The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-25

| tory.
large force OF cavalry were here sta.
| toned, and As the Generals passed they called
| for three cheers for Bsa uregard, which were
| i'm nediately given, with right good Will, and
which the General gracefully acknowledged
| by lifting his hat from his head and bowling
his thanks.
Both OF our Generals were plainly dressed
| No large epaulettes, no gilt, nor any tnss and
| feathers; you could only distinguish them at
| a distance to be officers by their swords,
Tut on closer inspection. the marks OF &C.
! nius and military skill were numtstakable.-
| Their uniform was what took to be plain I'M
dress OF the least sign of excitement was to
| he seen on the ceuntenances OF either as they
| cooily rode forward into the storm of iron
| hail Beauregsrds eyes glistened with ex-
pectation. no doubt; when he aftsrwards
| lion, appearing then, as was afterwards most
-x oressiveiy said Of him, to be the very i'm
| per.ona.ien of the "god of war" General
| Johnston, too, looked every inch a COM
| mander, and proved himself to be the worthy
inheritor Of the proves and virtues OF his
ancestors.
On reaching the top Of the hill, where was
a white house, owned, l believe, by a Mr.
Lewis, they were again discovered by the
eLemy, AS the fifiej shot and shell whizZed
tbro the air and lodged in the hollow behind
The aim was not so good at this time, the &C
curate artiiierists three miles below not hav-
ing yet come up with the enemy's main body.
At about L. O'Clock Bsauregard and John
SION assumed The command OF our main body
at the Stone Bridge.
The line OF battle extended some seven
miles up and down The creek, aud during the
day there were some minor eng agements a,
other fords.
AT Blackburn's Ford, General Jones Bri-
gads made an attack upon the left flank of
the enemy, who had two strong ba tteries in a
commanding position, which IL was impor-
tant To capture. The fifth >. q. Regiment
led The attack, but our troops were COM
nelled TO retire for while under the heavy
fire OF the batteries and musketry and the
| enemy Immediately retreated. Up TO tn.
time OF this attack, these batteries had been
bonn harding ali the morning General Long
streets position Iii his entrenchments on This
side OF the Run.
General Evans, Of South Carolina, was the
first To lead his Brigade into acton at Stone
Bridge. 1t consisted Of the Fourth South
Carolina Regiment and Wheat's Louisiana
Battalion. Sustaining them, was General
Cookies Brigade, consisting Of the 18th and
10 n and 2Stn Virginia Regiments command
ed respectively by Cois. Ooe ke, Withers and
Robt. I. Preston. These Brigades We're
the first to bear the brunt of the action, rs
they were exposed to concentric fire, the
object of the enemy being to turn our lett
flank while we were endeavoring to turn his
right. these regiments of Infantry were sus-
tanning the famous Washington Artillery of
New Orleans, who had two OF their guns at
this point, which made terrible havoc in the
ranks OF the enemy. The Federal troops
leading the action consisted OF 10, 900 Reg lars
sustaining the celebrated Sherman's Battery,
these Regulars being III their turn sustained
by immense masses Of volun teets the New
York Zouaves among the number General
BeauIegaTd estimated the enemy's numbers
III the action to be not less tn an IS, 900 men
Ihelr artillery far outnumbered ours We
have captured % pieces cannon, while we had
only eighteen guns on that part of the field
1t has been stated to me by so many of our
soldiers cannot but believe it, that the enc
my by some means had obtained signal
| for the day-they also used our red badge
which fortunately discovered n
| and they carried into action the flags of the
! Palmetto State and the Confederate States
| 1t has been asserted, too, by numerous indi-
yiduals engaged In the attic, that there WAS
great confusion and slaughter among our own
men, who mis- took them for the enemy. TINS
was less to be wondered st from the simiari-
| ty of uniform and the mean advan tages above
referred to taken by our INSCRIPTIONS foes.
They Pre- ssed our left flank for several tours
with terrible effect, but our men finched not
until their number had been so diminished by
| the well aimed and steady yollays, that they
were compelled to give way for new regiments.
