, 1861-07-22

The ExeItement afaer the Arny had
Moved.


Especial Correspondence OF chicago Tribune1
WAsH1ac1ok, Thursday, July Is, 1861.
must describe to you the feeling OF intense
sL1iety which prevailed in the city yesterday.
The army had gone. No one knew the dan
Ge1s it would encounter, the place in which it
would meet the emf my. nor the ambuscadea
Tito which 1t might fl. hence every report
Was eagerly caught rp, and no story vas too
g1oss srd improbable to secure belief. The
1spts of communication between this aud the
ether siGc cf The Potomac were strictly guard
I'd. No crossing Was permitted. No meaacn-
gers could be found who had eome from the
Held Of operations; but absence Of positive
into, maticu only gave stronger wing to the i'm
aeIrations Of the timid, and sombre hue to the
:o1ebodings Of the doleiul. It was three
O'Clock before word Vas heard upon which
reliance could be placed. Meanwhile, rumor
Lad arnihilated our army, had given it grea!
victory, had taken Beaureguard and Davis pris-
oEers, had carri. & { # Mcdowell and his staf,
and sent all tie Federal forces pail NELL to
ward the entertainments on the base lne-.he
Potomac. It will appear strange to you that
euch conards SHOULD be invented, aad stranger
,et lLat they should be listened 70 for mid
ute. But remember that the expectation Of
tic people here away has been on the stretch
fl more ttan sixty days, that every man is
ucratura1ly excited, and that the looking for
great events has become the daily occupation.
OF course such wild reports were credited by
The III informed or the credu1ous but they
are the majority, and canard after cana1d was
invented, discussed and swallowed, each one
creating IN appetite for more,
The appearance Of the evening paper, the
Star, lutriehcd matter for new Excitement In
that was copied paragraph from the Rich
mond Dispatch Of the 9th, saying that john
ston WAS falling back upon Winchester, and
would continue his retreat toward Manassas
Gap and finally the Junction. The same in
formation vas telegraphed to New Orleans
aad printed in the Delta OF the 9th, and thence
copied into the Memphis 4Hpeat Of Later
cate, ard finally into the Star, where It first
net the Northern eye. In view Of the days
operations, it was startling. The inquiry ran
thus: "Has Patterson been humbugged? Has
"Johnston left a regiment or two on bis old
"camping ground, to maintain picket guard
"and deceive Patterson, while, with more than
10000 men, he has joined the rebels at Ma
"naesas? II SO, what is Beauregard's force !?
"Had he 10000 at first, and has he $1,000 now
"Can our brave boys under Mcdowell over
"come such edds-s0,oo0 against 53,0W-the
"former being strongly entrcnched? Is Wash
"ington safe?" These questions will be an'
swered by the events Of tomorrow and further
advices from Martiueburg; but at this writing,
your correspondent is By no mems sure that
there is not we1l-grourded apprehension that
the fears OF our friends will be realized-tbal
Johnston, who is the ablest among the rebe]
Generals, has not deceived Patterson, whose
military reputation is none Of the highest, aui
drawn Mcdowell into scrape. But The result
! will tell.
The march yesterday Was orderly and vel
conducted. The day was Intensely hot, th,
dust deep, and the difficulties Of the roa:
maay. The way for the most part lay through
| timber, into which the tsrrld sun poured
down its sitting heat, which not Whit OF al
abated. But though heavily loaded and unuse'
to the labor imposed, the boys went on with
out q mu1mur. The scarcity of water 1,
that high and rolling country YVES seriousl,
felt by man and beast; but there were fey
| who fell By the wayside. Oh, for the enemy
vas the aspiration that kept all nerves ant
muscles in working order, and carrie'
! the colnlnn through. Late in tn
the afternoon, when the restrictions upo
travel were taken of, many gentlemen fol
lowed on and came up with the rear at FAN
fax, which, upon the first intimation Of ou
approach, the rebels evacuated in haste, az
comTanied By the entire population Of th
miserable little place. Visitors who have II
turned from the other side say that the cava
II were the first to rush into the yillagg.
They went through on the keen run, holdin
tleir carbines aloft ready for the fignt. BI
not rebel was seen. The nest lately file
! wss empty, and there were abundant sigr
; that they had left in hot haste.
But why write the particulars that the tel
: grapk las already given you? Your CORE
| ro1dentleaves for the scene Of the expects
2 | fight, By some eort Of horse power Jet to
F provided, this morning; aud his next lett
= will be written on field, under the shadow
our victorious banners. If stray bull
: SHOULD be b;1eted upon him during the e
gegement, some one else will take up his sci
appointed task, and keep your readers wei
: informed Of the further e.ents Of the VS.
Goodbye r.