New-York tribune., 1875-05-11
NrwyoRK DAILY TRIBUNE TUESDAY, Is75rRIPIE SHEET

Even this call accmed to utterly inadeqnate; st'l
my business. took the oath OF once ana
was furnished with list 81 officers, appointed t6 my
son to cen scott nj hs Office ON scven'ccnhs, oppo-
site The War Department and applied for authority 10
racts The said my ncutcnan colonel Bur
bank was fully qualified o supcrnend the enlif,m,nt.
aud thai he wanted hcfo; and hc al oucc dictated an
duty.
satisfied that would not he permitted 70 return 10 81
Iotis, instructed shC TO pack up, return to
Lancaster, and trust TO tho fate OF war.
His first experience Of actual was at the battle
of Bull Run, on which he Offers some suggestive
comments; 1T is now generally admitted that il
was one Of the best planned battles Of the war, but
one of the worst fought. Our men had been told so
often az home that all they had 10 do to make
bold appearance, aud the rebels would run; and
nearly all of us for the first tine then heard the
sound of cannon aud muskets in anger, and saw the
| bloody scenes common to all battles. with which
were soon to DC familiar We had good organization.
good men, but cohesion. no real discipline,
spect for authority, real knowledge of war. Both
armies were fairly defeated. aud. whichever had
stood fast, the other would have run Though the
North was overwhelmed with modification and
shame, the South really had not much to boast Of,
for in the three or four hours Of fighting their
ganizaton was 10 broken up that they did not and
conld not follow our army, when it was known to be
in state Of disTaceful and causcess flight. IL is
easy to crticse battle after il il Over but all
now admit that none others, equally raw in war,
could have done better than did at Bull Run;
aud the lesson of that battle should not he lost on
| people like ours" more minute description Of the
whole affair is contained in his official report as
Olonel of brigade, occasion Of referring 10 which
hs remarks AS follows:
This report, which hPI not read prDb,bly s!nce it,
date i nOw recalls tn wildly tue whole OF the
affair at Blchburn's Ford, wnen for the frat time IN my
life saw cannon balls strike and crash tlrolg.
trees and sapnSs above and around us, AMI realized the
always s'ckeinS confusion one approaches "a fight
on the Warrcni"n road Standing for hours wondering
what was neant; tn depoyment along the edg of the
field that sloprd down Ia Bull Run, ani waiting for
Hunters approach on te other side from tlc drec un of
s'hrS spL,,es aTa! on TO oul nj tue terrible ~9Lc
crossing of Bail Run nu the fear lc-C should b. cd
On by our own IN M tae killing "i l1"GtCsl H,s5cy,
Held strewcd with de:ti and horses VET ~
that pcri' Of battle, tle and Iclt
Hunters division; but 'ntzc.mln's sill ahead ~
U.s. and we followed iis Lad aiong The road toward Ma
Junction., crossing small s,rcam anj ascending
long hiii, at t.,c summit Of which the batt.e
! was going on Here my reSiihens can mo
action wcl but snccesHvey, n1 wcre driven hack each
its turn. Tor hours continued TO dash nj the
woods %, "n. Ic 'front.', wnlch were id O beis Dut
was yinccd their inkton vas brok' n, ana that
they had Simply halted there and taken advantage OF
these woOis as covcr, 10 reich watch We iad 1" pms
over tbo intervening ii Lbs about the Henry II wich
were clear, open, AID gave tlcn decided advantage
After had pat In eich ol my rgimnts, AMI hai tneln
dlven back Ia the cover OF the road, hal no idea thai
their proper order and only wanted little rest w
found that my brigade aim aOne, except sykes
regulars Who had formed square against cavalry anh
wcrC coming back then realized that wGolr army
IN rcCreIt" ant that inyown were lyidud.y
nLking back ior the stone h idge CorcOran and formed
tie brigade into irregular square, but II tell {" iccrs
AMI, aOns with a crowd, dsolsani~cd Ilt not much
camps Corcnla WAS captured, anl hold prisoner for
so:nc Time, bnt 4 6oL "t." I" Lcntsoy'ie ~" Gen
,,,i@n io ', ' tnr' at Tir.v, an IHcre @x
1 tfa N llir
ucS Il ird, de in which hal osInled before
Dc battle AMI hsI lam dowu to steep nicr t0 WHEN
heard >oIIe one asAing ior me. / called odt whcr,
was Wien Cen ly rr ih pea sou ssNs N oiers /" hirh
gave orders cali ~ shopping mn, have each
regiment leave the t-ld by nnk aud to take tine
samo road back by wlheh W" hal come. II was near
midnight and the road ull OF troops. wagons, and
batteries. W. uied 20 Keep our rgn Nc sara'A'' 80.
