The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-08-07

Maryland Take all these together, they
certainly make up strange medley.
An intelligent lady at Manassas told
me that after the first battle, from some
cause, the burying Of the Federal soldier
was suspended for about two weeks
When Il was resumed the stencil from the
dead bodies was 20 great and putreiactlon
was 90 far advanced, that the bodies
could not be handled. The wounded
and dying men had apparently crRWled
together In groups and died. 0nl
Of the dead soldiers was lying on the
porch floor Of an old deserted house
swollen till bis clothes were bursted open
upon him and The wall Of the house was
black with Ales. Earth was hauled In
carts and dumped upon these heaps Of
dead bodies, which only partially covered
them, and the hogs rooted at will AmongSt
these slain. The bones Of horses and
mules were hauled from the field and
sold by the ton for fertilizers. 1t il mol
only 10 be supposed that many human
bones thus got into the market, but such
seems actually 10 have been the case,
The wife Of 4 gentleman who shipped
large quantities Of them assured me that
she and her husband found and knew
many Of the bones TO be those Of human
beings.
Such might be the case without any
such knowledge or design on the part Of
those Whogathered them up, IS they were
streWn promiscuously over the fields and
through the forests.
About half mile from Manassas IL 4
small cemetery. Over the gateway ID
written: Confederate Dead" There are
head. boards for about two hundred and
forty graves. These are mostly lying on
the ground as though they had been sci
In the earth and had fallen down. They
have not been reset. The word HUn.
known is written upon nearly all oil
these boards. There are two little marble
headstones in this burylug place. i Is
strangely neglected and desolate There
Il another one which did not see.
As 10 the first Bull Run battle, fought
by Mcdowell, an officer who was actively
engaged on the Confederate side during
the entire battle, declared il 10 be his
opinion, and also the opinion Of the Con:
federatO commanders, that Gen, Mellow
ellis plan was admirably laid and Splen.
didly executed. The National army
moved like a rising cloud irresistably
around their left flank, to cut them Of
from the railroad and get in their rear
Said he, "They could have eaten US Up
alive They saw no chance for escape
Bsauregard and johnson said they were
whipped twice during the day, but their
men did not know il and kept on fight
ing. In their extremity Stewart dashed
up and asked the two commanding Gen
erals what he should do? He was an
swersd, I've don't know He was told
however, to support the left lInk. In
reaching q certain point he saw large
bodies Of infantry, covered and grey with
dust, marching in line the wrong way for
Confederates. Ho cried out, "don'l
retreat, men, we'll help you" Just then
lie saw they were marching under the
stars and stripes. He then turned to his
men and shouted, "The'rO Yankees, and
we must charge them il every man Of Us
goes down." The charge was made and
the line curved, and great confusion fol-
lowed at that point, He ordered this
officer 10 60 across the field and see il he
could ascertain how things were going
elsewhere. This he did at the peril Of
his life, and 10 his utter astonishment saw
smother portion OF the army Of the Union
in full retreAt-panic stricken from some
cause, never yet fully understood by
Federals or Confederates. The panic be.
came general, and the scene Of wild flight
and wreck and crash which followed iJ be.
yond description, and that, too, after the
day had been really won by brave and
fair fighting.
Prince William county has a popuIa-
ton Of perhaps 5000. OF this about
1000 are colored. This is . total Of
about $500 lePs than it had eighty years
ago. F. BALL: