Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-08-02
FROM THE SECOND W. REGMENT


d NNiftri ri'iil'l-iite ui tlt journal.
1 WEDNESDAY, July "a, 1861.
/ Last Sunday morning 40 o'clock we re-
ceiycd ordcrs 90 march Immediately towards
Manassas Junction. Tho Vermont Second Is
IN ihe third Brigade and under Brig. General
Howard oi Ne, occupying the left flank of
thc brigade. The number Of bngades were
divided into three divisions, ours under Gen.
( lienzleman, The whole force being command
ed hy Gen Mcdowell and amounting 20 about
forty thousand men. who we're encamped al
Centreyllle. Va, about fourteen miles from
Manassas Junction and about TWENTY-FIVE
from Washington. The whole column ex-
tended some two miles and il was near 8 A.
VI. before our regiment moved. We we're
provided with one dav, rations and supnosed
that when uc advanced they would fall back
also expecting victory as a matter Of course
Through oarelessness ON my part got sepa-
rated from the Second and went With Els
worth S Iouaves, advancing on the right
while the Second went to the left, making
Manassas as our concentrating point But
0nr scouts composed Of the Rhode Island lst
and ID. and New York fist, encountered two
rebel regiments advancing from Winchester.
Va, towards poiut a little below what is
called Bulls Run, and after little severe
Spfague appeared before his regiments he
was enthusiastically chccred with cries-"the
day /, ours Spiagre is said TO have had
two horses shot from under him, and the 2d
Il. ! lost their Colonel Slocum). Soon af.
ter. as we advanced in column. the repeated
discharges of caunon and the showers of
grape that we found thrown among us, told
that the enemy was not ours but that we had
one Of their noted masked batteries to cap
turo soon again, we heard the rapid firing
of mu,kcuy on the other side and we drew
up by biigades and advanced towards the
summit, where we could see the smoke from
their battery, undor the protection Of our ar
ullery We found the attention of their guns
TO be drawn toward the r. !. Artillery, which
they were endeavoring to silence. Our brig
ade advanced within ten reds Of their inhn-
try and each fired nearly at the same moment.
The Iouayes suffered terribly also the Min
nesota regiment, wounding or killing about a
quatter Of each From wounded Georgian
/ learned that the force stationed az this point
amounted to $4,000 men, under command Of
Gun. Barlow, and that Beauregard had 75-
600 more at Manassas ready at any moment
To- reinforce him. He said that both Gener-
ais knew that our force amounted to only
forty or City thousand, and that it was insuf. [.
hcient, and intended to cut us all up. and cut
of our retreat to make our total defeat GER
tain. After desperately lighting against such 1
fearful odds we were ordered TO retreat
As soon the enemy found we were leaving, /
they fred il seemed, three times where they .
did once in the hottest Of the action, and our .
soldiers scattered in every direction to avoid .
the grape and canister, as well as the long
ranged riAed cannon. After harassing us .
thus and during the time, they cut us off .
when we least expected it, by about thou .
sand cavalry, who were upon us, charging l
ieariully II created such havoc and panic /
that the whole army fled in all directions; \
some however taking the main road to Cen /
toyille' whereupon they were again cut of, /
and dropped everything, even their coats, so /
panic stricken were they. got over fence |
and laid 0ery quiet until the black horsemen .
bad passed on. Our cavalry or artillery did 4
us no good, the former rushing passed us and
going ahead.
never saw a sett Of men 80 afraid before /
They all run. no one dared to stop three mi.
nutes even to rest, they expected the whole |
force after them as they saw the infantry a.
bout to follow, but nothing could have caught |
as in our flight. They had no regard at all
TO the orders Of their officers but all seemed
to the eager in looking out for his individual
self
Gen. Mcdowell was insane in marching s.