Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-08-25


their enemy TO come to the strongest
place and attack them, and they succeed
ed in doing so. But if the troops be-
haved as Ill in other places as they d id
at Manassas, the Federalists could not
have been successful 10 any attempt
whatever.
1t was noon when we arrived at Fair
tax Court House-a poor village of some
80 or 40 struggling wooden and brick
houses. The village was held by part
OF the reserve of McDowell's force,
possibly LOCO strong. The inhabitants
were, if eyes spoke TRUTH Secessionists
to man, woman and child, and even the
negroes looked extra black, as if they
did not care about being fought for. A
short way beyond this village, German
town, the scene of the recent excuses of
the Federalists, afforded evidence, in its
blackened ruins, that Gen. McDowelps
censure was more than needed. Centre
vile was still seven miles ahead. The
guns sounded, however, heavily from the
valleys. Rising above the forest tops
appeared the blue masses of the Allie
ghanies, and we knew Manassas was
somewhere on an outlying open of the
ridges, which reminded me in color and
form of the hills around the Valley of
Baidar. At last Centreville appeared in
sight-a few houses on our front, beyond
which rose bald hill, the slopes cover
ed with bivouac huts, commissariat carts
and horses, and the top crested 10Th spec
tators Of the fight.
The road on each side was full of
traces of Confederate camps; the houses
were now all occupied by Federalists. In
the rear of the hill was a strong body of
infantry-two regiments of foreigners,
mostly Germans, with battery of light
artillery. Our buggy was driven up to
the top of the hill. On the hill there
were carriages and vehicles drawn up as
if they we've attending a small country
race. They were afterwards engaged liz
a race Of a different kind. In one was
around and on others were legislators and
politicians. There was also few civil
ians on horseback, and on the slope of
the hill regiment had stacked arms,
and was engaged in looking at and COM
menting ON the battle below. The land
scape in front was open to the sight as
far as the ranges of the Alleghanies,
which swept around from the right in
blue mounds, the color of which soften
ed into violet in the distance. On our
left front gap in the lowest chain of the
hills showed the gap of Manassas, and
to the left and nearer to US lay the Juncs
ton of the same name, where the Alex
andria railway unites with the rail from
the west of Virginia, and continues the
rout by rails of various denominations
to Richmond.
The scene was so peaceful man might
well doubt the evidence of one sense
that great contest was being played cut
below in bloodshed, or imagine, as Mr..
Seward sometimes does, that it was a
delusion when ne wakes in the morning
and finds there is civil war upon him.
But the cannon spoke out loudly from the
green bushes, and the plains below were
notified. so to speak. by puts of smoke
and by white rings from bursting shells
and capacious howitzers. 1t was no re-
view that was going on beneath US. The
shells gave proof enough of that, though
the rush of the shot could not be heard
at the distance. Clouds of dust came up
in regular lines through the tree tops
where infantry were acting, and now and
then thier wavering mists of light blue
smoke curled up, and the splutter OF
musketry broke the booming of the guns.
With the glass could detect now and
then the flash of arms through the dust
clouds in the open, but no one could tell
to which side the troops who were NOV
ing belonged, and could only judge
from the smoke whether the guns were
Tired toward or away from the hill. 1t
was evident that the dust in the distance
on our right extended beyond that which
rose from the Federalists.
The view toward the left was-inter--
rupted, but the firing was rather more
heavy there than on the front or RIG he
flank, and a glade was pointed out in the
forest as the beginning of Bull or Pools's
Run, on the other dido of which the
Coniederates were hid in force, though
they had not made any specific reply to
the shells thrown into th,i r cover early
In the morning. There seemed to be a
continuous line, which was held by the
enemy, from which came steady, solid
firing against what might be supposed
to be heads Of columns stationed at va
rious points Or advancing against them
The soldiers, who followed each shot
with remarks In English or German,
were not as eager as men generally are
In watching a fight. Once, as a cloud
of thick smoke assembled from the trees,
a man shouted out, That's good; we've
tasen another battery; there goes the
magazine" But it looked like, and L
believe was, the explosion of a caisson.
In the midst of our little reconnaissance
an Englishman came up and told us the
action had been commenced in 81 lendid
style by the Federalists, who had ad-
vanced steadily, driving the Confederates
before them--a part of the plan, as l
firmly believe to bring them under the
range of their guns. He believed the
advantages ON the Federalist side were
decided, though won with hard fighting,
and he had just come up to Centerville
to look after something to eat and drink,
and to procure little necessaries, in case
of need. Suddenly up rode an officer,
with crowd of soldiers after him from
the village. We've whipped them on
all pointsw he shouted. "We've taken
their batteries, and they're all retreat
ingp Such an uproar as followed The
spectators and the men cheered again
and again, and cries of "Bravop Bully
for usl" Didn't / tell you so?" and
cultural "hochs" from the Deutschland
folk, and loud "hurroos" from the Irish.
Soon afterward my horse was brought up
to the hill, and my friend and the gentle
man | have already mentioned set out
to walk toward the front.
As turned down into the narrow road
or lane. already mentioned, there was
forward movement among the four wheels
ed tilt wagons, which raised great deal
Of dust. L had met my friends on the
road, and after few words rode forward
at long trot as well as could past the
wagons and through the dust, when sud.
1eniy there arose tumult in front of me
II small bridge across the road, aud
teen perceived the drivers of set of
wagons with the horses turned toward
me, who were endeavoring to force their
way against the stream of vehicles set
ing in the other direction. By the side
If the new set of wagons there were a
1umber (f comuissariat man ond sol