Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-16
Bull Run.

BY this lime DAY began TO break and Ia'tt
number Of lugitives came driving along. la'F
! apDeared 80 utterly dcmoralized that brought
down four companies from the tort anu p' '''o
two companies across the road With a V'"T -
check the rrut, and two c0mpaulGs anlI' a l''''
20 guard the men aod animals L l&Sruct' I"
corral. Amhulances came up CONTAINING thr
dead bodies Of officers with frightened soldiers
sitting upon or lying beside them, anti every
horse that day, whether to loaded down We
hico or not, carried two or three mHn SONG
times four. whilo the retrcatlng artlIlcrymon'
with only tho caissons Of their guns bronght
from the field. had them literally covered wiz
men. In this throng were tho carriages u
members of Congress, distinguished gentlemen,
ncwspaper correspondents aud others, many OF
them bareheaded, and al! anxious to dlmlplsi,
tho distance from Washington. Wagons of
provisions, quartermasters aud commlS>afy
stores. I ordered into the tort, as wo haa
but three days rations. SO frightened were
the tcsmsters that in one instance ihrf
cut thu traces of their teams, 10 order to O.
out of the fort as quickly as poss,bl'. VI
this supply of pork, beans and flour thus Oh
tained, tho men of the Seventeenth put on
duty we're set to work to construct bomb
proofs for wounded men in case OF action
The guard on the road had stopped the retreat.
ing rsbble, and | had collected IN the held
near the fort between two and throe hundted
officers horses and about four thousand men,
of all regiments, coatlcss. batess and shoeIess.
with not twenty muskots among them all.
then sent Col. Morris back through tho fields
to examine the road and report its condition.
1t was raining heavily; the roads were broke"
and muddy and tho fugItivesio 10 sorry plight.
While out upon the road tho adutant OF tn
Seventeenth came to me with tho report that
the fort was filled with men OF the Ua'ted
States army who had come IN from the rear
over the drawbridgc. On entering the tort
saw coming toward me Col. >. II; mcCunn,
of the Thirty. seventh New York VoluntcerS;
Col. John McCloud Murphy, OF the tIlucth
New York Volunteers (afterward the flfteenlh
Eogineers) Col. James KerrIgan, of tnI
Twenty fifth New York Volunteers, aud
Colonel w. Ii. Christian Of the Twenty sixth
New York volunteers. The conversation be-
tween these gentlemen was neither soldIell nor
polite. COL Kerrigsn WAS telling Col. McC9nn
very coolly that he was very poor ponce Jus
tice; and wore sola'sf s aou,d anu a' osv a."
order he gave. Colonel Murphy said he II "ng"
kerrgan Was about right Col. Christian, b"
ing mild hammered man. said nothing hA'
Col. McCunn, taking mo one side, said: Cni''
hore are my orders from General Scott" LIE
of these four regiments, go TO Forth Ellis %or!a
with this force, and prevent tho inrosa OF u"
victorious Confederates. But said the Col
| although l have these orders will waive them
YOU for orders" On going back aud informing
the the other gentlemen of Colonel McCunH's deais
sion they expressed themselves perfectly ssli;-
fed, and said they would obey any orl"rs
gave them. Colonel McCunn having been r".i'''
IN Now York, considered him tho proper mar
to send TO Alexandria to patrol tho city ard pre-.
vent outrage and rob berry by the f!gltiVas IT."
was therefore ordered to Alexandria to perform
that duty, and opsn warehouses and otho' la'E'
| buildings in which to houhe me worn OUT T., men.
Gen. u S. Lansing in the PHILADELPHIA Wceh'g
| Tj3vpe