The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-04-05
BEAUREGARD ON MANASSAS.
From tho Now Orlonhs Plea yuhe.
NEw ORLEASs, March, r 1877

! NE" ORLEANS, March, {, 1876.
DEAR SIM avail myself of the
first opportrme moment to answer
your letter Of the 17th ult., inquir
, ing of me, ~ in command Mt tho
time, why the pursuit of the FEEDER
ais immediately after their rout at
the battlo of Manassas, July 81
1861, was suddenly checked and
the Confederate troops recalled
toward Mnllasaas ?
1 will first state that, though with
General Joseph e. Johnston's con
sent l exercised the command dur
ing tho battle, 1T it's close, after |
bad ordered I'LL tho troops on the
field i'll, pursuit, 7 went personally
to the Lewis House and rclinquish
ed that command to him. L then
started ut Il gallop'to take immedi
ate charge of tho pursuit Oh the
Centrevillo turnpike, but wns soon
oyertnken by a courier from
Manassas, with note addressed to
mo by Colonel T. G. Rhett, of Gen
oral Johnston's staff, who had been
left thero in the morning to forward
that Generals troops rs they might
arrive by rail from Winchester.
Colonel Rhett thereby informed
me that strong body Of Federal
troops had crossed the Bull Run
at Union Mills Ford, on our right,
and was advancing on Manassas,
our depot Of supplies, which had
beon necessarily left very weakly
guarded. 1 hurried back to tho
LOWS House to communicate this
important despatch to General
Johnston, and both Of un believing
tho information to be authentic,
undertook to repair to the thrcttcn
cd quarter with Ewcll' sand Holmes
brigadcs, ut that moment near the
Lewis House, where they had inst
arrived. too late to take part in the
action. With these troops I en-
gagged to attack the enemy vigor-
ously before he could effect Il
lodgmcnt on our side of Bull Run
but asked to be reinforced as soon
as practicable by such troops as
might be spared from the Centre
vile pursuit.
Having reached the car vicinity
of Union Mills Ford without meet
ing any enemy, I asrcrtaincd, to
my surprise, that the reported
hostile passage was a false alarm
growing out of some movements of
our own troops "a part of General
ID. II. Jones brigadc,) who had
been thrown across the run in the
'n,Urning, pursuant to my offensive
plan of operation for tie day, and
upon their return now to the south
bark of the run were mistaken
through their similarity Of uniform
for the fede1ale I returned to
intercept the match of the two
brigades who wcre following nc
toward Union Mills, and as it was
quite dark when I met them, and
they were greatly jadod by their
long march and coulter 1,nrch
during that hotJuly day, I directed
them to halt and bivouac where
they were. Hearing that President
Davis and General Johnston had
gone to Manassas, I returned aud
found them between half.past hinn
and ten o'clock ut my hcadquar-
tors.
This will explain to you why tie
partial ''retrogale movement" to
which you refer, was made, and why
no sustained vigorous pursuit Of
McDowcll's army wIs m1dc that
evening.
Any pursuit Of thc Fc>lcrals next
day, toward their rallyinS point at
and around Long Bridge, over the
Potomac, could have lcl to no posi-.
bio military advantage, protected as
that position was by system ..of
field works, No movement upon
Washington by that route could
have been possible, for oven if
there had been no such works the
bridgc-a mile in lcngth---was com
manded by Federal ships Of wnr.
and a few pieces Of artillery, or tho
destruction Of small part of the
bridge could have made it's passage
impracticable.
Our only proper operation was to
pass tho Potomac above, into Mary
land. at or about Edwards Ferry,
and march upon the rear Of Wash
ington With the hope Of Under
taking such movement l had caused
n Reconnaissance of the country and
shore (south of tho Potomac) in that
quarter to be made in the month Of
June, but the necessary transporta~
ton, even for the ammunition essen
tial to such movement, had not
been provided for my forces, not
withstandig my application for it
during more than II month before
hand, nor was there twenty -four
bours' food at Ma,mssas for the
troops brought together for that
G. II. BEAUREGARD..
Hen. JNo. G. FEImI>s.
Nashville, Tenn,