The eth and Sth Georgia Regiments, COM
manded by the gallant and lamented, Barlow.
are said 10 have suffered heavily during the
early part of the battle. Kemper's, Shields
and Perdleton's batteries were in this part of
| the field and did fearful execution.
| ! regret to be unable to name all the regi-
| ments engaged, in their order, not having sue
| ceeded in ascertaining their position.
| l am inclined to believe there was some
| mistake during the day in the delivery or ex-
| ecution of An order of Gen, BeauTegard's, re-
| specting an attack on the eneIny's rear, which
| was not effected.
| Between two and three o'clock large num-
| ba1s of men were leaving the field, some of
| them wounded, others exhausted by the long
struggle, who gave US gloomy reports; but q.
| the fire on both sides con tinued steadily, We
| felt sure that our brave Southerners had not
| peen conquered by the Overwhelming hordes
| OF the North. 1t is, however due to truth to
| say that the result at this hour hung trem-
| hing m q balance Wa had
| bers OF our most distinguished officers
| Generals Barlow and Bee had been stricken
| down; Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, of the
| Hampton Legion, had been killed; Colonel
| Hampton had been wounded, Init there was
| st hand the fearless General whose repu tation
as a commander was staked on this ba tile;
| and with that chivalry which is bis nature,
Gen. Beauregard promptly offered to lead the
Hampton Legion into action, which he exc
cuted in style unsurpassed and unsurpass-
able.
General Beauregard rode up and down our
lines between the enemy and his own men,
regardless of the heavy fire, cheering and en-
couragiIg our troops. About this time a she'll
struck his horse, taking its head off, and kill
ing the horses OF his Aids, Messrs. Ferguson
and Hey ward.
General Beauregard's Aids deserve honora.
BILE mention, particularly those just named,
and Colonies w. PoTcher Miles, James Ches-
nut J ohm L. Manning and A. Il. Chisolm.
Gen. Johnston also threw himself into the
thickest of the fight, SELLING the colors of u
Georgia Regiment and rallying them to the
charge. His Staff signalized themselves by
| their intrepidity, Col. Thomas being killed
and Major Mason wounded.
Your correspondent hasrd Gen. Johnston
| exclaim to Gen. Cooke just at the critical
moment, "Oh for four regiments His
| wish was answered, for in the stance our
| rein foI cements appeared.
| The tide Of battle was turned in our favor
| by the arrival OF General Kirby Smith, from
| Winchester, with four thousand men Of Gen.
| Johnstons division.
| Gen. Smith heard while on the Manassas
Railroad cars the roar of battle. He stopped
the train and hurried his troops across the
| fields to the point just where he was most
needed They we're at first supposed to be
the enemy, their arrival at that point Of the
| field being entirely unexpected.
The enemy fell back, and panic seized
them. Cheer after cheer from our men wen,
| up, and we knew the battle had been won
| Thus was the best appointed army that had
| ever taken the field on this con tinent beaten
| and compelled to retreat in hot haste, leaving
| behind them everything that impeded their
| escape. Guns, knapsacks. hats, caps, shoes
| canteens and blankets covered the ground for
| miles and miles.
| At about five o'clock, we heard cheer upon
| cheer, and the word DAVIS" ran along the
slender form Of our gallant PREF ident, who
had arrived upon the field in time to see the
| total rout Of the army which threatened his
| capture. and the subjugation OF the South.
| The President left Richmond at O'Clock in
| the morning, and reached Manassas Junction
| at 4, where mounting horse, accompanied
by Colonel Joseph r. Davis and numerous
attendants, he galloped to the battle field, just
| in time to join in the purs nit by magnificen:
body Of cavalry, consisting of 500 men, com
| manded by Lieutenant Colonel Stewart
| This sight, of itself, was worth the fatigue OF
the days journey. Wesaw the poor wounded
| soldiers on the roadside and in the fields,
| when they observed the Presidents manly
| form pass by, raise their heads, and heard
them give shout upon shout and cheer upon
| cheer