Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-07-27
FULL ACCOUNT
OF THE
GREAT BATTL at MANASSAS JUNCTION
BY AN EYE WITNESS.
OF THE

BY AN EYE WITNESS.
Gen. Mcdowell with bis whole command, |
left Centrevle at 3 O'Clock. A. Nj, on Sun
day morning last, marching to attack the Re.
bells stronghold at Manassas Junction.
At six A. NJ. on Sunday, a heavy fire was
opened on the Bull Ron battlefield, and the
Rebels did not answer, although it was known
that they we're there aud our shells were ma
kibg terrible havoc.
When the masked batteries fred spon
Scbencks column, Lieut.. Dempsey, Compa-
nv 9, Second New York Regiment, was kill.
ed at the first fire and VIM. Maxwell, drum
NOR boy who was at the time carrying water.
Our troops we're kept under this calling fire
for fifteen or twenty minutes, within q stones
throw Of the battery, but brought off all the
killed and wounded.
A few moments after the attack by Schenck,
at Bulls Run. on the Warrenton road. clonds
of dust came from the direction of NJ Manassas
Junction and Brentsve, showing that the
Rebels we're reinforced. A white flag was
run up at that point, to show that I'VE have
been attacked by the main body Of the army.
Send help Gen. McDowell's large force
! bad DOW got 10 the eno~y's reAr aud was dri.
| wing them down towards the Junction.
The most gallant charge of the day was
made by the New York Sixty ninth, and
| Nineteenth. and Thirteenth. who rushed upon
one of the batteries firing as they proceeded.
and with great ectQt attacking it with the bay.
onets' point.
The yell Of triumph seemed to carry all be.
fore it, They found that the Rebels had aban-
doned the battery, and cnly taken one gun ;
G". S". 'hs 6ss sncc"If of I ~a. o"na ""y eter
most severely suffered. Lieut. Col. Hagerty
/ was among the first killed.
At l0.45 General Schenck led his column,
headed by the Eighteenth and Second Ohio
and New York, within few hundred feet Of
q masked battery of six guns.
They waited till our men got up close, aud
then opened on them, firing in rapid success.
sion.
Ten mon we're killed and wounded belong.
ing to the Second New York Regiment, and
also four belonging to the Secou Ohio Regi
nent, by the premature discharge of own mus
kets In their hands. A retreat was ordered,
aud our meE fell back
Schenck failed to rally his column in any
order. The Ohio and New York men scat.
tered through the woods 10 pursuit Of shelter
and water. The sun was broing hot, and al.
most su1ocatug, for the men were now opt Of
| water.
The roar of artillery and peals Of musketry
was kept up necessarily for a mile or two
along Bulls Rup.
Tie lighting was so general and indistnct,
that IT was Impossible Tor Us to learn reliably
the exact positions Of the different brigades
Wherever our men had good chance in
fair fight, they swept the field; Up 10 about
I. NJ, our army wss victorious but the
men bad dread OF the masked batteries, that
could not be overcome +; they were placed all
over the hll.tops aud on sides of ravines, and
would open tre upon us when least expected
Col. Richardson, who highly distinguished
himself 10 the previous engagement. proceed
ed 90 the left, with four Regiments of the
Fourth Brigade, to hold the battery hill on
the WarIenton road, in the vicinity Of the
place where the last battle was fought.
Information was received by Tyler's com
mand OF the existence Of the enemy's battery
commanding the road. Our troops were the o
formed in battle array. The Second New
York and the Second Ohio on the left, the
Third Ohio and the Second Wisconsin, aud
: Seventy ninth. Thirteenth aud Sixty. ninth
New York on the right. Col NJ lies division
followed in the rear.
Schencks and ShermaD's 5rigades, of Gen.
Iyler's division, advanced by tbe Warrerton
road, while Heinizleman's aud Hunters divi-
sions took the fork of the WaIrentou road to
move between Bulls Run and Manassas juno.
tion. keye's brigade remained at Centre.
Vile.
Up to the hour of three o'clock, P. Nj it
was generally un 1erstood that we had hem.
med 10 the enemy entirely, and that they
were gradually retiring that Hunter had
driven them back in the rea. that Heintzle'
mans command was meeting with every
success, aud that it required but the reser ye
oi Tylers division to push 90 TO Manassas
Junction.
, We we're in the centre Of Tylers division,
on tho bill just east OF Bulls Run on the
, WarrentOn road. About 2 p. NJ. we saw
clouds OF dust rising to our left, as though b
they were trying to outhsDk US and come on
US In the reur We called several officers
attention to II. but there seemed to be no
mao who could have reintorcemsnts sent for
TO cover our flank
. On the lett of the road we're Sbermaps s
and CaTlIsle's batteries, drawn up for fight
on the right were some three thousand men
consisting OF parts of the Ohio land New
; York Regiments. aud the New York 69Lh
, About three O'Clock p. NJ. their batteries
, opened on us every ball was well cred the
first fell in front of the batteries, and the next
one took OF the heads of two men, a few
, yards below Us, where Messrs. S. X. Smith,
} Sheriff j. Harper. Mr.. Shaw. Of the n. Y.
Herald, and ourself. were standing. Orders
were now given Tor the mer to lie down, aud
{ let the balls pass over; aud just as the order
s Was given. another one swept over our
D heads, and plougbed the field few steps 10
our rear. Our battery did not FIRE gun
The enemy were not to be seen. owing to
dense woods between them and US. Our
heavy siege gun was lying to the right. dis
g abied by the carriage being broken down ;
r the balls flew faster and faster, and the
I batteries wero apparently being brougbt
closer. We then went back to the edge OF
i the woods where our hospitals we're located.
. 10 little negro cabin where the wounded