The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-04-17
THE LATE WAR.
Extracts from Gen. Jos. Il.
JOhnstOn's Book.

HE IAEE WAX.
Interesting Extracts from Gen. Jos. e.
JOhnstOn's Book.
SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF THE BAT
TIE OF ''BULL RUN"
The preceding narrative shows how
great were the odds against which the
southern volunteers contested in the
early stages of this action their num-
bers engaged, gradually increasing,
amounted at its close to about thirteen
thousand men of all arms. But two of the
superior officers of General McDowelI's s
army gave in their reports the numbers
Of their troops, General Heintzelman and
Colonel Porter; the former led nine
thousand five hundred men into BATTLE
that day, in his division, and the latter
three thousand seven hundred in his
brigade. From 'hese indications it may
reasonably be inferred that the three
federal divisions on the field were two
to one compared with the confederates,
at four o'clock, and four to one at noon;
at eleven o'clock the disparity of num-
bers was much greater.
Considering the length of time in
which the troops were engaged at short
range, the losses were small in relation
to theirnumbers. That of the confed-
crate was In the army of the Shenan-
doah, two hundred and seventy killed,
nine hundred and seventy-nine woun-
ded, eighteen missing in that of the
Potomac, one hundred and eight killed,
five hundred and ten wounded, twelve
missing. Total, three hundred and
seventy eight killed, fourteen hundred
and eighty-nine wounded, thirty miss
ing.
That of the federal army could not
be ascertained by US accurately. In
Guiding prisoners, it must have been
about four thousand. Twenty-eight
pieces of artillery, four thousand five
hundred muskets, almost half million
cartridges, a garrison-hag, and ten reg
mental cOlors were taken on the field,
or near 1T in the pursuit, besides sixty
four artillery horses, with their harness,
twenty-six wagons, and camp-equipage,
clothing and other military property.
The southern infantry had great ad,
vantage over the northern in their
greater familiarity with firearms. It
was the reverse, however, in relation to
the artillery for that of the south had
had neither time nor ammunition for
practice, while much of that of the
north belonged to the regular service.
Still, ours, directed principally by Col
onel Pendleton, was more effective even
than the regular batteries of the United
States army, in that battle.
The pursuit was pressed as long as it
was effective. But when the main col
umn of retreating infantry was encoun-
tered, after the parties in its rear and
on the fanks had been dispersed or
captured, our cavalry found itself too
weak to make any serious impression,
and returned with the prisoners already
taken. The infantry was not required
to pursue far from the field, because by
doing so it would have been harrassed
to no purpose. It is well known that
infantry, unencumbered by baggage
trains, can easily escape pursuing in
fantry. The victory was as complete
as one gained by infantry and artillery
only can be.
If the tactics of the federals had been
equal to their strategy we should have
been beaten. IF, instead of being
brought into action in detail, their
troops had been formed into two lines.
with proper reserve. and had assailed
Bee and Jackson in that order, the two
southern brigades must have been swept
from the field in a few minutes, or en-
veloped. General Mcdowell would
have made such formation, probably,
had he not greatly underestimate the
strength of his enemy.
DIGEST OF EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1851.
The confederate troops fought bravely
and well wherever they encountered
| those of the United States, in 1861. At
! Bethel, under Magruder and D. II.
| Hill at Oak Hill, under Price and Nc
| Culloch; on the Gauley, under Floyd
on the Greenbrier, under Fl. r. Jack
son; on Santa Rosa island, under r. II.
| Anderson; at Belmont, under Polk and
| Pillow; on the Allegheny, under Ed
ward Johnston, and at Chastenallah, un-
der Mcintosh. On all these occasions
they were superior to their adversaries,
! Om'greater zeal and more familiarity
with the use of fre-ar3 S. The thor
ough system of instruction introduced
into the UAited States army gradually
established equality in the use of fire
arms, and our greater zeal finally en-
countered better discipline.
| Had the confederate troops IN Arkan-
sas been under a competent, or even q
! merely respectable commander, then
fighting would have been effective, and
valuable to the southern cause. II
might have gained the powerful state Oi
Missouri 2 to the cOnfederacy, and
brought sixty Thousand of its martial
inhabitants into the southern armies
Such an accession TO the southern con
federacy might, and probably would
have made the northern and eastern
borders of that state the seat of war
instead of Mississippi and Tennessee
Among the measures to hold Tennes
see and gain Kentucky were entrencheC
camps, made at Columbus. Island No
10, Forts Henry and Donelson, anC
Bowling Green. each of which requireC
an army to hold it; and, consequently
a respectable army divided among them
gave each one a force utterly inadequate
to its d fense. Regular forts, each re
quiring a garrison Of one or two thous
and men, and constructed with mucl
less labor than the entrenched camps
would have held the ground much bet
ter, and made it practicable TO form al
active army at the same time, capabl
of facing those of Buell. and Grant
one after the other AS it was, the con
federates were alike weak at every point
! and, when the federal armies advanced
they were captured, or abandoned tn
country precipilately, after much mis-
directed labor had been expended L
preparations to defend II.
JOHNSTON S AGGRESSIVE PLAN OvERRULE
IN CONFERENCE.
at the conference In Richmond, 9
which we're President Davis, SecretaT
J OF War Randolph, Generals Lee an
johnson, and Majer- Generals W. G