Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-07-24
LATEST FROM fHE SEAT OF VAR.
NEWS FROM OVER THE RIVER.
POSITION OF THE ENEMY.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
WHO GAVE The ORDER TO RETREAT.
WHO STOPPED THE RETREAT.
Incidents and Particulars of the Battle.
BRAVERY OF OUR yoLuxrrrp.

/ acuVely III the engagement at Bull Run, speak
In the highest terms Of the bravery and GOODNESS
OF the soldiers composing our volunteer force
| and CT their cheerfulness under the trying cir.
cumstances OF want Of proper food and res. pre-
| vious to the battle, some OF them having marched
| MANY miles and been without anything to eat
except dry bread for more than twentv-four hours.
With good Officers they would be equal to any
| troops in the world, but some Of them complain
| very much Of the incompetence of those set over
them, and well they may, IL II be true as we hear
| II stated, that numbers OF commission officers
| were among the first men to arrive In Washing
ton That the majority Of the officers however,
are every way worthy Of their positions. there
can be no doubt The victory was certainly with
US until late in the afternoon. although only e. bt
or ten regiments out OF fifty were engaged. and
to show how badly frightened the secessionis,s
were, we need only state that many Of our troops.
| too exhausted to travel, returned 10 CenteryiIl.
6fter the cavalry which attempted pursuit was
r'pused, and that these Federal troops slept there
| all night, and formed and left at 9 O'Clock next
morning, mp to which time not a man had dared
to cross Bull Run in this direction. As Federal
officer observed, "the rebels were thu wors: scared
| men he ever saw, except our own troorsn
WHO STOPPED THE RETREAT
Whatever may be sld to the contrary sbopt
4
In the case: a company OF reinforcements for
hunts battery under command OF Lieut. IIrisbln
were the frst TO halt. They were unarIned, but
threw themselves across the road, and ,akIng
arms from those who came up, prevented the fr
| gitives from passing to the rear ThsI- po,tjon
was on the hill, about half a mile on the road
| leading from Centerville to Fairfax They held
their position for nearly two hours when a report
| that the secession cavalry was advancing down a
aVlne half mile to the rear 10 cut or his retreat
induced Lieut.. Brisbin to fall back beyond the
raVlne, where he again took position across tn.
road, the right wing resting on a thick wood, and
the left against high hll thus cutting off all re-
Treat. THIS position was held for nearly two
hours, until Col Montgomery came up with the
| reinforcemen:s Of the New Jersey regiments
over ., oOO soldiers were collected at this point
ana put In order. Lieut.. Brisbln had three
men sho' while endeavoring to stop the re-
treat, and he, himself performed gaIlan Mt service
In this way after having received the following
wounds: A pistol shot through the arm, received
In the last charge Of the secession cavalry. =
wound In the side from the splinter Of Shell, re-
caived in tue field saber cut on the sbouIds,
received while endeavOring TO stop the retreat.
Many officers concur In the opinion tbs, We
| might have held CenterviIle long enough to en-
| trench and hold Fairfax, which mis- ht have been
kept as long as 1t was necessary to do so with our
| artillery and 10000 or - 0CO men, and that the
/ men could easily have been rallied for the work
| IN Iact more IMAM enough retreated In good order
l 10 have done 1t; but peremptory orders Were
| given to fall back on Washington The con,e.
quence 10 that great quantity OF military stores
are lost, even the canister, grape, shrapnel and
| and shell stored at Fairfax Court House. which
might have been either saved or DESTROYED lint
which has probably fallen into the hands OF the
secesSlohists The regulars mostly tough. well.
ana brought M the resr In line whic NAV have
oseE one caute why our troops were not har.ssed
| by pursuit.
ATTPo zOuAvH IN THE PIsHr
rfVate Davenport, Of the Fire Zouayes and
| iofHeIiy typo OF the Chicago Tribuas, was for q
short time prisoner, and owes his life only To bi.
| own p'eEence Of mind When the Z9uayea ,,ofc,-
ed the battery, and were cut off by tie Back
hoIss troop, he, with about thirty others, were
left in tho midst Of the Confederstes by the repi
| mFnt az II fell back. member Of the Rack
| morse troop named Nolan, who was badly wound
ed In the thigh, called TO Davenp port for assistance
| ana handed him his bowie kniEe 10 cut open his
/ pants, so as TO get at the wound Davenno,t
| seized the knife and, unnotced by Nolan, strip.
ped of bis own uniform, tore Off the tsssel from
| his cap, and put on one OF the Confederate hat.
AS lie was binding up tine wound Of Nolan. the
cavalry dashed down upon him. and seeing him
In civilians dress, worn under his uniform ! d.
| nanded who he was, a: the same Zine leyeIIng +,
| pistol at his head. Davenport said he BELONGED
| I" Capt fOwell's company, OF Alexandria. and
after 4 close Ecrutiny, misled by hIs Confsde,a.e
| na', inc troopers dashed on and lef! him. Daycn.
| port a' once moved on toward an opening In the
| woods and by skillfUl maneuvering snccee led In
L nm w he
finally escaped. In his figh he fell in with pu-
vate Early, Of Company 1, Of the same reyirnsn,
but In crossing the stream Early's rifle was ,cc,
dentally dis ;harged, the contents PASS ny ent,sIv
| through him, killing him instantly Dayep mort
pushed on and came up with little colored how
ABOUT twelve wears old, who was running for de, !,
life, with a'large field glass belonging TO an or
Ger OF Sherman's battery the boy having been lef,
| In the retreat OF the artillery Davenpor, c,uob,
up the boy and carried him to the bosp,taI ubs,.
! with conscious pride, the little fellow handed
over the glass to Its owner. The bowie knife ~
| Nolan WIS also brought away, and ia q savage
looking i" instrume nt, " about twelve incbes Ion1
and heavy enough to cleave a Uranium, how.ver
hard.
a hAssAcHUSErTs BOY CAUGHT IN THE EyENy,.
LINES.
sergeant Mixer, OF Company +, Massachusetts
4 "eS shh' ih Nv tue ADVANCE OF the
cavalry, and was compelled TO lie hid IN a..
chsppafsi Until he could crawl away through the
WOODS In coming down the road be fell in com
| Pany with two Alabama " contra bandan Nh
gave an Intelligent account Of affairs I, N. O.,
iede'a'e army. They were connected with ths
euaieias3rs department, and were fam,li,,
WIN 'ne amount OF rations delivered. tbei, ou.I
ny &c ihey state that on Saturday. ration.
were given out at Manassas for 81 900 men, They
mad corn meal, picked pork, smoked sboulder.
ana nefd bread In abundance, but little aour
Inc coiored men cav that at 3 O'Clock Of sp,a,v
forty large wagons heavily loaded with ma
auo wounded passed back to Manassas, while
mere were lying about, In every direction bsans
OF The dead and dying. They think the Conssd-
iederate loss much heavier than ours, and tn,
many OF their best men are lost Last Tbu,,d,v
during the first engagement, General Besureoa,d
naa 'aoie shot away from him, upon which h,
was eating his dinner, and on Sunday his bor,.
was Killed under him. The opinion Of the sscc.-
sion forces was that II they Were driven back
from Manassas, or Gen. Beauregsrd killed th.,,
ha