isl spec
j - to the Burlington Times. /
WASHINGTON, July 24-l0A.x. s
We have seen every company of the Second
erlnont Regsment to-day and have full partic- Il
lars No officers killed and not over fifty miss I
g In the whole regiment. Capt Drew of Bur- W
ngton, Sergeant Woodward and Eugene c.
elbows of Westford Henry W. Como and
snj Martin of South Hero, and John Redmond
Id Lewis M. Wilson of Bakersfield. are