St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-08-22
Almost Whipped.

Secession reports of the battle OF
Bull Run confirm the opinion that the
rebels were whipped at the time John
ston's rcinforcements came on the
field. The Richmond Dispatch, of Ju.
| ly Goth, contains a letter from a dis
tinguished officer engaged in the bat
tie, which puts this fact in the strong
est light. " There isno Doubt" he says,
"hat cur army acas overcome Screrak times
Jetlreen IL and 3, and that the bulletins
of the enemy are, in the main, cor
rect" In another part of his letter he
gives the following explicit account
of the m amer in which the tide was
turned
already ow lines upon The hilltop
acre giriag may, and melted to fresh
deeds of heroism by the appearance
in their midst of our Generals, appa-
rently bringing up rcinforcemcnts,
they pitched into the fray with re-
doubled ardor, and from that time we
yielded not an inch of ground The
tide of battle thus checked, a,cdy accat
Gen. JohnstOn's staff 10 hurry up the re-
series and assign them TO proper positions.
The first were met two miles back,
covered with dust, and coming at a
double quick. On they went, plung-
ing into the midst of the fray, and the
sunshine of certainty dill not CLEAN from
beneath the murky clouds until General
Kirby Smith arrived with q portion Of
his division upon the ground. Coming
from Winchester he heard the roar of
battle, and without waiting for orders,
he at once disembarkcd his men, Col.
Elzey's Brigade, and marched hurried
y to our assistance. Col. kershaw's
and Col. Cash's regiments arrived up
on the ground at the same moment,
and aciM these four Mousand men Gen
Smith promptly t0ok The extreme leH and
turned tie tide Of baAle. The enemy had
so far turned our flank as to have got-
ten entirely Jehiad as, and nearly 1000
were marching up to attack US in the
rear"
Gen. Mcdowell says very justly at
the close of his report: could we
have fought day, or even fer
honrs sooner, there is everything TO
show that we should have continued
successful even against the odds with
which we contended"
The most disgraceful thing was the
refusal of the Fourth Pennsylvania
and the artillery of the Eigth n. Y.
Militia to take part in the battle of
Bull Run. Gen. Mcdowell spent a
good part of Saturday, the day before
the battle, endeavoring to persuade
some of the regiments whose terms
had expired, to remain little longer.
All consented but the regiment and
artillery above mentioned. We ex-
tract from his official report the fol-
lowing:
On The ere of the battle the FouRru
PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT OF VOLUNTEERS
and the battery Of rOiunteer artillery Of
the Neao York Eighth Militia, whose
term oS service expired, insisted on
their discharge. / wrote to the rcgi-
ment, expressing request for them
to remain a short time, and the Hon.
Secretary of War, who was on the
ground, tried to induce the battery to
remain at least five days. But in
vain. THEY insisted or their dimharge
that night. 1t was granted, and the
next morning, WHEN THE ARMY MOVED
FORWARD INTO THE BATTLE, THESE TROOPS
MOVED TO THE REAR TO THE SOUND OF TIE
ENEMY's CANNON"
That was beautiful music to march
by. Death cannot wipe out the dam
ming disgrace that will attach to these
towards.