The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-09-16


} our line was different from that Of the
day before. Our right was further ad-
vanced, and our left Withdrawn, so that
/ we fronted almost TO the south. AT Bull
| Run, year ago, we faced exactly south.
At three O'Clock Gen. Stevens attack
ed the right, and soon after Gen. Butter
J field at the left. The enemy's shells
seemed equally distributed along the
whole line, and at each point Of attack
he met us with musketry.
| was at Gen. Sigel's headquarters.
That General was certain the enemy in.
tended to turn one or the other OF the
fianks, and said we must ascertain which,
as the result was, at the best, doubtful ;
for his scouts had just reported that Lee,
with the entire remainder of the rebel
army, had come up and assumed com
mand. The accounts were correct. On
Saturday we fought the whole rebel
army.
Posting myself in the centre, within
view Of both portions Of the field, where
infantry were engaged, could not de-
termne which had the bes of it. Evil
IDENTIFY but few troops were engaged, and
| surmised that we were fighting merely
to learn where lay the enemy's main
force. AT length our force at the right
was driven back. and | thought Gen.
Pope had been out-seneraled when he
moved men at an earlier part of the day
from right to left.
A quarter of an hour later, l wished
he had moved still greater proportion
to TIE left have heard the musketry
of the best contested battles fought in
Virginia, and l say unhesitatingly that
the fire which broke out on the left and
up the centre was by far the heaviest of
any. Talk Of vollies, and rolls, and
crashes 1t was all these continually,
piling upou each other in mighty
swelling volume-the wrestle Of rushing
tornadoes such as chaos may have
known. From my position it seemed as
if artillery played from each Of the card
inal points upon the devoted centre
where knew men were struggling. |
could not see them struggling. The
smoke OF gunpowder prevented that, but
knew they were there, and | trembled
/ for the result. A few minutes later,
! Schurz, who was in reserve, was ordered
to the left Before he could fairly get
| into position, Mcdowell and Porter were
| rretrievably broken. Their soldiers
fought like brave men If moments be
reckoned bv their intensity, they fought
long as they surely did fight we'll |
doubt not they piled the ground with
rebel slain, as Halleck sings of Moslem
slain by Bozarro's band. believe there
cannot be man who heard or participat
ed in tina, awful tragedy, but counts the
hour between a. and 81 o'clock the Sc
verest fighting he ever knew. 1t was
all at one point. Along the right half Of
the line The comba;snts seemed to desist
in amazement at the struggle there By
half after 5, it was apparent that we were
beaten, oulfankcd by concentration
upon the left. Wagoners and sragglers
about the hospital scented the retIeat.
of the latter could be seen making for
the Bull Run bridges and fords. Me
Dowel's and Porter's corps retired in
comparative order. use this term not
as mild but false paraphrsse for driven
back, but because il covers the actual
fact in the case.
| do not think there was brigade
that could not. as il came from the field,
show its distinct regiments, or rather
nucleus OF each regiment TO whose stand
ard ere il had marched a mile lis scatter.
ed men gathered. Still there were sew.
eral thousand hurrying pell-mell in adj
vance of them toward Centeryile. crowd
ing The stone bridge and wading the
stream. A dozen long wagon trains
centered there, but there was little con
fusion among them, no desertion o. wag.
ons, but simply jam where each desir.
ed and pushed TO be first. They were
! thus cool. Notwithstanding a lew shell
burst among them. All this time the
right was firm. aud only at the calm
discretion Of its generals. Unaccount-
ably 10 me al the time. so soon as we
I fell back from the left. the musketry al
most entirely ceased. We were pursued
by shells only. 1t is probable that the
3 cHeblN uHTs not duNdNCe lest Ilclnt tZeI-
man aud Sisel should fall upon his tiark
as he should pass by them. Sigel had
not had his fight out nor had Heintzel-
man, and the enemy was hardly in con.
dition for another battle immed lately
Ii is only possible, also. that Bank corps
was nearing the tield--he was known 10
4 be at Manassas early in the day-and
they may have seen his advance and been
afraid. 1t was all done in two hours.
Another corps upon the field would have
frustrated that rush OF overpowering
numbers upon one point. Those mum.
bers were SO overpowering that they sue
ceeded before men could ba moved
against them from any other part Of the
I field
OF the close Of the Saturday battle.
the New York Times correspondent
says:
( Al, ) T. NJ the enemy changed tactics.
and moved The MAJOR part OF his force
toward Mcdowell. who WAS on the left
Of tho centre. At this point we had
stationed three Lapine's 9th
Maine OF four pieces f; Thompsons New