all became inoXiic'5'y ini4ed toward n,o,n,ls "r
reached vicnnn, wh,ic si.pC some hours, and ue ueyt
day, apOut ro,n, We reached r"iC COrc"tau
Tie decentralization which ensuod aftcr the battle
of Bu Run is thus described:
slow, mz1ing RAIN had set in. aud roo,
ny, nor EG39y s,cco aay meyer ~G % 'I a."
cuI but ant ny st.f laborcd hard To- collect
hJo tlcr proper companies and INTO Licr farmer Dps,
ag r NJ 81 Close ' IN 10 Frt cSro @ ~" hSs
in order tl'n had oN pcctt of cOuTse took
u ior granted that e rcacs would ic heels. and
I ,,i,ii ii H., ials nv rsp5,i AMI lad
u;y ,T,-.dc ihnut wet governed any IN nat army,
although most ~! tiG ninety day Ia ~ especially the 6th.
had b.come extremely uc oi tIc war aud wanted To
hu.n" at thrn nut.nuas al time that
had Ayrs'e battery 10 Uiiies, tir"tcUIng, II hey
dared 10 eiye camp without "rurrs wond cn nrc Oh
arni D.ll.s and ne d'uiy oAclcsgs resumed,
OId crcd Lti at tue th.c p1n lpl iOcli. the
sio'd form ranks wan bciis amt musk is nuh that they
s1ud keep thvr tanks uii Ia Pcs0n had rceiVed ue
rpurts AID had dlsniss'd them The 90 still uccnI
F.r torcoyiil, Ii moriii- afr rCECI VIII had
inst received The report mad dismissed the gncnt, and
Was eaSiuS, !olnI M sell III o'"wd "f men c"N"-
wuc.a t.,y had their sphs; anon tlem oi,-
cer who said: " Colonel / am yonis to New-iorK to-
day. Mlat cdh do ioi i"ii sw'Ted; "Ii'" ctn
yon GO tn New lokt du not rcnenber e. have stncd
yOn." lie said, No; AZ di not want leave
IL. lad engaAcd ~ >lve three ntls. AID lad Ilready
served t.,n that time 1t Ma GOvcnm' nj d not
nc sawyer, a.d tad neglected his basin q loIg
cn,u.,i, and wls L,,n going Lone noaiced that
sD,,ld so tanned on h,u s,,,r,, and aid ,tin,in
TINS question your of
Ia the rght,u autnoria!. nn tc decson as been rni-
-nt Iva crlcrs lru are soldier, aut must submit 10
orders TIL you properly discharged II you attemp.
10 leave without UdrrS IT wi De nlDy ana Will shoot
yua lac dog. 90 back into tie tort ,IOdc, Instantly,
nn leave without my consenI" hed
an ovcTcoat. AMI nay have had nv hand abouf the
breast, or In 'ooSi al ms uird, paused momcni, and
iuen turned back into tLo fort TIT men cd. an
returned the house where quarter ei. Close by.
We cannot attempt, with the spt3c at our con-.
nand follow at greater length the details of the
brilliant campaigns Which largely contributed TO
the restoration of peace, and which havo crowned
the name of the author with the glory Of success
fu warrior, such ~ few men at arms" have been
30 happy ~ 10 achieve. His work will at once take
the rank If STANDARD authority in regard 10 the
events aud facts of which il treats although many
will bc inclined to question the validity of the crit
cislns nf his eminent cotemporares in which
he ~ freely ndng..s. But these characteristic
of the man. both ~ writer and commander OF
al inpatient temperament, rapid IN his conceptions,
eager for accomplishment, seeing vvhly rather than
broadly, Hrd utterly without tho habit Of disguise.
he often fails to recognize the delays, the minute n
qnirios, the suspense OF Judgment which essen-
tial To the f0rmatun of a eOnId opinion. Ii sho.t