Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-08-23
THE BATTnE OF BULLS RUN

Of sermons, so cents each. novll-'59
THE BATTLE OF BULLS RUN.
Letter from Russell Of the London
Times--He gives Graphical P"r'ic-
uIHrs of the FiGht--HlS Narrow es-
cape from being Killed.
1t was noon when we arrived at Fairfax
Court House-a poor village of some 80
or 40 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 reverse
oc hourishing-nud one may remark, obi
ter, that the state OF this part of Nirginia
cannot be very prosperous, inasmuch as
there was not Il village along the road up
to this point, and no shops or depots, only
one MILL one blacksmith and wheclwright.
The village was held by Il part of Mellow
ellis force, possibly 1000 strong. The Sc
cessiouists were, if eyes spoke truth, in
habitaEts TO Il man, woman, and Guild, and
even the negroes looked extra black, as IT
they did not care for being fought for.
short way beyond this village, German
tswn. the scene of the recent eXcesses of
the nationalists, afforded evidence in its
blackcned ruins that Gen. McDowells CEN
sure was more than needed.
The chimney stacks being of brick, are
the sole remains of the few good houses IN
the village. Here our driver made mis-
take, which was the rather preSiSted in
that colored chattel informed us we could
get to CcntTcvile by the route we were
pursuing, instead of turning back to Ger
mantowu as wc should have done. Cen
reyille WAS still seven miles ahead. The
guns sounded, however, heavily IRON the
valleys. Rising above the forest tops APP
peared the blue masses of the Alleghantes,
aud we knew Manassas was somewhere on
an outlying open of the ridges, which re-
minded me in color and form of the bills
Iaronnd the valley of Buidar. a Virginian
who came ont of IL cottage, and who WAS
inssuredly no descendant of Madame E=-
Smond, told us we were going wrong right
luway." There was. he admitted, a by-rOad
somewhere to the left front, but people
twho had returned to German with the con-
Eviction that it led to any place but
tCentrevillc. Our driver wishedto try "If
there were no seceshers about? "N hat
do you say" quoth the Nirgiuian. 81
want to know if there are any secession
lists there. "Secessiouists?' lin violent
surprise, MS if he had heard of them for the
first time in his lile.) mo, sir-ree ! Seccs-
sonists, iudecdl" And all this time Beau
regard and Lee were pounding away on
our left front some six or seven miles oil.
i ue uOTStS IClluCGu OuCLl olSPSs hhN SN''t
ed youth who bcstrode my charger com
plqining that tue mysterious arrangement
which condemns my race to slavery was
very much abraded by the action of that
spirited Quadruped, combined, or rather ut
variance, with the callosities of the Eng
l!Sh saddle. From Germantown onwhrds
hy the road there was nothing very re-
marknble. At one place group OF SOL
diers were busy buying secession money
from some negroes. who looked Hs If they
could afford to part with it AS cheaply as
men who are dealing with other peoples
property BuTgies and wagens, with car
goes of Senators, were oVcrt"hen. Inc
store carts became more numerous. AT
last CentrevilIe appeared in sigbt-a few
houses on our front, beyond which rose n
bald hill, the slopes covered with blvouac
huts commi>scrat cartsund horses, andth
top crested with spectators of the light
The road on each side of the road was full
OF traces of confederate campsi the houses
were nav all occupied BY Eationalists. In
the rear of the hill was IL strong body OF
infantry-two regiments of foreigners,
mostly Germans-with II battery of light
artillery. Our buggy was driven UP to
the top of the hill. The colored boy was
dispatched 10 the village to look for a
place to shelter the horses while they were
taking a much-rcquired feed; aud to pro-
cure if possible meal for himself and dri-
yer. On the hill were carriages and We
hicles drawn up as it they were attending
small country race. They were after
wards engaged in race of another kind.
In one was a lady with an opera glass; in
and around others were legislators and
politicians. There were also few cvili-
ans on horseback, and on the slope of the
hill regiment had stacked arms, and was
engaged ic looking Mt and commenting on
the battle below. The landscape in front
was open to the sight as far as the range
of the ranges of the Alleghanes, which
swept round from the rightin blue mounds
the color OF which sOftened into violet in
the distance. On the left the view was
circumscrbed by wood which receded
along the side of the hill on which we
stood to the plain below. Between the
base of this hill, which rose about $50 feet
above the general level of the country, and
the foot of the lowest and nearest eleva-
vation of the Alleghanies, extended about
FIVE miles as well as l could judge, of Il
QenseIy wooded country, dotted atintervals
with green fields and cleared lands. 1t
was marked by easy longitudinal eleva-
tions, indicated by the form of the forests
which clothed them, and between two OF
the more considerable ran small streams
or runs as they are denominaled, from
the right to the left. Close at hand mar
row road, descending the hill, went
straight into the forest, where it was visi-
ble now and then among the trees in cream
colored matches. The road was filed with
commis,ariat wagons, the white tops OF
which were visible for two miles in our
On our left front a gap in the lowest
chaiu of the bills showed the Gap of Man
assas, and to the left and nearer to us lay
the "Junction'' of the same name, where
the Alexandria Railway uufites with the
rail from the west of Virginia, and contin-