The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-02
Gen. Dsaarseard's 0ARoial Report
or THE
BATTLE OF HULL RUN.
FOUGHT JULY Is. 1851,
HgAporAKrHRs, Ffksr Conrs,
AAMr or sHg PoTeMxc,
MArAasA Aoeuat 1eR,

HEADQUARTERS, Finer Conrs, \
AAnr or sHs Porcnac,
MAsAssA, August, 1851 }
General With the general results Of tho
erg cement between several brisadss OF NV
command and q cons hierahle furce OF the
enemy. In Tire vicinity Of Mitchell's and
Biackburu's fords, OF Bull Run, on the IS Ia
uIamo, ycu were made duly Acquainted al
the time by Telegraph. Bu. IL il rny place
day.
Upportunely informed Of the determination
OF the eaeny TO advance on Manassa, my ad
yaneed niigades, on the night Of the lesh o:
Jeiy, were made aware, from these head
quarters, OF the impending movement; aud
IL exact accordance with my instrac tons, q
cory OF which is appended, marked "a, their
wlthdtaUal within the lines Ct Bull RIM was
sarend with complete success during the day
| aud night Of the 18th ultin,o, In face of and
| Ia immediate proximity to largely superior
force, despite wall planned, well-exscuted
| & fort TO cutcf the re treat CT Bonhans brig
\ AIDE, first ri German town and subse quen,ly
/ at Centrevilie, whence he withdrew, by my
direction, after midnight, without collision
! although enveloped on three sides by their
| lines This movement had the intended
effect OF decstytGg the enemy as to my ulte-
| lor Purposes, and led him TO anticipate an
enresssed passage of Bail Run.
| As prescribed n the dcst and second sec items
/ OF inc paper herewith marked "a on the
moynirg OF the 18Th CT Jeiy, my troops resting
| On Bali Run, from UaioI Mills ford to the
| Stone Bricgs. distance OF eight ts) miles
were posteo a. follows:
Ewolrs brigade occupied n position in the
vicinity OF U@ion Malls ford. Ii consisted Of
| Rodes' h.h and Ssihe,'s 6sh regiments of Ala.
harna, aid Seymouf's 9Th regiment of Lou.
/ isiana volunteers, with four IL pcugder how.
| isz5rs Of Wal.oa's battery, ana Harrison's
| 6fisen's and Cabsli's companies CT Virgin Id
/ cavalry
u ii. Jones' brigads was in position in rea,
| Of McLAaas ford, and consisted OF jenkins
~
/ fea theirs -oG's Is Ii regiments of Mississippi
| volunteers, with two brass e-pounder guns 81
Waitca's taGteiy, and one company OF ca
| VARY.
| LoIg streets brigade covered Blackburn
sera, ,.nd ooasi.ted of Bloore's 1st, G arland' 4
| lith, and Corse's I7th regiments Virginia vol
an ieers, Nah two 6 FOUNDER brass guns o.
Bonham's brigade held The approaches tx
| Milccelfs tcTd. Il was com posed of Ker.
shaw's %, Williams 81, Bscon's It'll, ant
Cash's sli regiments South O4rolina solun
Leers, CT Shields aud De- ksrnper's batteries
| AID OF Floods, RadtoTd's, P~yne's, BARS
| "ickham' s and PoTalfs companies ct Viz.
! gtnia cavalry, under Col. Kadiord.
OCcke's brigade held The lords osloW and in
t tbs vicinity OF The stone Bridge and COASTS ted
| u With.rs' Is Z, 1T. Dol. Stralge's 19,h ant
Il. I pFes,oA.'s 2s;h regiments, with La,
.na'ns battary and oEe company OF cavalry
Evans hid ray left flank and protected tna
Store G.-dgs ccosaIr g with Sloan's FGur d
II giment t'oath Carolina Volunteers, Wheat's
special b- >L1iion, Louisiana Volunteers, fo;is
SIX pouI4leT ans, ana TWO com auies OF VIZ.
s,inIsg ca7&iry.
EA1ly's Brigade, consisting of Kempe-'s 7th
tslS o,1piil..htts.l Early's 81 II Regiment Nir.
eilia svi"@Seers, Il .ys' TN Reg meg Louis
;-Da oipAtge aud three III r-eces OF Wal
toa's Ra-ieTy. Lieut.. Squiscs, at first We're
held Ia p1si'iyl. II rear u AID rs q support t.
