Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-20
BATTLES OF THE REBELLION,

BATTLES OF THE REBELLION
"Reminiscences OF Famous Conflicts Of
the Late Wharf.-The Fight at Manassas
An Affair which Ended An a Panic
McDOweil's GeneralshIR Contracted
With that Of j Johnston and Beauregard-
New York Star.
After such short lapse of time it could
scarcely be that history Of the war
between the North and South, giving i'm
partial and comprehensive views, should
exist; but that an event OF such far-reach-
ing importance will, in the course of time
receive all due calculation, may not be
doubted. So far its narration has been
confined within newspaper columns, tor
never before was war Sc thoroughly
chronicled while in progress as ours was
throughout the length and breadth of this
land. This editorial writing up was GER
tainly adequate to the day, perhaps a
trife surfeiting; and when the curtain fell
upon the bloody drama people were glad
to drop all things warlike. The conse-
quence is that there has beea freshness
about the late struggle quite calculated
to deter the energetic pamphleteer, spite
of reiterated attempts to turn penny
from his bellicose grist-stuff. Nobody
chose much of the proffered article.
Hence it is not surprising that no orig
inal history or even philosophical memoir
has appeared; the subject matter fresh
in the memories aye, lives of the people
of both sections, after being so enormous
ly spun out by the editors of the period.
could not soon be rehandled in our midst,
and Europe remained too indifferent and
ignorant on American affairs to touch it.
Each side possesses what is called "a his
tory'--the Northern by SWinton, the
Southern 10y Pollard--but neither work
can lay claim to the title, being merely
compilations from the newspapers, both
writer's having been active war editors.
Grant and Lee issued no memoirs; only
Sherman and Johnston have appeared in
print, but within narrow limits, or with
newspaper modelling. The Comte de
Paris French History is the work not on
.ly OF an amateur soldier, but Of a mere
explorer of the New World. Withal, the
time is fast approaching when there will
not only bea demand for thorough histories
of the war, looking to the finaljudgement
of posterity, but OF good chronicles and
sketches yielding some living outlines Of
the foremost personages who held the
stage from April, 1861, to April, 1896,
and preserving much OF the 1localy color
ingo ever SO conductive to an interest in
and understanding Of past times and oc-
,currences. The subject is really fresh,
though the rubbish covering it may have
faded and withered to nothingness. 1t
cannot in itself fade, and already ANEW
generation demand to know "all about
it''--that is, to have the accurate sifted
from the inaccuracies far as other press
ing requirements will admit.
Among the famous battles of our Stir
ring. epoch the very first on the list may
surely be classed as the most famous, be,
cause the most dramatic in form and
substantial in influence. Manassas com
monty known as the "Battle of Bull Run"
-so-oalled, as Engishmen might say
from the prominent part taken by "BulI
Bun" Russell of the London ISasss in;
eagerlvshastening to Washington to send.
off the news to "Lunnen Town." How
vivid still must be the recollection of
thousands who took part in those remark.
able scenes! That spring emphatieally
had been era of greenness, the entire.
country had been as one huge pumkin,
and the national pie had to he baked,
From thesday of the call to arms until
the dav ofsthe battle there had been only
two month and half of the drilling and
organizing or the two armies, with
slight advantage of time on the Southern
side, so when the tug of the fight did
the soldiers, except few regulars, were
mere raw lepies, without the least notion
of what war was. some already wearied
out with camp life, bent on going home
in two weeks, or at the precise expira-
ton of their enlistment. The Command
erin Chief and general officers were
West Pointers. fairly educated, bat raw
to the field. Both Governments were
pretty much at sea, while the people in
their respective homes we're boastful, en-
thusiastic and exacting. What drum
ming and piping, fag-decking of cities,
waving of bandkerehiefs when the boys
in blue and gray Moved from their homes
to shake bloody hands across the new
frontier living witness can fail ito
recall those enthusiastic jubilations2 In
the North the command was: "Ki.l the
rebelsr' "Hang J. D. to sour apple
treee!'' sc. In the South: airing us a
lock of old Abe's hair!1 "Come home
soon with some Yankee scalps!'' sc.
Impotence over inactivity became intense
every where, and soon the cry of son
to Richmond" was rung out over all the
land from Washington. Nobody looked
forward to anything save an amusing
military promenade, barring few wise
acres, who have sinced confessed to the
corn, yet every body happened to have
entered upon a loLg lane, whose only
turning was years afterward found at
Appomattox Courthouse.
In satisfaction of the popular demand
for decisive scrimmage, General Scott,
against his own better judgment and
Mexican experience, gave General Nc.