New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-20
sIov,nsea now Filth Page.
,-ss bo~eyer goi'ty thcy nity oe WV" "'o''NJ' Wv
he done bv the proper ienon.
=, n cooI4si q Of Ge1. McDoWeA ,.ry
~ LANES T. BEY. Assistant 40 otsut General

o,r driver nade a mstake, which was the rather
uersisied IN that colOsed chattel informed MS we
could &c. 20 CentTevile by the route we WeIe Pt,.
suing, instead of turning back 10 Germant9Nwn, as
we ehorld have dore. CcntTevile was sliI seVsn
miles ahead. TIE guns sounded, however, heaNiS
from the valleys. Rising above re iore:l 'ols ~
reared the bine massest0f the AJegnahes, anu We
snew Manassas was somewhere on IN ouuyIh6 III
of Tho ridges which reminded me IN eoior anu
form Of the hills around The valley OF ba,Iaa -
Viroinjan who came ous of cottage, ana "no vi"
,ass nredly TO descendant of Madame fshoHUi Tlre
ue that we were going wrong T1ght away ,LIf,
wac ne admitted q by~rold s0neWnSi. " III re
front but people who bad tired is ucput IT, Il led
turpe9 10 (ieruaptONM with The cOhEictoi , a,,or
10 any plaee but Centrevjls. Our dnFer, now, y;
wished 70 try " il there We're no sc hesss % went
What did YOU say % qnolh the NlSln i >, q Sc
to know there are any se'es,Onis,s as If he had
seesionsts % ia vi0eDt sniPnse' az l;d "a tYo
Jor6 of trop, for the tret time IN ms mel 'O'
see Ne essonsts Indeed And All 'nls M go,
,egord and zee were pounding away OH O'I ioI' 49,,
~ ~ Even MIL or The hOrses re,raced ther
,tens he coored youth who bestrodc my 'hascr 'oii
,laminp tha; the mysterious arrangement Will SIn-
je,nns Ris race 10 slavery was very nucD ap"uou ny
,be action of that spired qdadruped; c'noueu' or
,,bcr at variance with the callOsi,ies OF the English
,addio From Germantown, onward oy lhe right
road there nothing very remarNaoie' ~ one
lie b group Of soldiers were buying "Seeession
onevD from some negroes, who looked as If they
.ona afford 10 part with it as cheaply AS men do who
are dealing with other people property bnggiesaho
wagons lAnglc6, cayriages) with cargoes of sena-
numerous. At last CeDtrevile appeared IN sight
"a few hcases ON our front, beyond which rose
bald hill-'he slOres covered WIN olVouae nuts;
sOmu saarist CARTS and horses, ana the TOP crested
with tpectatOrs OF the fight. The road on cach slde
was full Of traces OF Confederate camps the houses
were now ell occupied by FeGeEalSts In the rear oil
The bill was strong body OF inianry-two regiments
az Foreigners mostly Germans, with battery Of light
artillery Our buggy was driven up 10 the top Of the
hill Tbs colored 10Y WIS Dispatched TO the village 10
hook for place 10 shelter The botes WINE they were
l. 4aaI nd In II
sihe q meal for himself and the driver. TN the ml
there were carriages aud vehicles drawn up rs II they
were attending snail country race. they We're
nfterward engaged III a race OF anOlner KIND IN one
was n lady Wi an opea-9lSss: IN and around ana on
others were legislators and politicians There were
also few civilians horseback, and ON the slope OF
the hill regiment had saC ked arms ana was ehS5Ssi
IN looking az and commenting the battle below Inc
landscape i'm front open 70 the sght as lar rs Inc
ranges of The Aleghaniep, which swept round lIo 'ne
night in blue mounds the color OF which soened INTO
xioet in the distance On the let the view was CIR
.umsctbed by wood which reeejed along the SIDE OF
the hill on which we stood 70 The PLAN below: b'-
tween the base of the HILL which rose about lJo feet
shove the general level of the country ana the iooS
~ tbe Lowest und nearest elevation Of the opposite
EIleebauies extended aboat five miles, as well rs
,onl1 ndge of ii densely wooded country, dotted at
intervals with green helds an p'n,s u Ca nS
IN was marked by easy longitdinal uudulalions moi
<red by the form Of lie forests which clothed then
aud between two OF the more cOhsldeaoie ran h;I'
Streams "runs, as they ae dcnoA'neseo' IRON We
feended the hill Went straight into the forest Whee
n was visible now and then among the trees III cream
.olored patches. This road was MED with commis-
,arlpt WAGONS the white tops OF Whieh were NiiUle
tor two miles IN our 'front.'
