The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-01

M IA hnd two com paniee OF the iltA 41s.ls'
slppi. Tae PIssIae.s q sss ~ ass r. NM
pasy .,. g. .so,id srrtve dsriak the day:
I 1TSx& 0snsrai DsAnFsshrd's posdt!eA toe
sxtsssivs, and ne ereSnd .oo s g q.
wooda and int.c.s e "a 81 az
e.r,n,nai 70 rely upon Nj kn0wledgs OF Il
and Of the ensmys Posaelens. THIS I did
His troop: w'f: das1cso ifse "a ;elI S.n
Big Gen. Ewell's Was ported Ut the Onton
Nils Ford; Brig. Gen. D.. h. Jones's 1t
McLeAn's Ford; Brig. Gen. Longatrset's 1t
FS Ford e ssis Cen B b :'':
Ford, some three miles above; and Dol.
Evans, with regiment and battalion, formed
the extensive left at the Stone Bridge. The
brieades Of Brig. Gen. Holmes and Colonel
Early were In reserve In rear Of the right. /
regarded the arrival Of the remainder OF the
army Of the Shenandoah during the night -
certain, and PAtterson's, with the Grand
Army, on the nd, ~ probable. During the
naming In the position: then cccu-
pied, to assume the o3enaive. AID attack the
enemy before such function.
GENERAL Beauregard proposed . plan OF
He drew mp the necessary ords. during the
night, which was approved form ally oy me
1t halt. past tour O'Clock on the morning OF
the 3lst. The early movements OF tho enemy
eo0O
expected troops, prevented Its execution
General Beauregafd afterwards proposed .
modincatioh Of the abandoned plan-to At
tack with our right. while the left stood on
the defensive. TINS, too, became impracttca-
BILE. and q battle ensued, different In place
and circumstances from any previous plan on
our side.
soon after sunrise. ON the morning Of the
2lst, o light cannonade was opened upon Col.
Evans's position; q similar demonstration was
m ade against the centre soon after and strong
forces were observed In front OF II and OF the
right. About eight O'Clock, Gen. Beauregard
and placed ourselves on commanding
hill in rear Of Gen. Bonham's left-near nine
O'Clock the signal of1cer, Capt. Alexander,
reported that large body Of troops was cross
ing the valley OF Bun Run, some two miles
above the bridge. Gen. Bee, who had been
placed near Uol. Cookies position. Colonel
Hampton, with his legion, and Col. Jackson,
from a point near General Bonham's left,
were ordered to hasten to the left flank.
The signal Omcer soon called our attention
to heavy cloud dust TO the northwest, and
about ten miles Oh, such a. the march Of an
army would raise. This excited apprehen.
stems OF General Patterson's approach.
The enemy. under cover Of strong demon.
stration on our right, made q long det0ur
through the WOODS on his right, crossed
Bull Run two miles above our left. and threw
himself upon the dank and rear OF position.
This movement was fortunately discovered In
zine for rs 70 check its progress, and ulu.
mately to foam new line Of battle nearly
al right angles with the defensive line OF
Bull Han.
the stream above him, Colonel Evans moved
10 his left with eleven companies ana Two
field. pieces, to oppose his advance, ana ois.
posed his little force ondeF COVE % sns
ton Turnpike and the Sudley Road. 6sresne
was attacked BY the enemy In Immensely
superior u umbers, against which No maiA.
tanned himself with skill and unshrinklne
couraRs. General Bee, moving towards the
|. snemy, guided by the firing, had. with soi.
dier's eye, selected the position near the
rhey were the Tn and ssh Georgia, 4th
Alabama, I'd Mlssissippi, and two companies
of the llth MiasAseippi regiment, with limbo.
den's battery. Being compelled, however,
lev and formed ON the right and somewhat
m advance Of his position. Here the joint
iorcs, little exceeding tive regiments, with
SIX field.pieces, held the gro ind against about
hour, until, finding themselves outdanked
on the continually arriving troops OF the
enemy, they fell back to 0eneral bees drst
position, hpon the line Of which Jackson,
inst arriving, formed his brigade and Stan.
ards battery. Dol. Hampton, who had By
this time ad anced with his legion a. Tar 40
the turnpike, rendered efficient service In
main tanning the orderly character Of the re.
treat from thas point; and here fell the gal.
liant Lieutenant Colonel johnson, his second
In command.
In the meantime. awaited with General
Beauregard, near the centre, the full dsvel.
opment Of the enemy's designs. About II
O'Clock, the violence Of the firing on the left
indicated battis. and the march OF large
body from the enemy's centre towards the
conflict was shown by clouds OF dust. 1was
thus convinced that his great effort was to be
made with his right. I stated that convic.
tion TO 0sneral Beaureeard. and the absolute
necessity Of Immediately strengthening our
left as much as possible. Orders were &C.
cordingly at once sent General Holmes and
Colonel Early to move with all speed TO the
sound Of the firing, and to General 8onham
battery. Gen. Beauregard and then hur.
ried at q rapid galiop to the scene OF
action about four miles of. On the way
directed my chief Of artillery, Dol. Pendle.
ton, to follow with his own and Alburtis's
batteries. We came not q moment too soon.
The long contest against 1tve.fold odds and
heavy losses, especially Of field of1cers, had
greatly discouraged the troops OF 0oo. Bee
under nre. and some exampls, had the hap.
pisst effect on the spirit Of the troops. OrjeI
WAS soon restored, and the battle re-estab-
lishsd, to which tho 0rmness Of Jackeon's
brigade greatly contributed. Then, in .
brief and rapid conferences, General Beau.
regard was assigned TO the command OF the
left, which, as the younger omcer, he claimed,
while I returned TO that OF the whois
but had full confidence in the skill and In.
domitable courage Of General Beauregard,
the high soldierly qualities Of Generals Bee
voted patriotism Of their troops. Ordsrs
were Arst dispatched TO hasten the march Of
General Holiness, Colonel Early's and Gene.
raj Bonham's regiments. General EWsll
Many OF the broken troops. fragments Of
companies and individual strsgglers, were
REFORMED and brought into action with the
aid Of my stan and q portion Of General
Fl. Sast.o1 ssd
with his rsgiments were ordered mp to rein.
force the right. / have since learned that
General ReauregaId had previously ordered
corps. Colonel Smiths cheerful courage
had fine influence, not only on the spirit
Of his own men, but upon the straSglers
from the troops engaged, The largest body
having no mpetent field ofacsr. I placed
under command Of one Of my stn3s Col. +.
j. Thomas, who fell while calamity leading
It az ainst the enemy. These achievements
move perfectly that part Of our line. Having
attended TO these pressing duties. at the i'm.
mediate scene Of conflict, my eye was next
directed to Col. Cookies brigade, the nearest
him to lead his troops Into action. He In.
formed me, however, that a large body Of
the enemy's troops bsyond the stream and
below the bridge threatened ~ from that
quarter. He was, Therefore, left In hts posi-.
ton.
rear the TAv1is House. From this comm and .
ins elevation my yiew embraced the position
Of the enemy beyond tn, stream and the ap.
proaches to the Stone Bridge, point Of espe.
cial importance. l eouid also see the adj
vances Of our troops far down the valley In
the direction Of Manassas, and observe the
progress Of the action and the manGuvres OF
the enemy.
Wehad now sixteen guns and two hundred
and sixty cavalry and little above nine
regiments Of the army Of the Shenandoah,
ma az suus and 1sss than the strength OF
three restmsnts Of that Of the Potomac, IN
ensed with about thirty avs thousand United
States trooTs, amonest whom were fall