The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-03-27

There has never been single heav,
gun mounted in them Embrasures
have been made and logs of wood run
out in all of them. ALI were SO ar
ranged, however, that field artillery
could be used in them.5 The floors or
which they could have stood were hem
lock boards, one inch thich, and would
not have lasted through single dis
charge. but would have let the guns
down into the sand.g lsin1Hiioi $50 a4i
Some of those on theileft have wick.
erwork around the embrastres, which
has apparently been done by some old
negro. basket-maker. One or two OF
them swereiraw hides staked down and
sand bags around the embrasures, but
/ these were intended to rake a storming
party, should we have marched up in
front. The bitches around them are
nicely arranged, so that our troops
could have marched down and up the
sides readily to make bayonet charge.
No timber has ever been placed in
front to obstruct a passage, nor were
the sides dug perpendicular but at an
angle. .gayg yl1naF Fi3l I tBd eJa-n
Five of these forts command the
road to Centerville, by which Nc
Dowell came in July. They extended
over line of mile and half, and
are all connected by rifle pits dug deep
enough to allow artillery to, move along
behind them without being seen in
front, under the protection of sand
banks from 4 to II feet thick. ,-...,r
No precaution seems to have been
taken to prevent flank movement in
the rear of Centerville in anything like
such formidable manner as the front.
The ground to the north is covered
with a dense wood and stunted pines.
A few dirt artillery banks near Center
vile, behind which artillery could have
been sheltered, were the only guards on
their left. ga '9f'..'s '0'' ~ ~ '''
A piece of dense woods about mile
and a half from Centerville would have
afforded us protection, from which, with
siege guns, we could have shelled them
out in few hours. There were a few
places where they had had masked bat.
teries in this piece of woods, and they
have had, q, regiment in winter quarters
here, but they were only on picket, and
could have been easily driven into the
Centerville forts. ''A1a .s'" 9'' .
'f's1 IH'.' TO MANASSAS. ".'.''' .'''N
About noon, Generals, McClellan
and Mcdowell, with their stats, and
1900 cavalry for an escort, came up
and took the .road'to Manassas. All
along to the left of the road was one
continuous. string of huts, tents and
forts, all empty now-nOt human be-
ing or animal showed 9themselves-not
a sound save the clatter of horses hoofs,
the shrill tones of the bugles, or the
loud orders of the officers
At Blackburn's Ford we saw the old
battle field of July 18th. The Butler
| House, which waszbetween the two
| forces and had been riddled with shot
and shell, had been repaired. 1t was
here that Beauregard was dining, and
made such narrow escape at the time.
The tree-tops bear the evidence of the
way the shot and shell flew around.
Large limbs were cut of, and the tree.
tops twisted in q a hundred directions,
as though struck by lightning. The
woods in which the New, Y ork Twelfth
the First and Second Michigan, and the
Massachusetts First went down has. all
been cut r away and we can now see
] where the rebels had, their artillery
4 upon the bank of Bull Run, behind q
breastwork of logs and drift. ,ss,i q
! The Washington, Artillery of New
/ Orleans and three South Carolina regi
ments have, been encamped near the
Butler House for the winter, but started
away some time ago. The artillery
left quantity Of harness, etc. None
of their tents were destroyed. Further
down. are the tents Of whole division
all pitched; as though the occupant.
had gone home to recruit and re-enlist
but had not yet returned. ,,..s.....,
The plains Of Manassas are really
what their name implies. The tim,
was when there were objects which OBJ
structed the range of vision, but they
are all gone now; for miles around W.
j have an unbroken view. On the hill
} around are the camps still left, and :
column of smoke away off to the RICH
indicated that Manassas was on fire
Our cavalry had gone there during
Monday night, and found the rear o
q the enemy still there, but they were fir
I ing the remaining property, A Acaptail
4 by whose side we rode told us Of; pile
: of new secesh lelothes,9 swords, flags
&c.; galloping ahead of thegrest, W.
q reached the Junction-eomsA lnaoisN
The sight here cannot be.'portrayed
the large. machine shops, the station
houses, all qin ashes. On the tract
stoodIthe wreck of the locomotive, AM
Z not far down the remains I of fon
freight cars which had been burned
to the right FIVE hundred barrels OF fiou
had been stove in, and two hundred
barrels of vinegar and molasses hat
been allowed to try experiments II
! chemical combinations. 80 Somel tift.
> barrels of pork and beef bad been scat
tered around in the mud, and few
hundred yards down the track a dens
cloudsof smoke was rising from the re
mains of factory which had been uses
y for rendering up tallowl and boilin!
bones. About thousand good hide
8 were stretched in a field close by.upo