, 1861-08-12
GENERAL memoWEAA,
Hts Omc1ar JustIncat1ons

Gen. McDowe1l's official report Oft he battle /
OF Buu Run is In print. . It's narrative points
have been anticipated by the many different |
accounts Of that engcgem ent from tho pens
OF the newspaper corfespondents, from which
they do not maternity differ. His defence OF
the policy which led him to the attack mhon
and in the manner he did. is as tol1ows:'-:~2 =
- As my poeition may warrant, even II it does |
Is Ear IS they can be seen, which led to the re-
suits herein state1, I trust It may not be o1t |
of plece il refer in faW words to the 1mme- |
lsa;e a7,.t e1i.tntT CT ts>;s hattie: Wi-n 5:iv
misted to the Generel-ine Chlef, in compliance
with his verbal Instructions. :ts.s plan Of ops
ra!ions and estimate ef 1o..G Ieql4Asl, the |
tgD1eT was to procerd to carry It Irte eff:.ct
WEE fxct; ;-ySr TIC 8:,. JAY, M11day. EE27y
f:ci.iiy poesitle was given nac By the Ten .ra'~
M-CEiE ard heads Of the administrative de-.
.partments in nasking the necessary prepars-
1iepa But the regiments, owing, was told,
to want Of transportation, came over slowly.
Many Of fhtnh did not CROSS I'LL eight OF niue
days after the time fixed upon, and went for
Hsrd without my even seeing them, and With
out having been together before il brigade.
son, by drawing off the Wagons, Was furthsr
and unavoidable cause OF delay. Notwi.h.
standisg the hc1cu!ean efforts Of the. Quarter
master-Gcneral, and his faVocfng me in every
way, the WAGONS for ammunition, Subsistence,
Dc, and the horses fer the trains and the ar:
after The time appointed to move. 1:was nos
even prepared as late as the 18th ultimo, and
the dfeire I ehonld move became great, and it j
Vas wfEhed I should not, Il possible, DELAY
1orger than Tues5ay, the 18th ultimo When
I did set out, on tho 16th, was atl1l deficient
in wagons for snbsistepce. . But I: went for
word trusting to their being procured. IN time
to follow me. The trains, ,thua h1rEiedly gath.
cred together, with horses, Wagoas, drivers
and wagon managers, al new and unused to
der, and were the cause of . days delay in
getting the provisions forward, making it ne
ceeearY to make on Sunday the attack we
should have made on Saturday.
1 could moi, With every exeraon, get for
which Hou1d have taken Us there on the 17sn.
and enab1ed ua, 60 far as they were concerned,
to 20 into action OF the 19th, instead OF the
21et; but when went forward from Fairfax
Court Houee, beyond Germantown, to urgs
them forward, I was told it was impossible far
the men to march further. They had only COME
from Vienna, about miles and it was not more
than six and . half miles farther to CentreVille
in al ra1ch of twelve and q half miles;
but the men were foot weary, not so much, /
time they had been on foot, caused by the OBJ
stIuctions in the road and the SLOW pace We
naC to move to avoid ambuscades. The me1,
were, moreover, unaccustomed to marching,
their bodies net in condition for that work,
aad 1ot used TO- carrying even the load Of
| light marching order
We crossed Bull Run with about Is, 900 mea
OF all arms, the fifth division (A1Iles and Rich
| arGeon's brigade) on the left, at B!ackbnrn's
! Ford to CcntreVille, aud Schenck's brigade,
OF TEler's division. on the left Of the road,
near the Sione Bridge, not participating In ths
/ ~ %c,
have been various1y estimated may safely
ssy, and avoid even the appearance or e12gg-
| gerstiop, that the enemy Brought up all he
could which were not kent engaged elsewhere.
| He bad notice Of our coming On the 18th, and
time entil the 21st to bring up whatever he
| had. It Is known that in estimating the force
to 20 against Manassas, engaged not to have
to do With the enemy Is forces under Johnston,
then kept in check in the valley By Major
General Patterson, OF thess Kept engaged BY
Malor General Butler, and know every effort
vas made BY the Generatin. Chief that this
should be done, and thas even If Johnston
joined Beauregard, it would not be because ht
could be followed by General Patterson, but
frGm causes not necessary for me to refer to-
I i'll knew them all This WAS not done, ana
the enemy Was free to assemble from every
direciion in numbers only limited by tbs
amount Of bis railroad rolling stock and hi.
supply Of provisions. To the forces, there
| lore, We drove in from Fairfax Court House
Fairfax station, Germantown and CentreVitle
| ard these under Beauregard at Manassas
must be added those u2der Johnston from
Winchester, and those brought up by DaTf'
from Richmond to other places at lhc South
to which is to be added the levy en- mass
| ordered by the Richmond authorities, Whicl
| was ordered to assemble at Manassas. Wha
t all this amounted to, cannot certainly
| much more than We attacked them with.
1could Eot, as hare said, more early Pusl
| n-,f fpetGr rn4+ an,,33 1nTau Tarun fh
best part Of my forces, were three months
volunteers, whose term Of service WAS abou
to expire, but pho were sent forward as hav
! ing long enough 10 serve for the purpose q
the expedition. On the eve of the battle tn
I Fourth Pennsylvania regiment Of volunteer
, York Eighth Miutia, whose term Of servic
/ / expired, Insisted on t;er discharge. i Wrot
l to the regiment, expressing request 70
: them to re1aaia . short time, and the HoE
Secretary cf War, who vas at the time on th
: ground, tried to induce the battery to renal
: at least five days; but in Vain- They insiste
E ! on their discharge that night. Il was gan
2 | ed, sud the next morning, when the arm
: moved fo5sard into battle, these troops move
to the rear 10 the sound of the encmyfs cai
: | non.
3 In the next few days, day by day, ahou1
= lave lost ten thousand Of the best arlae.
Z 6rilled, otfice1ed and disciplined troops
: the army. In other words, every day Whic
= = added to the stre1gtn OF Inc enemy made !
' WEAKER.
In conclrsioz, desire to say, in refsren,
to the events OF the 21et plt that the gener
, | order TOR the battle to which Ix6ferFed VI
with slight notifications, literally conformt
4 TO; that the corps we're brought over Bau r.
4 in the manner proposed, and put into ac!it
c as before arranged, ard that up to late in t
e afternoon every movement ordered was c:
0 ryiDg Us successfully to the object We
Le propoeed before starting-that Of gcstiag
u the railroad leading from Manassas to the =
v ley Of Virginia, and going on 1t far enough
i break up and destroy the communication a.
" inte1ycin between the forces under Beaurega
v and those under Johnston. Aud could :
If kage fonght day OF a few hours sooner, ths
!: ia everything to show how ne could have c;
n 1inued successful, even against the odds ri
,e which ne contendcd.
n have the honor to be, very respectful
he your moet obedient servant,
At IRWIN Mcdowell,
q BHgadier- General, Commanding
= Trfp1 nf RaanArx and NTnWerA.