New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-05

NOT himseE Soon email squad Vi c"'"'
mounted eunners dashed up. Their cohiuScu on
count Of the battle only tended to confirm Us 3" ""
opinion that our whole army remained 'n''o 'm
Centrevile, and that these fellows were ol"'
mass of co,yardly scum that bad driited away III
= FRIGHT. The New. Jersey Colonel proposed 10
cot he picsets and allow no one to pass Without
the couptersign After delay oil an nour' "o una"
X pa.sed the head of tue wagon tram, pusheo on'
and soon emerged from The by-road ana STRUCK
tbe turnD;ke from Alexandria to Fairfax Court
House. And now the tide of fueitiyes began 10
ponr along in full volume. From them we learned
something Of the extent of our disaster. But
their statements were so contradictory az 10
strengthen the belief that the army had fallen
back in order, and was encamped at CeDtreViile'
and that these were mere craven runaways VINO
had sneaked from the field.
But the next hour overwhelmed us with testl-
monials that great disaster had indeed fallen
upon our gallant army. The sights and scenes
we encountered in forcing our way through this
torrent of fugitiyes to Fairfax COurt-House,
where we arrived at two O'Clock in the morning
will never be eAaced from my memory. For
five long hours we stemmed the Hood OF panic
stricken civilians, streaming by on horseback ana
in carriages, lashing their steeds to the top oil
their bent of army wagons, empted OF their
loads, aud filed with Straggers, urging their tired
teams forward with all speed; OF soldiers OF all
regiments, in squads of threes iiveS, and twentes
some in complete armOr, and others stripped oi
everything but trousers shirts, and shoes, aud all
so weary, hungry and fOot-sore, that nothing but
| panic as remOrseless, seDseess and deaf as The
grave could have imPeled them onward; OF
/ ambulapces. bearing wounded men, cut and dis
| figured by every conceivable form of mutlaton;
of vehicles broken down, overturned and aban-
! doned by their occupants in their insane flight;
| of artillery horses, running loose with their
| harness dangling at their heels and oil
cattle for the camp, turned back to AVOID
capture, and vending their lazy way to
the Potomac, or wherever else they
might please to wander. We passed vehicles IN
every stage of di.sOlution-whcelS OF, a1les
broken, harness dissheveled. Implements, habia-
ments, and munitions Of war, were strown around
at short intervals, or tumbled in heaps by the
roadside. Here lay muskets of the choicest pat
terns-there were scattered in wild medley a
mingedmass ofhlanlscts, knapsacks anniversaries,
the latter containing letters aid mementOes OF aiiec
ton fresh from loved ones at home. Yonder
were couple Of kegs Of powder rolled into
| close promity with the most destructive kinds OF
shot, shell and other deatbdealhg missiles. While
here and there the army drivers, to facilitate
their cowardy fight, had emptied their wagons
! of pork, oats sugar, and Ike commodities, which
were scattered about in the most scandalous con-
fusion. As proof of the utter abandon that
prevailed, / was amused to hear loquacious
Hbernisn, dressed in the costume of the Zou-
aves who had bestridcd an elegantly caporisoned
horse, say, in reply to my sharp inquiry, "WhOsc
horse is that, and where did You get him. " that
he bad belonged to Col. Slocum, that the Colonel
was killed, and that he gave him the hOrse
while he was dying
After awhile the main DRIFT of carriages and
hOrsemen fOated by, leaving struggling soldiers
almost the sole element in the streaming tide.
On they came-on on, in solemn, silent process
sion, clad in all costumes, belonging to all regi.
ments, utteriug not word except in response
to some query Of mine, or TO make hurried in-
quiry fer the direct route to Fort COrcoran, the
Long Bridge, or Alexandra. As we pushed on
ward, the current grew stronger, but maintained
the same disorderly flow. From hill-tOps ard
from valleys, where the eye could take in long
section of this struggling panorama, it presented
strangely fascinating appearance. AS we
stopped to rest at the foot Of long ACTIVITY,
and the full moon filtered his beams through
slight haze an unusually dense line Of half-armed
soldiers stretched away to the top, looking
through the light cloud of powdered dust like
some huge serpent, wounded in q mortal part,
and writing with may motion as he dragged
his extended folds down the hill.
We often drew rein and called "the boys"
around US, soliciting details of the hot and heady
fight, and inquiring to what regiment they be-
longed. The poor fellows, weary, hungry, dis
pirited, would peer anxiOusy into our carriage,
and when they saw the mattrass we were taking
out for our wounded friend would beg to be
taken in, forgetting in their bewilderment that
we were headed toward and not from the battle
field. Though ready to drop down from fatigue,
hint that We were going to Centreville set
them instantly in motion toward the Potomac.
Some gentle youths, hardly II and Is, whose
brief conversation suficed to show they were
well informed, perhaps the sons of luxury,
who had left homes Of ease to fight the
battles of Freedom in distant cline, told us
they were $50 hungry" OF cOnrse, the
last crumb Of our generous pile Of sandwiches, |
even had it been mountain, could not have |
withstood such appeals. They told us, too, they |