The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-08-10
ARMY OF THE PoToMAC,

dIle ect description of the plans and pro
gress of the great battle OF amy we have
yet seen:
| ARMY OF THE PoToMAC,
I Manassas July 22, 1851
Yesterday, the 2lst day OF July, lS6l, q
great battle was fought, and IL great veto
ry won by the Confederate troops. Hsaven
smiled on our arms, and the God of battles
crowned our banners with l,nrels Of glory
Let every patriot heart give thanks To the
Dnrd of Hosts for the victory Il 3 has given
hi. people on His owu holy day, the bies
sed Sabbath
Gen. johnson had arrived the proceed
Ing day with about half of the force he
had. detailed from Winchester and wa.
the senior officer in command He mag
unanimously insisted, however. that Gen
Beauregards revious plans should be
carried out, and he was guided entirely by
the judgment and superior local know.
ledge of the latter. While, therefore, Gen
johnson was nominally in command
of the day You will be glad TO learn
that he was this day advanced from q
| Brigadier to the rank Of full General
A. half past six in the morning the enc
my opened fire from battery planted on
a hill beyond Bull Run, and nearly Op
posite the centre of our lines. The bat
terry was intended merely to beat the
bush, and to occupy our attention while
! he moved a heavy column toward the
! stone Bridge, over the same creek, upon
our left At ten clock another JaUer1
was pushed forward, and opened fire a
saort distance To the left Of the other aud
near the road leading North TO Centre
Vile This was battery oi ritied guns
( and the object oi It's fire was the same q,
that OF the ot.or. They fired lronlis
cuouslv into the woods aud sorge- On this
/ the Sourharn sid. OF Bulls Run, seeking
To create the impression thereby that oar
centre would be attacked, and thus pre-
vent Us from sending relntorceInents to
: our Ell, w1eTe the r.a! attack Was TO be
m..ue I'auicgagd wa> not deceived by
the mII.trUy.r
Ii mI-ht not be aniss 10 say that Bull 5
Run, or creek, Is north Of TIL, place. and
runs nearly due east, slightly curying
around III" JUNCTION, the ncaIsst part o;
I which Is about three and half miles
Tie >t,'. I,r,,t7e IS some secea p.iLes eista,.t
N nvrthtcr:toIy direction, ,noa ,ekich .lr
/ lrft ring rsstsd- MItcheli Ford is directly
north, ana distant hour uIiies, by tine road
leading To Centr,V...e, which is seven
0
Union M..s, Oh tue ,al.ie stream. where
Ghs A!rA.I.nI.~ and Nauassa, Iai.Ioad
cro-s., ta- I.un, auA distant tour miles
I'ro~e,...s, r Cd. FusJ4c Cogn lio.se jy Lers
he''as. " SINE H10ys, ths t,eH.y issSsd ar
rTo'I d" f'F e,.4 .,,s, c. az . ,..1ias.ce ,4ay-
u,g t,... t". - fro msas.
A lock ! reached an ernin,nce
nraf p -. ,-.te ."s tsv Ustte.,s n-n-
toned Aoo.e. and which commanded A
ialI '.r" ~ The COUNT -. u4i.es around.
except or the r.siiL From. tn.s point
! could t!,..'" lie movements ui the ap
;5rOaci.ing hosts Il, the clouds oi dust tina [
rose h!Gh abOye me surrounding hills
pui ieit, under ErIg.dI-i Generals Evans,
Jackson and Cooke, and Col. barrow, with
the teorg;a Brigade, composed OF the
seventh and Eight hegImenLS had been
pat IN motion, anu MAS advancing upon
tie enemy with iorce oi about l3,uuU,
while the enemy himself was advanciu. /.
upon cur lett with n compact column oi
at least 10000. In, entire fulce oil this
side OF the Potomac l. estimated at -, 900
1ne approaching columns encountered
, Zach ..her ~ / cock
Meanwhile the two batteries ia fro! t
ktpt up their tie upon tie wooded Lil.,
where lLey -uppcsed our centre lay. The,
cent oCcst>. t>.onai balls from their r4f.cd c.,l,-
non. 10 the .Iu!u-uce were your cultes
uunucal stood ucA,. bvau.egar0, JJu..s
ton aud bouEam reached tnss poIut q. ~
and one oi these balls passed directly over
and very near them aud plunged in,o the
ground few PAGES from wnrle the u
stood.
Alta quarter past twelve, johnson and
Beuuregard gal!oped rapidly forward IL.
the direction ot Stone HrQsc, white the
, ball had no" fully opened.
Inc artillery Were ti.r first to opca fire
precisely al ii clock By ha.i past /
I the infantry had engaged, dL1 thee II Was
( that tiie BATH. bean 10 rage TH- dusk y
/ columns winch had thu, tar .rarked the
approach of the two armies now i.ingi I'd
/ with great clouds oi sinoke as i; rose iron,
! flashing guns below, and the TWO shot UP
I together Ike huge pyramid OF red and
/ blue The shock was a. Tremendous al
/ were the odds between the Two forces
! With what anxious hearts did we watch
/ that pyramid o! SMOKE anu dust! her
! it moved TO the right We knew the enemy
were giving way, ANA when i; moved t.
/ the lett we knew that our friends were
receding Twice the pyramid moved to
! the n ght, and as often returued At last
about = O'Clock, it began to move slowl,
| 10 the left, and thus it continued to move
! for two mortal hours
The enemy was seeking TO tam our LEI
HonE, and to reach the railroad l.adin,
hence in the direction Of " inches ter T,
do this, lie extended his lines, " hIch h'
was enabled to 90 by reason of his grea
numbers. This WAS unfortunate tor US, ~
it required corresponding extension o
our own lines TO prevent his extreme righ
from outtiahklne uS-a movement ON ou
part which weakened the force Of our re
sistance along the whole line OF battle
which finally extended over space Q
two miles. Ii also rendered il the NOR,
difficult to bring up reiniorcsments as The
further the enemy extended his rig IT. th
greater the distance our reserve forces hae
to travel ~ counterfeit the movement
| iiIs ttfort TO turn our flank WAS pressel
with great determination for ilve long
weary hours, during which the tide OF bal
tie ebbed and flowed along the entire lin
with alternate fortunes The euemy'
column continued to stretch way 10 Tn
left like huge anaconda, seeking to Ell
velop us within its mighty folds and crusl
as to death; and at one time it reall
looked as II he would succeed
The moment he discovered the enemy
order OF battle, Gen Beauregard. it is saio
dispatched orders to Gen. Ewell, on GU
| eXtrei.e right, to move forward aud tur
, his lett "l rear. At the same time he ol
dcr-o Generals Jone Longstreet, au
81 nil.tni, occupying the centre OF GU
! Inc. 70 cooperate III this movement, bu
no. 80 move. until Gen. EWeIl had mad
tt attack. The older u Gen. Ewell vi
~ .uIettiy miscalried The others wer
- dciivsrAt, bl,t as tie !DoE enIehts of th
ccn,I% were to be regulated e..t.rely
: tnosc on the right, 'not!ing was done q
> ali Had The orders to Gen i.tceH Leea n
d ceiced c,,J carriod oat, aad our entire tor,
!. brought upr, !,e.heid ue $houd kace destroye
the. ene".y's army almost ite.aAy Attacke