The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-08-20

On turning into one of the roads which leads 20 Fair
fax Court Horse and to Centrevle beyond it the distant
sound of cannon reached That must have been ABOUT
halfpas nine A. NJ II ceased all day at least,
whenever the rattle Of the gig ceased the booming
Of guns rolled through the woods on our ears
One man said 1t began at two O'Clock but the picKes
told US 1t had really become continuous about halpast
seven or eight O'Clock
hEEIING THE ForRrH PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT ON rs WAY
HoxE-TBE MEN LEAVE IN nB FAcR or TIE ENRMy.
In few minutes afterwards body Of men appeared
on the road with their backs towards Centrcvile ana
their faces towards Alexandria. Their march was SO
disordery that could not have believed they were
soldiers in an enemys countrySor Virginia hereabout IS
u soon appeared that there was no less
than an entire regiment marching away,
sngy or in small knots Of two three extending for
some three or four miles along the road Babel Oh
tongues rose from them and they were all IN good sPrs,
but with an air about them could not understand DIS
mounting at stream where group of thirsty men were
drinking and hating in the shade i asked an officer,
Where your men going, sir % "Wcll, we're gong
home, sir reckon to Pennsylvania" IL was the rourtn
Pennsylvania regiment which was on It's march, as !
learnt from tho men, ~ suppose there is severe work
going on behind you, Judging from the nrngf sa
after pause, during which il occurred him. perhaps,
that the movement required explanation becduse NE
mems time is up We hare had three months q hs eork
proceededon my way, Illuminating on The feelings ~
General haifa brigade wdlk quietly array on the
rsvy morning Of action and ON the frame Of mind Of
the men, who would have shouted till they hoarse
about their beloved Union-possby have hunted down
any poor creature who expressed belief that 1t was not
the very quntessence Of everything great and good in
turning their backs IL sch in ITS utmost peril because the
ritter Of their engagement bound them further Perhaps
the Fourth were right, but let us hear no
more OF the excellence OF three months service voun
teers. And so we left them.
The road was devious and difficult. There were few
persons their for most Of the Senators and Con
gressmen were ON before u.s. Some few commissariat
wagons were overtaken at intervals. Wherever there
was house by the roadside the negroes were listening
to the firing. All at terrific object appeared in the
wood above the trees-the dome of church or public
building apparently suffering from the shocks OF an
earthquake and heavng to and fro in the most violent
manner In much doubt we approached as well as the
horses minds would let u.s. and discovered that The strange
thing inflated balloon attached to car and wagon,
which its way TO enable General Mcdowell to re-
connoitre the position he then engaged in attacking
just day too late The operators and attendants swore
as horribly as Annals warriors in Flanders but they
could not down the trees and SO the balloon seems
likely to fall into the hands Of the Confederates
TIE REBEL WORKS NEAR FAIRFAX COURT noesR
About eleven o'clock began to enter on the disputed
territory which had just been abandoned by the seces-
sonsts to the federasts n front OF Fairfax Court House
II is not too much to say that the toorks om up across
the road sdms and make believes, and that the Con-
federdtes Intended to occupy the position at all, b
sought to lure the fed-aiss to Manassas Cap 'ohere
they prepared TO meet them Had it been otherwise
the earhworks would have been Of different character
and the troops would have had regular camps and tents
| instead Of bivouac huts Of branches Of trees OF
course the troops Of the enemy did not wish to be
cut of, and they had cut down trees to place
the road, and put some fold pieces in their
earthw0rks to command it, On no side could Richmond
be well defended The Conederates had 1t much at
heart TO induce their 10 come TO the strongest
place and attack them and they succeeded in dong So
Bat, if the troops behaved i'll in other places as they
did at Manassas the ederalsts could have been
cessfu any attack whatever In order that the prepa
raons Manassas may be understood and that General
Beauregard, of whose character gave some hint at
Charleston may be known ut home as regards his fitness
for his work, above oil officer of artillery and Of
description Of the place and of the man from Southern
iMr Russell here copies letter dated at Manassas,
ogzng the position and commander in the highest degree
ED. HERALD
AT FAIRFAX BoUsE AND oMhANTowN-rRACEs OF
THE UNION TROOPS.
