Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-07-30
BULL RUN TODAY.
Appearance Of the Country Twenty
Years after the Memo.
rablc Event.
Philadelphia Times.


fields and wooded hills upon which the
battle Of Bull Run was fought much a'
they were when on that hot Sunday in
July, 1861, the young armies of the peo.
pie for the first time joined in combat
At this spot twenty years ago the raw
nucleus of the Grand Army Of the Poto,
mac fell upon the equally undisciplined
enemy and forced him through thick
woods, across ravines, up hillsides, and
into what promised to be utter route,
but accident of war turned the tide OF
battle and under vigorous counter at
tack the assailan;i, fed dismayed to the
banks of the PotcnGc. What the writer
wishes to set down in plain terms is the
appearance of the battle field now and
the impressions that the surroundings
make upon al admircr Of those who
fought.
Bull Run is best reached from Manas-
sas village, a pretty place which shell
ters snugly on level land a few hundred
people, who, being at o point on the
Virginia Midland Railroad, thirty miles
west Of Washington, take the trade Of
the country for considerable distance
around. Riding north on the road to
Sudley Springs one sees the clearly
marked outlines of fort in q corn field,
and, passing farther, the eye is attract
ed by the beautiful line of the Blue
Ridge far away to the Northwest. At
The end of six-mile trot through q
pleasant country Of farms, the most in
teresting part Of the battle field, Henry
Hill, is reached
THE FIELD's KEY POINT.
The Henry House stands upon Henry
Hill, o fiat bare crest, the fields key
point whence came the first great out
burst of battle and across which for
wards and backwards the Contcnding
lines surged from noon until the day
was lost. The hous, is a pleasant struc-
ture with marks of newness about it,
and is made inviting by q lawn in which
there is large elm and several small
locust trees. The eye of the approach
ing visitor does not rest upon these trees,
however, delightful as they appear, for
the objects of prominence are little
Gods Acre grove in front of the house
and rude monument in the rear.
"Coasc wuz heah just arter de fight
in" said Shedrick, the darkey driver,
as we climbed the hillside road to the
house "coase WIZ, en- ! seed noah
dead uns stretched stiff in dat ar oat
field ober dar den ! ebcr hab seed afore
nor sence. Oars Marse Henry, he kin
tell yc,'
Uuder the elm sat an elderly gentle
man bending over what | afterwards
saw were Latin text books. His soft
hand, heartily extended, pointed as q
sure index to its owner as one concerned
with the windows of learning rather
than those long lines of fallen grain in
the trail of the reaper which ut that
moment was seen swinging slowly down
o distant Fairfax hill From the warmth
of his welcome Mr., Henry, who is q
professor in the Alexandria Academy,
soon made his visitor feel in it's fullness
that which has been so much praised
the hospitality of the old time Virginian.
A GLANCE FROM A HILLTOP.
''Be so kind as to stand under this
this tree he said "this point is the
best from which to study the battle
field. General Sherman so regarded IT
when he called here some time ago. |
was sitting in the place where you saw
me reading to-day when | observed the
General approaching across the field.
He came to the house, and standing
here, pointed out with wonderful accu-
racy the various positions held during
the battle. Sir, that ridge beyond the
Bull Run stream is in Fairfax county.
Look to the east. On this side of Fair
fax Ridge lay the Federal army on the
night before the battle. The country
there was partly cultivated then as it is
now, but, turning your eyes further to
the north you see a forest extending to
the stream. Through that forest, now
of larger growth, the Federals, who
were to turn Beauregard's left, moved,
cutting their road as they went to Sud-
ley Springs, which you see in the dis
lance there to the north. Then crossing
Bull Run they come down directly upon
this point. There remain few evidences
of that movement. The oak and pine
stands as it did Them Now, mark, sir.
The Confederate Colonel Evans,
'Shanks.' rs they called him, faced w.