New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-07-21

the following letter from its special correspondent a.
| Manassas JunttOn:
| Special Correspondence Of the Picayune
| =. H MANASSAS JUNcTiOS, Vs., July ., 1851.
This place still continues the hsaiquarers Of the
army Of the Potomac. There may Indications o.
an intended for saYj movement the better TO invite
the enemy to an Dat tue EsorA OF icfhca
| ton still continues. BY nature, the position 70 o.
the strongest that could have been found Ia the whos
State. Aboat half way between the eastern spur OF
the Bue Ridge and the Potion &C. below Alex lndra,
commsbds the whole country between 30 perfectly tlat
there is scarcely possibility Of It's being turned The
right wing srec es oil 10 ward the head waters OF the
OccoqnoD, through wooded country, wreh is easily
made impossible by the telling OF trees. The let IL
rolling table land easily commanded from the saeces-
save elevations, TN you reach country rough and
20 rugged that it is defsnse 20 ITSELF The key TO the
Cen Beauregard ciose for his center, and which be
bss fortified 50 strongly that in the nion Of military
nen, 900 men could there did $1,000 at bay.
lie position, 10 fact, Is fortified in part by Mature
herself 10 Is succeseion Of bills, neatly eudissant
from each other ia trent of which is rsvne deep
and thiekly wooded that it is inpas.abe DOLLY at
two points, sLd those through gorges which htty meu
can Dc end against a whole army. II at one OF
these points that the Washington Artillery Were at
ist enoampei, and though only half the battaon was
then there and had only one company OF Infantry
10 support u.s. slept sourdly under the protection
Of guns ii We had been In fof OF the amplest
di1 81 sions
The Notifications supeadded here by Gen. Beau
regard those Il Nature IL Is, OF coarse not proper
for me to spenk The general reader, III fact, will
have a sufficiently precise idea II then by eonceivng
line OF forts some two miles in extent, ng-zag in
foru with angles sslients basions, easenatSs and
everything that properly belongs TO works OF this kud.
The strength and advantages OF this posidJ at
Manassas very much increased by the FAC that IL
miles further IL position of sl0ilar formii)n,
while the country between is admirably adapted @ the
subsistence and intrenchment Of trooe IN numbers
large as they can easily be unanswered 90 the real
bctf efed Water il good and abundant; forage such
as IL everywhere found In rhe ch farming districts Of
Virginia, and the communication vita all parts OF the
Here overlooking an extensive plain watered by
mouutsin streams which ultimately ibd their way to-
tie Potomac and divided into verdant fields of wheat
and oats ard corn pasture and meadow are the head
quarters of the advanced forces of the army of tbe
Potomac. They South CaroliDians, Louisisoiaos,
| Ahbamans. Mis- isslppans, and Nirginans, for the
most part; tire frst two, snguirly enough, being in
'front.' ard that they Will keep it, their friends at home
ay rect assured. Never have seen finer boty OF
nen-rnen who were more obedient 70 discipline, or
| bFeathcd more seli-sscrihcin9 ipatrio.ims.
As igtt he eNl ected from the skill With which he
Las chosen biz position ADD the ysem with which be-
enc6mus and moves his men, Gen Beauregsrd is very
| popular brIe. dolht ii Napoleon himself had moro
the undiv ded confidence OF bis army. By NATURE as
! also IRON wise policy, he Is very reicent. Not an
viduaI here knows his plans, II 1ge aoye Of
regiment before IL il made, and then only the colonel
! aLd his know where il goes TO- There is not 4
| nan here who give anything ike a satisfactory
answer now macy he Las where his eaet lines
are. For he dis anee OF furteen miles arodnd You s
tents everywhere and from lem you can lkes rough
| estimate of his men, but how many more are en-
canped the by roads and In the fore rs none can
| tell. The newcomer, from VIVA. he sees at irss
glance. ruts down the runIber at about 3J,eJJ men;
who have been here Longest estimate his force AS
1900, > &C., and some even al W, CO strong. And
there Is tie discrepancy 20 the quantity of his
ar ery. So oDsc does the General keep his Affairs To-
himsef his left EaDd hardly knows what his right
hand doe and jealous is he of this perogaiiye Of
conn anoine officer that verify believe he suspected
lis OF ANY main; with the plans revolving
within lin, he wopd cast 1t fcom him.
The Genersl headquarters Il little farmhouse,
about ID feet by 20 fronting of the roads thar
leads 10 Alexandria. The ground floor Is divided intS
two roOms. Tie fToHt che Is filed with desks, AZ
which clerks Il, Wi log or engaged in business Of
varied character. The back ono appears TO be usef
az store-roDn or kitchen. Above the division
confines and the front room is the Generals apart
nent. Ii Is about h feet long by 10 WIDE aud hung
With maps OF the State ard country around. In the
Ger ter il a plain pine table, which lie, neatly folded
up, what the visitor woud naturally take 10 DO plus
Specifications, surveys, geometricsl drawings NC,
and by their side, military reports Eyery.hins aas
ation. OF course there il nothing in the room bus
what pertains 10 the Office and TO most eyes 10 woat
appear what bare but what there - is arranged
with much taste, that the general Impression Is bY
The Gene II is in his room the greater part Of tho
day, app iently occupied with bis plans and rePorts
Then hour ater hou he ss alone by his nelt, little
pine table, maps plans and specifications before himy
and lsrge windows open behind and asodud hin
al 6Ist sight the cold, calculating, unsymPa,hizing
with a report or me ssage which Is delivered in mil-
tary style deliberately examined n silence the cor
rsrol dir order PROMPTLY written out or delivered
As few words as possible and cur mathematical iceberg
i alone ssin. When visitor drops in no woyer,
leisure moment, the Formally Of The officer readily
gives way that easy interchange of civties which
6haractefI1es Que people az houe but nothing more
Even at the table, when the General is daily Surround
ed by the most distinguished gentlemen Of the couay,
there appears to be distance which I suppose Is
ratnsi TO his position, but which ID rarely found else
where.
The leading characteristic Of Gen. Beauregards
mis- Is ceurness OF perception Superadded 10 tnis ~
a strctly mathematical education This YOU sec i'm
every word and look, in the expression Of his
face. Shines, cosir &c aud tnngents stick every
where. In person he IL SLENDER bat conpacty built,
and extremely neat Add 10 this precision OF man
per, slightly modified by the which ehsracteTxes
the We bred man of the world and 500 have cor
rect idea OF tie msn whose word Is law and gospel
ihioopLou OF the largest most intelligent, and
bert appointed armies ever assembled on the American
Continent. Ia his personal stat The General has been
REGULARLY fortunate. They princi ally from Soush
Carolina, the same be had with him ss the sdge OF
Fort all OF them accomplished, Discreet gen.
inltp, of the mos. pleasing manners. Among them
bave been happy TO meet Col. Preston 90 Tonga
7, sident and well kno In Louisiana, whose genial
society must be happy relief to the severe isbors OF
the day
The Generals meas Is very much In keeping mis-
charactes and simple enough for kspoeon himssl H. IL
Is served long pine table sc, ia an open lNza al
she farm ous. ara ali his friends Hospitality wei
coined 10 three times day. The General ss nearly
in the middle, his aids Immediately on one sfie ana us
latest guests the other; the rest OF the company
they NAV choose or chance sect themselves fnr
yisnds are sach az the country around au,risi Only
the rice was " imported and with II, sdsptc',
South Carolina cook for every kernel was az iaio-