Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-09-04

"dklnR III my fence corner sleeping apartment
az DAYLIGHT Saturday morning, first walked to
the summit OF the hlll 20 ascertain the position Of
arairs Everything indicated a renewal Of the
battle. Already columns were marching in every
direction, men at the ltft being brought to the
right, and rie: rsrsa, being brought from front
to rear and from to front, Generals with
STATS and BODY guards iding over the field,
each, o. course, with purpose; but to an eve
witness seeming, with the other movements, like
confusion worse confounded." e" Every few min
u'eS he'll from our battery furthess to the left,
! replied 20 as often by gun, wncse smoke clouded
! IN tte fer west IN horizon, made me question
VIII ther the enemy had not retrented While
nv horse Yves eating nv hay bed had speech
with several iisjsr Generals staff officers, and
they pa'tc pated in tn fear that the enemy had
| sprung from under our finger.
The day wore away until noon, with a contin-
| u1nce OF Gesnlto5y Smelling ('bumi'n, ;" the but
teInqt pr!sOne-s cell IT, Gen. Pope on horse the
| whole time, giv!ns orders, rapid and Imperative,
! each carried Instantly oy allopina aid, receiv-
Ing reports from ell parts Of the field, and never
de gaining the messenger long for his reply, from
| each euinence sweeping the position with his
| gllss-he was evidently aacsrtaining the position
Of the enemy, and determined to fight II he stood
l or II he ran.
men were provided with rations, made dimcut
matter by the forced cross marchings Of the week,
| which prevented qnartermastsFs from knowing
| where TO conduct trains. For once red tape was
l supplied regiment from whatever stores were at
| hand. l heard sigel exclaim that crackers wese
Il ""OrlQ as much as nuskeu."
Portef's corps had arrived on the ground at
| O'Clock from Manassas, making i've corps ready
| for action The number Of men comprised In
| these / should estimate at co Geo HOOker's
division had out t2, ,iil men in the ranks, so ter
| rtbly has 1t shrunk by battle and disease.
L. the orde, nf battle for the day Heintzelman
| commanded the right, Potter the center, Mellow
ell the left, and gel whose corps had borne the
1 orunt the day before, the reserve. At 10 Heint-
l zelman sdvaoced s.irmishers into the woods on
the right Of the battlefield Of the day before, and
| found it only held by few troublesome bush
/ whackers. Driving them back, large numbers
Of wound d were got off, and passed to the Isar.
| At2 o'clock, by toe movements OF troops from
right TO Lett, Inferred that the positions OF the
| enemy had been found In that direction. Bv this
| time our line was different from that Of the day
| before. Our rig was further advanced, our LETT
l withdrawn, b that we fronted almost TO the
| South. At Bull Run, year ago, we laceo
| exactly South.
AZ 8 O'Clock Gen. Stevens attacked at thu right.
l and soon after Gen. Butterfeld at the left. The
| eneIny's shells seemed equally distributed .ong
the whole line, and al each point Of attack he L7et
| us with mu~ kerry.
Twas at Gen. Sigel's headquarters That Gem
| eral was certain the enemy intended to turn one
| or the other Of our tanks, and said we must as-
certain which, the result at the best doubt
fa for his scouts had just reported that Lee, with
| she entire remainder OF The rebel army, had come
up and assumed command The scouts were
| correct. On Saturday we fought the whole rebel
l army.
| P.sti. myself IN the center, within view Of
1 DOtn portions OF the neld Where infantry were
l engaged, could net determine watch had the
| best OF 1t. Evidently but few troops were en-
l gagei, AMI 1 surmised that we were fighting
| merely to learn whsre lay the enemys main force.
At length our force at tie right was driven back,
| and though: Gen. Pope had been outgeneraled d
when he moved men at an earlier part OF the day
| from right 20 left.
| A quarter ef an hour later, I wished he had
| moved still greater proportion to the LEFT. I
have heard the mueke.ry OF the best contested
battles fought in Virginia, ana say unhesi-
1 and up to the center, was by far the heaviest Of
| any. Talk Of vollIes, and rolls, and crashes 1t
| was all these continually sccumulatng, piling
| upon each other In mighty swelling vOluue-the
| wres.le Of rushing tornadoes such a. chaos may
| have known. From my position 1t seemed that
| artillery played upon each Of the cardinal poin 70
| struggling. j could not see them struggling
/ The smoke of gunpowder prevented that, but l
l knew they were there, and 1 trembled for the
result few minutes later schuIz, who was in
reserve, was ordered to the left. Before he could
get fairly into position, Mcdowell and Porter
| Were irretrieVsbly broken. Their soldiers fought
Ike brave men; II mOoaents be reckoned by their
intensity, they fought long, as they surely did
| dght well. | doubt not they piled the ground
with reoel slein as Hallscf sings Of MosIem slain
| by Bozzari's band.
| participated in that awful tragedy, but counts
the hour between Ak and 81 O'Clock the severest
| fighting he ever knew. Ii was all at one point.
/ Along the right Lslf Of the line the combatants to
| seemed to desiEt in amaZemcnt at the struggle
/ there. By 81 o'clock is was apparent that we
| were beaten-Outfanked by concentration upon
the left. Weg0ners and strag2lers about the
hospitals scented tie retreat, and soon trains OF
\ the former and streams Of the latter could be
l seen making fer tie Bull Run bridges and fords.
l McDOwell's and Por.ers corps retired In COM
l p5rative order. use this term not a. q mild, but
1 false paraphrase for driven hack, but because IL
| covers the actual fact in the case.
| do not think there was a brigade that could
| not, az il came from the field show its distinct
1 regiments, or rather nucleus Of each regiment
to whose standard ere it had marched a mile Its
| scattered men gathered Still there were several
| thousand hurrying pell nell In advance Of them
! toward Centerville, crowding the stone bridge
L dnd Wddlrg the s;rtEn. A dozen long wagon
| trains were centerei ! ere, but there was little
| confusion among them, no desertion OF wagons
|, but simply Jam, where each desired and pushed
/ to be frat. They were thus cool, nOtwi thsend
| Ing few shell burst among them. AL this time
the right was hrm, and only at the calm discretion
, i OF 1t. Generals Lnaccountaby to me at the time
so We fell back from the left the musketry
, almost entirely ceased. We were pursued by
1 shells only
Itis probable that the enemy dared not advance
. less Heintzelman and Slgel should fall upon hii
, | flank az he should pass by them. Si2el mad mo-
, had his fight out, nor had Heintxelman, and thu
| enemy was hardly In condition for another battle
| immed lately. 1t Is possible, also, that Banks
| rps was nearing the feld-he was known to bt
: at Manassas early In the day-and they may hav,
? seen his dvance and been afraid Ii all done
| In two hours. Another corps upon the field woult
l have frustrated that rush Of empowering mum
| bers upon one point. Those numbers were s,
. | overpowering that they succeeded before mel
| could be moved against them from any other par
a Of the field.