On our left front gap in the lowest chain OF The
his showed tie gap Of Manassas ana TO Inc eit ana
nearer TO me lay the function o. the same name
where the Alexandra Railway unites Will tue lal
from the west OF Virginia. and continues the route by
rails of various determinations 10 Righmond. The
rseae WAS 80 peaceful might well doubt the evi'
,lppee of one sense that great contest was beng
rlayed out below in blood4hed, or imagine, az Mr..
Reward sometimes does, that it was delusion when
he wakes in the morning and finds there is civil war
upon him. Bat the cannon spoke out Loudly from the
,feen bushes and tho psins below were moted so 70
sneak by puiis OF smoke and by white nngs from
bursting shells and eapricious howitzes. IL was nc
review that was going on beneath ns. Inc sneIh
gave proof enough OF that, though The rush Ot Inc
shot could not be heard ~ The distance. Clouds OF
dust came up in regular lines through the tree-tops
where infantry weTU- aching, ara now ana theu
their waverfnG mists Of hgh-blue smoke curled up,
and the splufier OF musketry broke through the
booming OF the guns With The glass could de-
ec now and them the fash Of arms through the dust
clouds in the open, bus no one cOuid tell 70 which
side the troops who were moving belonged, ana
could only Judge from the smoke whether he guns
were fired toward or away from the hill. II was
evident that the dust in the distance right
extended beyond that which from the Federists
The view toward the left, as have said was inter
rIpted but the firing rather more heavy there
than on tue front o. ight hauk, and glade Was
on Pooles Run, the other ride of which the
(oniederates were hid IN force, though they bad
not made any specific reply to the shells thrown
INFO their cover early IN the morning. There
seemed 10 be a continuous line, which bed
bv the enemy, from which came steady SOLID firing
against what might he supposed TO be heaos Of
columns stationed at various points or advancing
against them. 1t was necessary % feed the horses
and give them rect after hot drive o. some - or
~ miles, or would have proceeded az once 70 the
'front.' AZ ] was watching the faces OF the Senators
ard Congressman thought / had heard Or read Of
s.,ch eceDe a. ths--bUt there was much more 10
come. TIE soldiers who followed each shot with
remarks in ENGLISH or German nOt as eaQeT ss
men generally are in watching dgbt. Once, as n
cloud OF thick smoke ascenGed from the trees man
shouted out, That's good we've taken auo, her bat
terry; there goes tho Magazine" But Looked IKE
and believe was, tho eXIlosion II ealsaon In ne
midst Of our little reconnaissance, Mr llzeJeIly, VINO
has been living and indeed, marching with one Of the
regiments as artist If The Npstrated LoHdD7 Mems,
came up and told u Ire action bad been commenced III
splendid style by the Federalsts who had advanced
steadily, diving the Coui,derates before thea part
Of the plan, as firmly believe 70 bring them under
the range Of their guns. lle Relieved the advantages
ON tie Federal eide were decided, though
with hard fgatiug, ard he had just come up 10 Cen
trevlle 20 look after something 10 eat and drink, and
procure Little nece.riet, ia Of need, Tor HE
comrades. Ills walk very probably saved bis life.
Having seen ell that could be- di-eemed through
gIases my friend ana myself had made feast on our
rludw ichos In tue shade Of the buggy MY horse was
eating and resting, aud war forced 20 give him half
hour more before mounted and meantime tried
10 make out the plan Vi battle, but all was obscure
and dark. Suddenly up rode Su officer, with = crowd
Of soldiers after HIN, horn the village. We've
whipped them ali pOintsl he shouted, " We've
taken their batteries, snd they're all retrtatngi'
Such ON uproar "a followed. TIE spectators and the
vop "Bully for us! Didn't | tell you sol"
and gnttnJal "hQohs from the Deutschland folk