The Portland daily press., 1885-05-18
A New View Of Bull Run.
The Union Forces Were not Routed az
Much after all.
Chicago Times.)

@AAA@S-1
The series of battle accounts being pub
lished in the Century is characterized BY one
somewhat noticeable quality; thatls, there
is a very considerable amount of disagree
ment among the Southern writers, while
thus far there has been little or none at all
among the contributors who present views
from the Federal standpoint. The current
number of the monthly contains several ar
ticles relating to the earlier battles between
Washington and Richmond, and in which
three Confederate officers, Imboden, Gusta-
vus Smith, and j. E. Johnston, and one
Federal officer, George B. Mcclellan, pre-
sent their views. Imboden was an artillcr-
ist who played an important part in the first
encounter at Bull Run, and who very graph
ically describes that celebrated battle. His
account, taken in connection with that of
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, affords good
deal of light on that conflict, and makes 1t
far less descreditable to the national forces
than the statements published at the time,
and which have since been received as being
Just in their presentations OF the battle.
The nationalists have been humiliated for
almost quarter Of century over the al
legged blunders, incapacity, retreat, rOut, and
s0uue oui peut flight of the Federal troops
toward the national capital. Nothing of the
sort appears in the accounts furnished by
Johnston and Imboden; and not only do
they furnish no evidence in favor OF any
such dsgraceful fights, but they establish
distinctly that nothing of the kind occurred.
in Johnston's account, the character OF the
Federal retreat is brought out incidentally,
but in manner that admits of no question.
Johnston is defending himself against the
charges or insinuatiOns of Jefferson Davis
that he lacked in Judgment or capacity in
failing to follow the retreating Federals In
to Washington. He says that at a little be-
fore o'clock, when the Federal retreat be-
gan, he ordered Gen. Bonham to march
with his own and Longstreet's brigades by
the quickest route to the turnpike, and form
them across it to intercept the Federal re-
treat. "But he found so little the appear
ance of rout in these troops as to make the
execution of his instructions seem impossible,
so the two brigades returned to their camps"
That the Federal right did do some heavy
running away admits of no doubt; but the
main portion of the army, the centre and
left, marched from the field in almost as
good order as they went on it before the
battle.
The popular impression of the first battle
of Bull Run was founded on the newspaper
correspondence concerning the event, and
which evidently emanated from men who
were demoralized by the unexpected defeat,
and who mistook the rush of frightened
mules and insane drivers as the wild retreat
OF a defeated army. The assertions of john
ston and Imboden do not convey the idea
that the Federals did not fight determinedly
and with pertinacity; on the contrary, they
recognize and freely state that the first onset
was Irresistible, aud that the national troops
fought like veterans. Imboden thinks that
McDowelPs order changing Ricketts, and
Grifin's batteries to a more advanced posi-
! ton was blunder which lost him the battle,
| for the reason that the time occupied in
moving the batteries gave the Confederates
| time TO take up new and advantageous
| line of battle, and which would not have
been possible had the batteries remained in
place, for, as then located, they commanded
the line along which the new front was
formed.
1t is a satisfaction to the country to learn,
even after lapse of nearly quarter of
century, that the cowardice, incapacity and
Generalization charged to the account Of
Bull Run had no existence outside of the
fleeing correspondents and the routed con-
gressmen and other civilians who went out
| to see the battle, expecting to make of it
grand picnic. 1t is little out of the usual
order of things that the correction should
come from the men who inflicted the defeat,
and that an army accused of inability and
cowardice should be relieved Of the charge
| by the enemy against whom it fought.