Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-07-22

DESCRIPTION or MISUNDERSTANDING DK.
FENCES or THE PLACE-c0NffDENCE IN AND
POPULARITY OF GEN. BEAUReGARD-HIs IA.
BITS AND CHARACTERISrIOs-HOw HE AP-
PEARS IN CAMP, 10.
The following. from the correspondence Of the New
Orsans Pcayune, will aid the resdr n comprehsnding
the late battle at Bulls Run and Be read With especial In
tersst ct this time, when the place and form the
theme with every tongue:
Tnis place still continues the headquarters Of the army
Of the Potomac. BY nature, the position is ono OF the
strongest that could have been found In the whole Sate
About hallway between the Eastern fpur Of the Blue
Ridge and the Potomac, bslow Alexandria Il commands
the whole country between 80 perfectly that there Is
scarcely possibility Of Its being turned The right
wing stretches OF towards the head 1atsrs Of the 90
coquan, through wooded country which Is easily made
impossible BY the Telling Of trees The left 10 rolling
table land easily commanded from tbs successive ssvs.
tons till you reach country rough and 20 russed
that Il y defence 70 ITSELF The key 20 the whole 20.
ston, In fact ID precisely that point which Gen. Bean
regard chose for his CENTRE and which be his fortified
strongly that, In the opinion OF military men, 1900
men could there hold 10000 at bay.
The position, In fact, 10 fortified In part BY Nature
herseE lis tpccession Of hills, nearly eqai-ds.ant
from each other front Of which rsviIe 90 deep aud
so thlckly wooded thst II 10 impossible only a. two
points, and those through sorges which afy men can
defeDQ Against . WnOio army. u was a. one OF these
points that the Washington Artillery at first
camped, and though only bali the battalion was then
there and had only company OF infantry 70 sup
port W. slept soundly under projection ct
guns II We had been in q fort Of the aupest dusn.
sions.
OF the Notifications svpesdded here by Gen. Besurs-
gard 70 those OF Nature, u.s. OF course not proper for
me TO speak. The general reader in fact, viii have
sufficiently precise idea Of them BY conceving line Of
forts come two miles In extent zgz In form, With an.
ges saients basors, casemates and every thing that
properly belongs TO works OF this kind.
The strength and advantages Of this position at Ma
very much inceasedby the the fact that four
miles further on is position Of similar formahon,
while the country between admirably adapted TO the
subsistence and entrencbnent Of troops 10 number
large they be easily ivred on the real battle
Geld Water j. good and abundant forage u every
where found in the rich farming districts OF Virginia,
and the communication With al pssa Of the eouutry
eHy.
Here, overlooking sn extensive plain, watered by
ountap streams which ultimately Cad their way to the
Potomac and divided into vsrdant aeds Of wheat and
oats and corn pasture and meadow the
of the advanced forces Of the army of the Potomac
They ere South Carolinans, Louisianians, Aabamans,
hississppans and Virgnlans for the most part Never
have seen q 6ner body oil men-men who were more
obedent 10 discipline or bresthed sefsacriHcipg
patriotism.
As might be expected from the skill with which he has
choeen his position and the system with which be
camps his men, Gen. Besuregard 10 very popular here
doubt II Napoleon himself had more the undyided con-
6dencs Of his army. Ry nature As ssp frpp vice pol
icy, be Is very retpspt Not an individual here krs.s
his plans or single move OF Regiment bofore it Is
made and then only the Colonel and bis know whore
It goes to. There not man here who can give any
thing like q satisfactory how many men he has
where bis exact lines are For che distance OF four
teen miles around, you zee tents everywhere and from
them you make rough estimate of his men, but how
many encamped the byroads and In the for.
es,s tell. The conner, from what be secs
at first glance, puts down the plumber at about $4,000
men, those who have been here longest estimate bis force
at 1000 0O0 and some even at 600 strong. And
there s the discrepancy as TO the quantity Of bis
artillery. So close does the General keep his
himself his lett hand hardly Knows what bis right hand
doeh and Jealous is be Of this prerogative Of com
handing officer that verify believe If be suspected his
coat Of any acquaintance With the plans revolving With.
in him, he would cast Il from hip
The GENERALS headquarters 10 little farW house, about
fifteen feet By twenty fronting one Of the roads that
lead 10 Alexandria. The ground floor is divided into
Two rooms The front one fled with decks at which
clerks sit writing, or engaged 10 business OF varied
character The back sDpess TO be used for store
room aud kitchen. Above tue same division continues
and the front room is the Generals apartment 1t is
about fifteen feet long by ten wide, and hung with maps
Of the State and county around In the ceptro plain
pine table, ON WHICH he neatly folded up what the vis
would naturally take TO be plans, specifications,
veys geometrical drawings, &C., and by their aide mill
tery reports Everything has the air OF nestnes COOL
ness and mathematical calculation. or course there ID
pohing in the room but what pertains 70 the Office and
TO most eyes would appear somewhat bare but what
there is arranged with much taste that the general
impression is by no means unpleasiog.
The General in his the greater part Of the day.
apparently occupied with his plans and reports Then
hour after hour be sits alone by bis neat little pine table,
maps plans and specifications before him, and large open
windows behind and around him, at fese sight the
cold, calculating, unsympsthitng athematicsn Every
now and then an aid enters With report or message,
which deiyeyedin military STYLE deliberately eIamined
in silence the corresponding order promptly written out
delivered 10 as few woTds possible, and our mathe
NAUTICAL iceberg is alone again. When visiter drops in,
however, at leisure moment the Formally Of the officer
readily gives way to that easy interchange Of civties
which charaoterises people ct home, but nothing
Even at the table, when the General is daily
rounded by The most distinguished gentlemen Of the
country, there appears to be distance which, suppose
s natural TO bis position, but which Is rarely found else
where
The leading characteristic Of Gen. Bsauregsrds mind
Is clesrIess Of perception. Superadded to this Ia
strictly mathematical obligation. This yos see in word
aud looE even 10 The expression Of biz face Since CO.
sues aud tangens, stick out everywhere, In person
he ia slender, but compacty built and extremely neat
Add 10 this precision Of manner, Sigh modified by
the ease which chsracerizss the welbred of the
world, and you have correct idea of the man whose
word is law AID gospel throughout Of the largest
most intelligent and best appointed armies ever assem-
bled on the American continent
IN hs peraonal staff the General has bean peculiarly
fortunate. They are principally from Soa'h Caroini.
the same he had with him 81 the siege Of Fort SUMTER
all Of them accomplished, discreet gentemsu, Of the
lost pleasing tlanpsrq
The Generals lless is very much In keeping With bis
character aud simple enough for Napoleon himself Il
|, served long pine table, Get In open piazza Of
the farm.house aud all bis iriends are Hospitality wei
coined to il three times day. The General sits nearly
10 the middle. bis aids Immediately side and and
and his latest guests onhe other the rest of the COM
pany as they may choose or chance to seat themselves
the vands such tho country around affords ealy
the rice imported" and si.h IL suspect, South
Carolina cock, for ever kerps Wss as Independent q
the sals froEi which t caais.