, 1861-08-10
GENEIk1L NIcDOWELL.
His Official IuAtIHeatiDu n

Gan. McDowell's official rapport OF the battle
ci Bull Run. is in print. Tia narrative points
laTa been anticipated by the many different
accornta Of ti:as engagement from The peas
oftha newspaper correspondents, from which
they Go not materially differ. His defence Of
tie policy which led him io the attack when
and III The ,aanacr he die, is as follows:
As niy position may warrant, tven if it Go2s
Fbt call, Tor some explanation OF the CAUSES
as far as thcS can be secn, which led to the re-
sli1s herein stated, 1 trust 1t may not be cat
9! pt@ce il ref@r in 4 few words to the imms-
date a:tlcedents Of the battle. When SUBJ
Nit: d to tie Genercl-5n- Clic:, in CONF mpliance
r;.ai his verbal Instructions, the plan Of one
ralGnS and 7=tima1e CT force required, the
sine was 10 proceed to carry it into effect
WIS liked t1r The Sth July, Monday. Every
f-ei::;y pc:sia}e wss given me bg the General
ln-e!s'ef ard !:safs Of the administrative de-
p4rtmsnss in making the Necessary prepaEa-
tions. Bu:, the reg silnsn;a, OWING, was t:ld,
Il, want OF 'ransreT' at;cn, came oyer slowly,
Misty Vi item cid not cross till eight CT nine
daYs atter tue time liked upon, and ateut for
ward without my even seeing them, aud with
.ut E;Iy1ng been togcthlr before in q brigade.
lie s:nuiEg Scl1IoI csmeE1s &c Gen. Pa.tcr-
S:2, by drawing oil the wagons, waa q further
'EG u.i:yUldable cause Of Ge:ay. Nctu:ta
s!:Eding tbs htrcn1can efforts d; the Qulricf-
r'as:er-GeEgral, aid his E,ycc:is I'll: iG every
Fac, The WAGONS Ter amtrusi:io1, s:ibsistaEce
x. and 1he horses fer tb.. tr.ius ;lud the az
alley, did Ect all arrive Tor l1,ore ihs.l week
sitter the lime appointed tc llaye. [ Tas NJ;
eTt:l prepsr2d aE late ::s tbs 15tl Tlailno and
the d.sire should move bc-l1aa s,rGai, lad it
s:s N::he;f / should To:, il possible, delay
lid set cut, Oh th.: 10Th, Was still deficient
IL: w:,:scns tor subsistence. But l wcat fur
7s..Ed LISTING 70 their be;n. procured in line
1t. follow me-. Tile tr.irs titus ilurri2ll. gath.
t1ca together, with horses, Wagons, drivers
a''' wagon nlaaagera, ill new aa:d unused to
t!ci, ::ai were tbs cause Of q 1aYss delay in
ge:::: s the provisions forward, nlakiog it ne.
! es>.t&S to make On Sunday the aIacS We
shru.:: Lave made on Saturday.
cs,rld not, With every exer{iaa, &c: for
I: ward With the troops earlier lhsn We did. l
!; wished &c 50 TO CCntrG!illc :ae second day,
!; WHICH would have taken US there OF the 17aa,
!; aid enabled us, SO fur as they were concerned,
t. so into action Oh the 18th, instead oi tire
21=t; hui when I went forward from Fairfax
! Count Il0use, hey ond Germant3wn, to urge
! ln:n forward, l was tcld il VAS impossible tor
the men to march tut tl,er. They had cniy come
i:cm Elcana, abeut miles and it was nos more
than six and ha!f miles farther TO Cantrevillc
IN all march of twelve and il ka1f miles
| hut tie naen were foot weary; not SO much,
E: was tcld, by the distance l-azcaed, as by the
tine they had teen Oh foot, caused by the OBJ
! struct:ons in the road and til: slow pace we
: Lad to move to avoid alnbuscaars. TIE meg,
, we're, moreover, unaccustomed to marching,
t::cir bodies not in condition for that work,
and net used to carrying even the Load OF
.ht marching order.
We crossed Bull Run viii, about 1S,000 snen
Of a:l arms, the fifth division tAIiles and Rich
aTdson'E brjgade) on the LEFT, nj B;ackbuEn's
: F"TG to Centrcvillc, and Schenck's brigade,
9. y lcr' 5 division, on the left Of the road,
ncaE the Stone Bridge, not participating in tbs
1rain action. The numbers opposed to us
Lave been yasleusls estimated. I may safely
say, AID avoid eycn the appearance oi exay-
ssu.d which wers not kept engaged elsewhere.
He had rotice Of Cur coming on the 18th, and
time until the 21s: to bring up wha.eYer he
bad. Il S known that in estimating the force
togo against Manassas, engaged not TO have
to 90 with the enemy forces under Johnston,
then ksrt in check in the valley BY M:ior
t,sneral Patterson, Or thosa kept engaged by
N;.jo1 General Butler, and know every effort
Nas made by thu GeatraliE- Chief that this
Should be done, and tha. even it Johnston
cop1d be followed by General Patterson, but
ircm causes not necessary for me to refer to,
II knew them all. This was not doae, and
the enemy WAS free to assemble from every
direction in Plumbers only limited by the
amount Of bis railroad rolling stock end his
supply Of provisions. To the forces, there.
toIe, VIC drove in from Fairfax Court House,
Fai:iax station, Germantown and Centreyiile,
aid those under Bsau.ega1d at Manassas,
must be added tEose u3der Johnston from
Winchester, and those brought up BY Davis
from Richm end to either places at the South,
to which is to be added tbs levy t7l aaasst
osdeT1i By the Richmond authorities, which
| Tas ordered to assemble ut Manassas. Wha.
sll 1bis amounted to, cannot saY-scrtaiuly
much mort than We attacked them with.
1ceu1o rot as I have said, mora early push
cn fssler, ror could delay. & large, and the
best Part Ct ny fcr2es, were three months
volunteers, whose tenn Of service was abcu:
! 10 cxEire. bnt ~ho weTo sent forward az hay
/ | lrg long CROUCH to serve for the pcrposo q
= .ae ezp+diloH- On the eva If tho bstt1e th.
1 FcuI;h Perzs51yania regiment Of ytscateer