Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-07-28
THE CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA.
THE BATTLE OF. MANASSAS.
From the Richmond Wing, July 20.

l Prom the nic1Inn11 wing, July
We throw together. from different sources
various particulars of this great combat.
The array extended for six miles. The eU-
| envy made his first demonstration against our
| right. IL was feint. His real point OF at
| tack was on our extreme 1eft- On that,
| while feigning. he directed bis main force. bis
| feint was not without success liz deceived
| rs, and with inferior generalship aud vaior on
| our part, might have proved fatal Ii ena-
bled him 10 mass tnirty-h'e thousand men
upon thirteen thousand. These were the
| odds. For hours, the thirty-fve assailed the
/ thirteen. aud at some stage of the contest, by
mere numbers crushed down and drove back
/ the thirteen. The arrival of two thousand
| reinforcements, led by Gen. Smith, swelled
| the thirteen to fifteen thousand, and was at
30 critical moment as to decide the conflict
and give the victory to inferior numbers and
superior valor.
We know of no circumstance, which pre-
vents this contest being regarded as fair
test OF the two people, who were struggling
for dominion. Certainly, there were no To-
cal or special advantages on the side of the
weaker party. The enemy, by threatening an
extended line and choosing his own point of
attack, was enabled to concentrate bis forces
at that point. Besides this, large portion
of bis force belonged to the Regular army,
bad seen service aud passed through the bap-
tism of fire. In the body of the weaker ar
my, there was not man, who, three months
ago, had eve r been in a tented field. They
were almost without exception, volunteers.
welding tor the first time the implements of
death. If, then, there were any special ad-
vantages on either side. they were possessed
by those, who boosted the greater numbers.
But concede that they stood upon an equal
footing. The result is that Is, 900 Southern
ers are superior TO 5000 Yankees-for, at
ter an eight hours fight, they routed and dis
persed this number, and drove them like
cbaff before the wind.
This combat stamps those who won ii with
the impress of heroes-and to each and to
all, to them and their desceDant. will it be an
eternal badge of honor. II makes the names
of Beauregsrd and Johnston historical, and
associates them with the foremost captains of
the a5e. The strstegical ability displayed
by Beauregard in the disposition for the fight,
and the GOODNESS and valor which disIin-
guished his every movement on the field of
battle, are his sufficient passports for fame.
The march of Johnston from Winchester,
where he was watched by superior enemy,
without that enemy knowing il, and the
prOmptness and vigrOr with which il was ex-
ecuted, will excite the admiration of every
military gelius.-Riehnsond Wing, 25h
The Capture of SherIuan's battery.
From Lieut.. Warren Wilkes. of the 4th
Regiment OF South Carolina volunteers, who
arrived here yesterday in charge of the re-
mains of his brother, Adjutant s. Nj. Wilkes,
killed at Manassas, we obtain the following
particulars OF the capture of this celebrated
battery. The battery was masked in pine
thicket, from which position it opened fire,
at about ten minutes past 8 O'Clock in the
morning, upon Major Whites battalion of
the 4th South Carolina regiment, which
maintained its ground until the 4th Alabama
and 18th Virginia regiments came to its as
sistshce. The battle continued TO increase
in vigor and intensity, and while raging most
furiOusly, our men at this point finding they
were being overwhelmed in numbers, were
about giving way in the centre of the column.
At this critical juncture, Ex-GOv. Smith,
with his 49th regiment of Virginiaas came
to the rescue. Selling a Confederate flag be
uniurled it to the breeze. and appealing to
the troops in short. 70 rcible terms, TO rally
to the rescue and make one gallant, final
charge with their comrades in arms and win
the day, he put himself at the head of the
column, and followed by our gallant men,
charged through several companies of sharp
shooters stationed in the bushes and behind
fences, reached the terrible battery, aud
amid binding storm of ''leaden rain and
iron hail" captured it and turned the pieces
on the panic stricken foe. Not one man OF
Sherman's battery was left TO tell of its cap
ture, and but four horses remained alive.
Our informant states that the number of
cannon captured from the enemy, amounted
to at least seventy pieces. The amount of
small arms and quantity of commissary's
stores captured is iucalculabe.-Reh.E Eng.