Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-07-30

e.
ARMY OF THE Potomac,
MAsAssA, July %. 1861.
Yesterday, the 2lst day of July. 1861, q
great battle was fought and a great victory
won by the Confederate troops Heaven
smiled on our arms, and the God of battles
crowned our banners with laurels of glory.
Let every patriotic heart give thanks to the
Lord of Hosts for the victory He has given
His people on His own holy day, the blessed
Sabbath.
Gen. Johnston had arrived the preceding
day with about half of the force he had de-
tailed from Winchester and was the senior of.
fcer in command. He magnanimously in
sisted, however, that Gen. Beauregard' 3 pre-
vious plan should be carried out, and he was
guided entirely by the judgment and supe-
rior local knowledge of the latter. While,
therefore, Gen. Johnston was nominaliy in
command, Beauregard was really the officer
and hero of the day. You will be glad to
learn that he was this day advanced from a
Brigadier to the rank of full General. But
to the battle.
At half past six ia the morning, the enemy
opened fire from battery planted on a hill
beyond Bulls Run. and nearly opposite the
centre of our lines. The battery was inten.
ded merely to ''beat the bush, /" and to occu-
by our attention, while he moved a heavy
column towards the Stone Bridge. over the
edmc CICrh, upOu OuE lcit. AZ ~ ClOCh,
another battery was pushed forward, and
opened fire short distance to tie left of the
other, and near the road leading North to
Centreville This was a battery of rided
guns, and the object of its fire was the same
as that of the other. They fired promiscu-
ously into the woods and gorges on this, the
Southern, side of Bulls Run, seeking to Gre
ate the impression thereby that our centre
would be attacked, and thus prevent MS from
sending reinforcements to our left, where the
real attack was to be made. Beauregard was
not deceived by the mannuyre.
1t might not be amiss TO say, that Bulls
Run. or creek, is North of this place, and runs
nearly due East, slightly curving around the
Junction, the nearest part of which is about
81 miles. The Stone Bridge Is some seven
miles distsnt, in a North Westerly direction,
upon which our left wing rested. Mitchel's
ford is directly North, and distant four miles,
by the road leading to Centreville, which is
seven miles from the Junction. On our right
is Union Mills, on the same stream, where
the Alexandria and Mansssa railroad crosses
the Run, and distant four miles. Proceeding
from Fairfax Court House, by Centreville, to
Stone Bridge, the enemy passed in front OF
our entire line, but at distance ranging IRON
five to two miles.
At O'Clock, / reached an eminence nearly
opposite the two batteries mentioned above,
and which commanded full view of the
country for miles around, except on the righl.
From this point / could trace the movement,
of the approaching hosts by the clouds OF
dust that rose high above the surrounding
hills. Our left, under Brigadier-Generals
Evans, jackson and Cooke, and Col. Barlow,
with the Georgia Brigade, composed of the
9TH and 9Th regiments, had been put in mo-
ton, and was advancing upon the enemy
with force of about Is 600, while the enc
my himself was advancing upon our left
with a compact column of at least 900.
His entire force on this side of the Potomac
is estimated at 15, 600. These approaching
columns encountered each other at IL
O'Clock.
Meanwhile the two batteries in front kept
up their fire upon the wooded hills where
they supposed our centre lay. They sent oc-
casIonal balls, from theirrifled cannon, 10 the
eminence where your correspondent stood.
Gems Besuregard, Johnston and Bonham
reached this point at IL, and one OF these
balls passed directly over and very near
them, and plunged into the ground few pa
ces from where stood. 1 have the ball now,
and hope to be able to show it to you at some
future day. 1t is an 18 pound ball, and
about inches long. By the way, this thing
of taking notes amidst shower of shells
and balls is more exciting than pleasant. At
a quarter past II, Johnston and Beauregard
gallOped rapidly forward in the direction of
Stone Bridge, where the ball had now fully
opened. Your correspondent followed their
example, and soon reached a position in
front of the battle field.
The artillery were the first TO open fire, pre-
cisely at IL O'Clock. By half-past !, the in
fantry had engaged and there it was that the
battle began to rage. The dusky columns
which had thus lar marked the approach of
the two armies, now mingled with great clouds
of smoke, as il rose from the flashing guns be-
low, and the two shot up together like huge
pyramid of red and blue. The shock was as
tremendous as were the odds between the two
forces. With what anxious hearts did we
watch that pyramid of smoke and dust! When
it moved TO the right, we knew the enemy
were giving way; and when it moved to the
left, We knew that our friends were receding.
Twice the pyramid moved to the right, and
as often returned. At last, about 2 o'clock, it
began to move slowly to the left, and thus it
continued to move for two mortal hours. The
enemy was seeking to turn our left flank, and
to reach the railroad leading hence in the di-
rection of Winchester. To do this, he extend
ed his lines, which he was enabled to do by
reason of his great numbers. This was un-
fortunate for us, as it required correspond
ing extension of our own lines to prevent bis
extreme right from outfanking us-a move
of our resistance along the whole line of bat
tie, which finally extended over a space of
two miles. 1t also rendered it the more diff
cult to bring up Endorsements, as the further
the enemy extended his right, the greater the
our reserve forces had to travel TO
the movement.
This effort to turn our flank was pressed
with great determination for five long, weary
hours, during which the tide of battle ebbed
al-.,- IL
fortunes. The enemy's column continued to.
stretch away to the left, like a huge anacOn-
da, seeking to envelope us within its mighty
folds and crush US to death; and at one time
it really looked as if he would succeed. But
here let me pause 10 explain why it was our
were so late in arriving, and
WHY a certain other important movement
miscarFied.
The moment he discovered the enemy's Or
der of battle, Gen. Beauregard, it is said, dis
patched orders to Gen. Ewell, on our extreme
right, to move forward and turn his left or
rear. At the same time he ordered Generals
Jones, Longstreet and Bonham, occupying
the centre of our lines, to cooperate in this
but not to move until Gen. Ewell
had made the attack. The order to General
Ewell unfortunately miscarried. The others
were delivered, but as the movements of the
centre were to be regulated entirely by those
on the right, nothing was done at all. Had
the orders to Gen. Egell been received and
carried ont, and our entire force brought
upon the field, we should have destroyed the
enemy's army almost literally. Attacked in
front, on the flank, and in the rear. he could
not possibly have escaped, except at the loss
of thousands os prisoners and all bis batteries,
while the field would have been strewed with
his dead.
Finding that his orders had in some way
failed to be executed. Gen. Beauregard at last
ordered up portion of the forces which were
intended to cooperate with Gen. Ewell. 1t
was late. however, before these reinforcements
came up. Only one brigade reached the field