The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-10
FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
General Logan's Graphic Description
ofthe First Big Fight of the War.
An Exciting Chapter from 'The Great Con-
spiracy"-Who Was to Blame for the De-
feat and Rout of the Union Forces

General Logan, in his forthcoming work, "The
Great Conspiracy" describes but one battle 1t
Is that of Bull Run. at is foreign to the design
Of this work. he says ito present In it detailed
descriptions of the battles waged during the
great war of the Rebellion-it being the present
intention of the writer at some later day to pre-
pare and publish another work devoted to such
stirring military scenes Yet, as it might seem
strange and unaccountable for him to pass by at
this time without any description or comment,
the first pitched battle of the Rebellion, he is
constrained to pause and view that memorable
contest"
The chapter containing this account is XIII.
It is entitled 1.-THE Storm of Battle" 1t is six
ty-fve pages in length, aud will undoubtedly be
pronounced one of the most clear and graphic
descriptions of that famous and eventful contest
ever written. The opening gives the military
situation preceding the battle, in which the
General says:
eve have seen how Fort Sumter fell; how
the patriotic North responded to President Lin
coln's call for $4,000 three months volunteers
with such enthusiasm that, had there been a
suficiency of arms and Announcements, he might
have had within three months of that call an
army OF 600 men in the field how he had
called for az, 600 three-years' volunteers early in
May, besides swelling what little there was OF a
regular army by ten full regiments; and how a
strict blockade of the entire Southern coast line
had not only been declared, but was now en-
forced and respected
That General Logan is pronounced in his opin-
ions as to whose fault the defeat at Bull Run is
due is shown by the following, which prefaces
the account of the battle:
General Mcclellan, IN command of the De-
partment of the Ohio, had, however, crossed the
Ohio river and by the 4th of July. being at
Grattan, w. Va, with his small army of Union
troops. to which greatly inferior rebel force
was opposed, commenced that successful ad
vance against il which led, after Bull Run, to
his being placed at the head of all the armies of
the United States. Subsequently Patterson
crossed the Potomac and after trifling away
over one months time at last, July 15, got with
in nine miles of Winchester and Johnstons
army. Barring a spiritiess reconnaissance
Patterson-who was a fervent Breckenridge
Democrat in politics. and whose military judg-
iment, as we shall see, was greatly influenced.
If aot entirely controlled. by his chief of staff,
Fitz John Porter--never got any nearer to the
enemy Instead of attacking the rebel force
under Johnston, or at least keeping it EN-
ployed.' as he was ordered to do by General
Scott; instead of getting nearer and attempting
10 get between Winchester and the Shenandoah
riser, as was suggested to him by his second in
command. General Sanford; and instead of per-
mitting Sanford to 60 ahead, as that general de-
sired to- with his own eight thousand men. and
do it himself General Patterson ordered him off
TO Charleston-twelve miles to the Union left
and rear-and then took the balance of his army
with himself to the same piacel In other words.
while he had the most positive and definite orders
from General Scott. If not to attack and whip
Johnston. at least to keep him busy and prevent
that rebel general from forming junction via
the Manassas Gap railroad OF otherwise with
Beauregard, Patterson deliberately moved his
army further away from Winchester, and gave
60 the enemy the very chance of escaping and
forming that junction which essential to
rebel success in the vicinity of Manassas. But
for this dsobedience of orders Bull Run would
doubtless have been great victory to the Union
arms instead of reverse, and the war; which
Rfterward lasted four years, might have been
over in as many months"
After careful and elaborate description of
the of the battle he tells Of the advance of
McDowel's army July l6. s'But the advance is
TOO slow" he writes. land the enemy's outposts,
both there and elsewhere, are sure to have am
pie opportunity Of falling safely back upon their
main position. behind the stream of Bull Run.
This slowness is due to various causes. There
lis pretty general dread, for example, among
our troops, of threatened ambuscades and hence
the advance is more cautious than it otherwise
would be. 1t is thought the part of wisdom, as
1t were to feel the way The marching, more
over is new to our troops. General Scott had
checked Mcdowell when the latter undertook to
handle eight regiments together near Washing
ton. by intimating that he was trying to make
show Thus the very essential knowledge of
withheld from our Union generals, while the
volunteer regiments have either rusted in camp
from inaction or have been denied the opportun-
ity of acquiring that endurance, and hardness.
and discipline which frequent movement of
troops confers. Hence, all unused to the disci
pline of the march, every moment some one falls
out of line to pick black berries or get water
1t is rather rough experience that now befallS
She grand army of the Union.
Mcdowell. IN the meantime, all unconscious
of what has transpired in the Shenandoah valley
and between there and Manassas; never dream
ing for instant that Patterson has failed to
keep Johnston there-even If he has not attacked
and defeated him; utterly unsuspicious that his
own lessened Union army has now to deal with
the forces Of Johnston and Beauregard combined
with superior instead of an inferior force-is
executing plan of battle which he has decided
upon, and announced to his general officers that
same Saturday evening at his headquarters at
Centervie. At $40 A. NJ Taylors artillery
gets into position to cannonade the enemy's bat
terry on the west bank of Bull Run. commanding
the stone bridge, and opens fire. Half an hour
before this lat A. NJ. the rebel artillerists,
posted on q hill south Of the pike, and 600 yards
west of the bridge, have caught sight of Taylor's
Union blue-jackets Those of the rebel gunners
whose eyes directed to the northeast soon
see, nearly mile away, up the gradual slope a
puff of blue smoke. Immediately the bang of a
solitary rifle cannon Is heard, and the scream of
q rihe-sh as it passes over their heads. At in
tervas, until past A. NJ, that place and others
rebel left, under Evans, at Stone Bridge
"It is half past o'clock before Burnside's bri-
gade has crossed the Bull Run stream at Sudlev's
Ford and the head of Andrew Porter's brigade
commences to ford it. The troops are somewhat
slow in crossing. They warm, tired thirsty
and as to dust-their hair, and eyes, and Lostrils
and mouths are full of it, while most of the uni
forms, once blue, have become dirty gray
The sky is clear The sun already is fercely
hot. The men stop to drink and fill their can
teens. 1t is we'll they do. Mcdowell who has
been waiting two or three hours at the turn, i'm
patient of the delay, has ridden to the front
of the Franklin column and now reaches Sudley's
Ford. He feels that much valuable time is al
ready lost His plan has, in measure, been
frustrated by delay.
Thus far the cannonade of Tyier's batteries,
and the weak return fire of the rebel artillery
at Stone Bridge over two miles southeast Of
Sudley's ford, is about the only music by which
The IInion march has kant TINA R,,t poxr