ENell b''Rado, until after TIE development
OF TIE et1tIny, la heavy offensive toIce, in
~ Cs1K ,trFrl SC,
when i. pi%eld ii lear Of and nearly
CO al dis taht bet :. esa McLe3ns, Blackburn 5
G,sa MtCbeil's lords
PEI G. tbs development OF the enemy s
parpose, about ten tl0) O'Clock a, H., es tab
lshsd nv boatquar sefs Ut central poin :,
Mckee ms faTi house, pear 20 MciAean's and
BiaCk 5afn's fGroS. where two six FOUNDERS OF
W aitoi.'s B&Jtsry @ere in re serve but subss-
gnently, curing the eng cement, took post
10 the leit ct nay reserve
OF he typographical features of the coun.
try THIS occupied. - must SHflics to SAY thai
Bail Ran Is Ii small sIleam, running, in this
lGcahbs, nearly from Wsss TO east, 10 ats con
Iusace vita the OccCquan River, aboui
twelve miles from tbs Potomac, and draining
a considerable scope OF country from It's
souIce in BEH kUn mountain TO snort dis
lance OF tne Poio1aec, at Oocoquan. AT tnis
season hAci;u4iiy low and sluggish, it Is now
ever rap aiy and tlequsAtiy swollen by tie
summer Iaias uGt1 uazordabe. Ths taEks
Tor the tdvst par are rocky aug. steep, but
lb und IN iol.g used lords. The country Oh
either side, u-u broken and th;ckiy wooded,
becomes gen CIy rolling and open rs it recsCies
from the stream. GA the northern SIDE the
around is mach tbs highest, and commands
the othsr oanh ccmp PIE ely Roads traverse
sud interssct the surrounding country il
almost every direction. Finally, at Mitchell S
ioIa the streoIa is about ui-dis tant between
Csntreyiiie ard h&nas a., some six miles
apart.
On the morning OF tho 1Sth, fading that
the enenay Was assuming threatening atti-
tuds, addition 10 the regiments whose po-
iitions have been already stated, ordered up
from Camp eickeGs, as a reserve, il rear OF
kcnnam's Brigade, the effective men of Elk
cosu paa les Of Ksi!y's Eighth Regiment Lou
Is!j.na VOlGnts5TG, And kirkIaud'5 El5yen tn
Regiment North Carolina Volunteers, which
nagilg arrived the night before en- route for
Winchester, ( had halted in view of the ex-
listing iecessities of the service. Subsequent l.
~, he lat el Was placed In positio TO the ief;
Of Bonaanls Brigade.
Appearing In heavy force in front of Ron.
hams position, the enemy about meridis u
opersj Iire With several 20 FOUNDER rifle &c ne
from a hill over oEe aid u hait miles from
| BJii Raa. AT the same time Kempsr, su
| portsA by TWO companies Of light iHfunt.y,
occupied ridge OH lie Lett IF the Gen tYev iilt
| ROAD, aieut six hundred yards in advance OF
| The toid with two 6-pcunder (smoo:b) guns
! A. first the firing of the enemy wa. at rln.
| aoni but by half past IL. p. III he had OBJ
! tail Ell the range CT our position, and pourei
| into the brigade shower OF shot, but with.
| cut inJnrs 10 as in men, horses, Or guns -
! From Inc dis ance, however, our guns could
noE Iep.y vi Ii effect, and We cid not attern pi
| it, patied thy awaiting more opportuhe nso-
mel.
| Meanwhile light battery was pushed for
| ward by the enemy, WhereupQn Ken per
| tarew only six solid shot, with tbs effect Oh
| driving back both the battery and its support.
| ing force. This is understood to have been
| Ayres' bstteTy. and the damage must have
| been considerable to have obliged such s. ret.
| reg ,ae movement on the part Of that officer
1he purposes Of Kempsr's position having
| no" basn July served, bis pieces and support
were Withdrawn across Mitcheips ford 10 a
| point previously desig aated land which com
inanded the direct approaches 20 the ford.
About nalf pass IL CLOCK A. NJ, the enc
my was also discovered by The picxets OF
Longstreers brigade advancing ia strong
columns OF infantry with artillery and cavai-
ry on Biackburn's ford.
AT MERRIAM. the piskets fell back silently
before the advancing fee across the lord.
which. as we'll rs the en tire southern hank OF
the stream for the " ooie front OF Iongstreets
brigade, was covered a: the waters edge nv
| an extended line OF administers, while two
six Founders OF Waltou's BAtIery under
Lieutenant darnett, were advanta geously
placed 10 command the direct approach to the
ford, bat with orders to re tire to the rear as
soon as commanded by the enemy.
The aor shern bank Of the sErssm, in front
OF Longstrset's position, rises with a steep
slope at least fifty feet above The level OF ne
~n.eA, ioH sauk NARROW perlne IN front Of the
ford CT some twenty yards. This ridge formed
fer them ao admirable natural paraper, be-
hind which they could, aEd did approach
under shelter, in heavy force, within less
shan one hundred yards Of our skirmishers
The sou 'hern shore was almost plain
raised but a few feet above the water for
several Aundred yards, then rising with O.
very gradual, gentle slope. and unduIatlng
back to Manassa. On the immediate oank
there was fringe OF trees, but with little if
any undergrowtn or shelter, while, on the
other shore, there wsre timoer and mach
tbica brush and covering. The ground in
OF CUE sk.rmishers, and occupied by our
artillery, was al old field 81 tending along the