II was when arrived at Fairfax Court House,
poor village Of some thirty or forty struggling wooden
and brick houses deriving its name from the building in
which the Circuit Court Of the county Is held believe,
and looking the Of fourishing, and may
mark obr that the state Of this part Of Virginia cannot
be very prosperous inasmuch there not village
along the road up to this point and no shops or depos,
only mill one blacksmith and wheelwrigh The village
held by part Of the reserve of McDowels force,
possibly 900 strong The inhabitants were, eyes
spoke truth, secessionists to man. woman and child,
and even the negroes looked extra black, if they did
not about being fought for.
A short way beyond this village, Germantown-the
of the Of the federastsaforded
evidence its blackened ruins that General McDowels
censure than needed. Let me inerpoate II It
it only show that General Beauregard and his rival
at least equal in point of literary power as masters
of the English tongue
Here copies General Orders No 49, of the rebel army
The chimney stacks being of brick are the sole remains
Of the few good houses in the village.
Here our driver made mistake which was the rather
persisted in that colored chattel informed us We could
get Centreve by the route pursuing, instead
of turning back TO Germantown as We should have done
Centrcvite still seven miles ahead.
DIFFICULTY FINDING THE BATTLE FIELD.
The guns sounded, however, heavily from the valleys
Rising above the forest tops appeared the blue masses Of
the Alleghanies and knew Manassas was somewhere
outlying open Of the ridges, which reminded me in
color and form of the hills around the valley OF Baidar
A Virgnian who out of a cottage, and who was
| assuredly descendant Of Madame Esmond, told
| us that we were I" going wrong right away" There
was he admitted, a byroad somewhere to the left
front but people who had tried its depths had returned
TO Germantown with the conviction that il led to any
place but Centrevle Our driver, however wished to
try f there sechessers abouty" "What did you
say2 quoth the Vrgnian IL want 10 know if there are
any secessionists there" secessionistsl' I'm violent
surprise fhe had heard of them for the first time IN his
life "No, sir ee Secessionists, indeed %
And all this time Beauregard and Lee were pounding
away on our left front some six or seven miles of.
The horses reraced their steps, the coored youth who
bestrodc my charger complaining that the mysterious
rangement which condemns his race to slavery
was very much abraded by the action of that
spirited quadruped, combined rather at va
variance with the calloses Of the English saddle.
From Germantown UPWARDS by the right road there
nothing very remarkable AT one place group of sol
ders were buying secession money! from some negroes
who looked they could afford to part with as cheap
y do whoare dealing with other peoples proper
ty. Bugges and wagons (Angce, carrages), with car
Of Senator'S were overtaken Tho store carts became
more numerous.
sArE At CENrREvILLE-TAKEs UP A LADIES,
LEGISLATORS POLITICIANS.
At last Centrevle appeareddn sght-a few houses on
front beyond which resea bald HILL the slopes COW
cred with bivouac huts commissarat carts and horses
and the top crested with spectators OF the fight The road
each side full of traces OF Confederate camps the
houses now all occupied by federalsts.
Inthe rear of the hill, astrong body Of infantry
two regiments Of foreigners mostly Germans, with bat
terry OF light artillery. Our buggy was driven up to the
top of the hill The colored boy despatched to the
village to look for place 10 shelter the horses while they
ticking much required feed and TO procure, pos
sible, meal for himself and the driver. On the hill
there carriages AID phcles druun up they
attending small country They afterwards
qdgd c another Kind In one lody,vih
and politicians There also few civilians on horse
back and the slope Of the hill regiment had
stacked arms, and was engaged in looking at and com
mentng ON the battle below. The landscape in
front open the sight far tho ranges Of the
Acghanass, which swept round from the right in blu
wounds the color of which sUened into violet in the dis
On the left the view WAS circnmscribed by
wood which receded along the side OF tue hill on which
we stood che plain below. Rtween the base OF this
hill which $50 feet al the general level OF
the country and the foot Of the yest and nearest eeva
ton Of the opposite Aleghanies extended about five miles
well as corid Judge, of dessfey wooded country
dotted Intervals green el aud patches of cleared
lands. 1t marked by easy longitudinal fluctuations
indicated by the form OF the forestssghch clothed them
and between two of The more considerable ran small
reams ''runs, as they Disseminated from the
ri hit the left Closeat hand marrow road, descend
in, the HILL went straiia into the fasest where il was
via bic and then auAng the trees 10 creamcoored
pat hes This road filed with contisariat wagons
The hite tops of which visible Ter two miles in
our e ont