Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-23
Wade HamptOn's Version OF the
Famous Battle of Bull Run.
The Assistance Rendered the
Lost Cause by His Com
mand.
A Valuable Addition to History.

Courier, of the 18th inst. publishes
an interesting war article from the
pen of Gen. Wade Hampton IN ans
wer to statements made in the May
Century by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston
and Gen. Imboden. The following
excerpts will be read with interest:
In The Century Magazine of May
there appeared two interesting articles
on the battle of Manassas, and as refer
ence was made in both of these papers
TO my command, ''The Hampton Lee
gion," | think it proper that | should
give some memoranda of that fight,
1t was the fortune of the legion to
be engaged from an early hour in the
morning until the close Of the
battle on the ground where it
was fought and won, and this
fact gives me, think, the
opportunity of knowing more Of the
details Of the fighting on the plateau
around the Robinson and Henry
houses, up to the time at which my
wound was received, than any sur
viving officer commanding regi-
ment.
On the morning of July 21st, my
command, after having being On the
railroad thirty hours, reached Manas-
sas Junction about daylight, and l re-
ported at once TO Gen. Beauregard,
from whom [ received an order "to
move in the direction of the stoae
bridge, and to hold myself IN reads
ness to support any troops engaged in
that quarter" In pursuance of this
order we moved from the junction
about sunrise, under direction of a
guide, toward the point indicated.
The guide, soon after we came within
range of the artillery fire, retired with
out leave and without notice. This
was near the Lewis house, and just as
we were passing it, leaving it to our
right, [ met a country boy on horse
back, who informed me that the
enemy, in heavy force, had crossed
Bull run at Sudley ford and were ad
vancing toward the Warrenton turn
pike. Ny guide having deserted me,
and not knowing where the stone
bridge was, determined to move my
command in the direction of a heavy
musketry fire which we heard from
our left, and which came from the en-
counter of Evans brigade with the
federals at Sudley ford. Just at this
point, near the Lewis house, met
Col. James Francis Preston, of the
4th regiment, Jackson's brigade,
moving his command in an opposite
direction from ours, to take. / suppose,
some position to which he had been
ordered. Knowing him we'll, gave
him the information had received
from the boy, and the legion moved
on rapidly toward the firing. We
crossed a small branch back of the
Lewis house, and following road
through a pine thicket we struck in
flank column moving on a road into
which our road led Inquiring what
troops these were, was told that they
were Bees brigade, then fastening to
the support OF Evans. 1t is important
to bear this fact in mind, for it proves
that the legion reached the plateau
where the battle was fought at the
same hour that Bee did.
The lieutenant colonel of the legion,
ii. j. Johnson, knew Gen. Bee well,
and suggested that he should ride for~
ward to ask the general what position
he thought we should take. In few
minutes he returned bringing a mes
sage from Bee that a battery was
about to go into action, and that he
advised me to support it. This was
Imboden's battery, which soon after
canae into position about one hundred
yards to the left of the Robinson
house and about the same distance
south of the Warrenton turnpike. In
obedience to the suggestion of Bee,
brought my command up just behind
the battery under partial shelter of
the hills upon which it was placed,
and where it was CALAMITY engaging
Ricketts, battery, which was stationed
on an opposite hill across Young's
branch. We got into position here,
| think, between 9 and 10 o'clock
A. NJ.
think Capt. Ina boden makes mis-
take when he says that his first posi-
ton was ''about one hundred yards to
the northeast of the Henry house"
for when I saw him go into action
first he was, as [ have stated, Just to
the left of the Robinson house, and,
at all events, it was here that the le>
gion supported his battery. This diff
ference in opinion betw cen us is, how>
ever, very immaterial, but he falls
into a grave error when he says that
''for at least a half-hour after our
forces were driven across Young's
branch no confederate soldier was
visible from our position near the
Henry house. The Staunton artil-
lery, so far as we could see, was alone
IN its glory"
Now, the fact is that the legion,
which supported his battery as it went
into action, moved up to the turns
pike, when he was forced to retire.
and remained there for hours after
his withdrawal. While in this latter
position we saw the troops of Bee
and Evaks falling back across the
road between us and the stone bridge
which was several hundred yards to
our right. Many of these men were
rallied behind Jackson's brigade,
which had previously taken position
on the plateau. a few hundred yards
south of the Robinson house and in
n Al 4 u