National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-04-11
| REBEL VIEW OF BULL RUN
TIE FAMOUS BATTLE As SEEN BY THE
VICTORIOUS ARMY.

lPersonsl Experiences Of Confederate who Was
in Longstreets Command-The First Order
to Go into Action-An Incident OF the
Fight.
OF late much has been written Of t..e
first battle Of Bail Run, both by generals
and subordinates on either side, and a.
usual in such case no two accounts agree
as to even the main points Of that mo-
mentous conflict. But, strange TO say,
little or nothing has been said about tho
preliminary fight on the 18th, known as
Gen. Tyler's Reconnaissance In force" at
fBlack burns ford. As this was the first
Eight on Virginia soil where all three
arms of the service wero brought Into
play--infaptry, lcavslry, and artillery--it
is certainly right that 1t should have
more extended notice than has been given
AZ. And the affair was not such trihing
one either. unless in comparison with the
later ssnguinary battles OF the war, where
the dead and wounded numbered the field
by the tens Of thousands. At least 5000
men on q side were engaged, and, more
over, IL had very important effect upon
the plans Of the opposing generals, al
though IL was afterward claimed by the
6 federal command er-in-chiof that IL was
fought in direct opposition to his orders.
WITH LoNGsrRKET's BRIGADE.
Now, from about the middle Of Jun o
,on gstreot's brigade, to which the writer's
VI regiment, 18th Virginia, was attached,
d had been encamped Immediately around
Manassas Junction. The companies Of
Our regiment had for but short time
been thrown into regimental organiza-
tion, having before that acted separately,
and had had but little opportunity TO learn
tho battalion movements or to act to-
gother as ono body. Bonham's brigade
of South Carolinians, with some cavalry
and artillery, had been thrown forward
a to Fairfax Court House, and were pick
citing beyond. The troops about Ma
nassas, encamped on the hot, fiat, dusty
plain, suffered greatly during those
weeks, being utterly unaccustomed to
the duty Of policing camp, or Of
making tho bost Of surrounding
circumstances, as veteran soldiers are
won't to do. There was absolutely no
water ft to drink in any OF the natural
springs or wells around about, and there
was very little even Of this filthy fluid.
1t was, therefore, necessary to bring
n fresh water In tanks by train from springs
in Thoroughfare Gap. Water then was
precious, and when that is the case in
military camp the result may BIO imagined.
The stencil in the vicinity OF the juno
tion was simply fearful-faugh! IL
sickens me to think of IL even now. l
remember nothing like ID In my army
81 experience, unless in the horrible bomb
proofs and trenches at tho siege OF
Il Yorktown. The men were slckening and
dying, and the constant prayerful hope
was to be moved anywhere, anywhere
out of that hole" 1t may DO imagined,
then, with what delight, as we were all
languidly going through the motions OF
squad drill on the morning of the 18th OF
July, we heard the drummers in all the
camps rattling away at the long roll
whilo the artillery buglcs swelled the
chorus. For week or so there had been
rumors of the enemy's advance, and we
knew now that the time had at length
come when the north and the south
would meet in q test grapple Of strength
Soon staff oftcers were galloping about
giving orders to pnck up, leave the tents
standing, take one blanket rolled up
sixty rounds of cartridges and three days
rations, and DO prepared to move at 9
moments warning.
TIE FIRST BATTLE ORDER.
/ recsilect we'll how novel all thi
seemed to the men, for it was the frs
time we had received such an order
which portended o coming battle. Sbou
after shout rang out and all rushed IL
tumultuous haste into the tents to obey
the command. How different ii was II
the after days, whom we had many time
experienced the baptism of fire and blood
30 to speak Then orders were executed
coolly and steadily, and simply as q mat
ter of duty to be performed; but at tn,
time before the actual clash Of arms. til,
enthusiasm was at fever heat, and tn,
men were literally spelling for fight
Perhaps, could the scroll Of the futur'
then have been rolled back aud the terri
bio four years OF tears and blood hav,
been exposed to view, both sides woul,
have looked at each other across Bul
Run, lifted their hats to each other in So
Lutte, and then have quietly dispersed b
their homes, to settle all ditfcultic
vi peaceably.
EN- ROUTE FOR BULL RUN.
BY 10 u. m. the regiments Of tho brigad
were on route for Blackburn's ford, owe
Bull run. On arriving at the ford tn
brigade was thrown into line of battle
and arms were stacked. Here the par
ticulars Of the enemy's advance were as
certained, and that Stuart's cavalry an,
Gen. Bonham were falling back befor
their steady advance without attempting
to fight. All that day we lounged aroun,
in idleness, and spent half the night IL
discussing the battle to be expected OF
the morrow, or in singing patriotic songs
At daybreak the men were reused, an,
after making coffee the regiments wer
moved down to take their positions in tn
fringe of woods which bordered tn
stream-the LIST Virginia on tho right
and then the 18th, 9TH, and 18th regiments
The banks on the opposite side 0
the run, which was about twenty-five o
thirty feet wide, was very much highe
than on our sido in fact. bluff thickl
overgrown with scrub oak, and to the RICH
Of the LIST regiment the stream made
sharp bend to our rear. i think 1t wa
about 0 o'clock when federal officer o
scout rode toward our piokets, who wer
stationed some two or three hundre
yards beyond tho run, and whom ordere
to halt coolly fred Mt them and wheee
his horse. The piokets fired on him an
he fell dead. Whoever he was, believ
be was tho first man killed in the fire.
Bull Run battle for, as l have said above
this fight may be considered part Of til
battle.
THE REBEL sKIRMIsH LINE.
The writer's company was now de
tached from the regiment aud deploye
rs administers along the bank Of the ru
TO the right Of the bend. We had nc
long been in position, and the write
was sitting basked up against tree, wit
rifle lying on the ground lit will be note
that We hadn't learned the necessity q
alertness on the picket line In thos
days., when there was mufied "boom
over the run, the hurtle of tho she
through the air, and then the bang 9
the shell over tho field in our rear.
was the first time we had ever heard tn
shrek Of a shell, and 1t was not plea
anti hU mn H. 4
objective point. Then came another an
n another, and then, with whir-r like
flock of partridges, stand after stand {
caniAter shot came Whistlinp throug