Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-08-02

II
the morning Gen. Longstreet's position in his
I entrenchments on this side of the Run
Gen. Evans, Of South Carolina, was the first
to lead his brigade into action at Stone Bridge
1t consisted of the Fourth South Carolina regi-
ment and Wheat's Louisiana Battsllion. Sus-
tanning them was Gen. Cookies Brigade, con-
sisting Of the Seventeenth and Nineteenth and
Twenty eighth Virgins regiments. command
| ed respectively by Coils. Cooke, Withers, and
| Robert 7. Preston. These Brigades were the
first to bear the brunt of the action, as they
! were exposed to a cOncentric fire, the object Of
| the enemy being to turn our left flank while
| we were endeayOring to turn his right. These
regiments Of infantry were sustsiu>Ag the fa-
nous Washington Artillery, Of Nao Orleans,
| who bad two Uf their guns at this - which
| made terrible havoc in the ranks of 4ysnemy.
| The Federal troops leading the action consisted
1 at lO 900 regulars, sustaining the celebrated
| Shermans battery. these regulars being in
their turn sus' aimed by immense masses of vol
unteers, the New York Zpuaves among the
number. Gen Besuregard estimated the en-
emy's numbers in the action to be not less than
| 80 900 men.
| Their artillery far outnumbered ours. We
| have captured 81 pieces cannon, while we had
only 1S guns on that part of the feld. 1t has
| been stated to me by so many Of our soldiers 1
| cannot but believe it, that the enemy by some
/ me"ns had obtained our signal for the day
| they also used our red badge, which Fortunate
/ ly was discovered in time, and they carried
| into action the flags Of the Palmetto State and
the Confederate States. Ii has been asserted,
too, by numerous individuals engaged in the
| battle, that there was great confusion and
/ slaughter among our own men, who mistOok
them for the enemy. This was less to be won
dered at from the similarity of uniform, and
/ the mean advantages above referred to taken
oy our inscriptions foes. They pressed our
lett flank for several hours with terrible eff ct,
| but our men Aincbed not until their number
| had been so diminished by the we'll aimed and
steady yolleys, that they were compelled to
4 .lTe way for new regiments. The Seventh and
| Efgnth Georgia Regiments, commanded by the
| gal ant aud lameuted Barlow, are said to have
suffered heavily during the early part of the
| battle. kempers, Shieldss and Pendletons
batteries were in this part Uf the field and did
fearful execution. 1 regret to be unable to
name all the regiments engaged, in their Or
| der, not having succeeded in ascertainiBg their
position. am inclined to believe there was
| some mistake during the day in the delivery or
| execution Of an order of Gen. Beauregard's
| respecting an attack on the enemys rear,
i which was not Effected.
l Between = and O'Clock large numbers of
men leaving the field, some Of them wounded
Others exhausted by the long struggle W ho gave
| US gloomy reports; but as the FIRE on both sides
l continued steadily, we felt sure that our brave
4 Southerners had not been conquered by the
| overwhelming hordes Of the North. 1t is due
to truth, however, to say, thai the result at
| this hour hung trembling in the balance We
| had lost numbers of our most distinguished
l officers. Generals Barlow and Bee had been
1 stricken down; Lieut.. Colonel Johnson Of the
Il Hampton Legion, had been killed; Col Hamp-
l ton had been wounded, but there was at hand
the fearless General whose reputation as a
L commander was s:aked on this battle Gen
Beauregard promptly offered to lead the Hamp-
| ton Legion into acdOn, which he executed in a
| style unsurpassed and unsurpassdble Gen.
/ Beauregard rode up and down our lines, be-
| tween the enemy aud his own men, regardless
| OF the heavy fire, cheering and enc, uraging
| our troops. About this time q shell struck his
horse, taking its head of, and killing the
horses Of bis Aids-Messrs. Ferguson and Hey
ward. Gen. Beauregard's Aids deserve hon.
| Orable mention, particularly those just named,
| and Coils. W: POrcher Miles, Jas. Chesnut John
| l.. N tnning snd A. K. Chisholm. Gen. John
ston also threw himself into the thickest Of the
| hght, seizing the coors Of Georgia regiment,
| aud raliying them TO the charge. His staff
/ signaliZed themselves by their intrepidity
Col. ThoU.as being killed and Major Mason
i wounded.
| Your correspondent heard Gen Johnston
eTclaim to Gen. Cooke, just at this critical
| moment, "Oh for four regimentsn' His wish
was answered, for In the distance sur reinforce
4 nents appeared. The tide of battle was turned
/ In our favor by the arrival Of Gen. Kirby
| Smith from Winchester, with 1000 men of
Il zen. Johnston division. Gen. Smith heard
| while on the Manassas railroad cars the roar
/ Ut battle. He stopped the train and buried
| his troops across the field to the point Just
where he was most needed. They were at
| hrst supposed TO be the enemy, their arrival ut
| that point OF the feld being entirely unex-
pocted. The enemy fell back, and a panic
| seized them. Cheer after cheer from Orr men
went up, and we knew the battle had been
| won. Thus was the best appointed army that
had ever taken the field on this continent
| beaten, and compelled to retreat in hot haste,
/ leavlng behind them everything that mpeded
! thSlr escape. Guns, knapsacks, hats. caps,
| shoes, canteens, and blankets covered the
ground for miles and miles. At about five
| q flock We heard cheer upon cheer, and the
! word Davis ran along the ranks, and we
saw IN the distance the tall, slender form of
our gallant President, who had arrived upon
| the held in time to see the total rout of the
army which threatened his capture and the
| sutJugstiOn of the South.
4 1he President left Richmond at O'Clock in
the morning and reached Manassas Junction
at 4, where, mounting a horse, accompanied
/ by Col. Joseph K. Davis and numerous attend
| ants, he galloped to the battlefield just in
time 10 JOIN in the pursuit by magnificent
body OF cavalry, consisting of 500 men, COM
\ msDded by Lieut. Col. Stewart. The sight Of
itself, was worth the fatigue of the days ur-
ney. The train had been delayed, and arrived
at the junction two hours behind ITS time,
which must have been a grievous disappoiut-
ment The Washington Artillery, who had
drawn their guns up the hill and in front Of
the house known as Mr.. Lewis s-Gen. Cocke's
and Gen. Johnston's headquarters, and which
| was rlddled with shot-cOmmanded by Major
J. b: Walton in person, gave the enemy about
| this time parting salute.
With the aid Of our glass, which was more
powerful than his own, he observed the car
rage OF a gun some two miles off He gave
| the order for another fire, and Lieutenant
Dearing pointed the piece. Before the ball
| well reached the point aimed at, a whole reg
iment Of the enemy appeared in sight, going
at the "double quick" down the Centrevilie
road. Major Walton Immediately ordered
another shot "to help them along" as he said,
| and two were sent without delay right at them.
There was no obstruction, and the whole front
Of the regiment was exposed. One-half were
seen to fall, and il General Johnston had not
that moment sent an aid to Major Walton,
with the order TO cease firing, nearly the
| whole regiment would have been killed. OF
the Washington Artillery only one member of
the detachment WAS killed viz: Sergeant i