The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-07-15
THE STORY OF BULL RUN.
Told by a winstea Boy of other Day


 Told by Winsted Boy of Other Days. Bull Run is a subject that has two parts, the Bull and the Run. The first may be wrong as to the run. A great many witicisms have had a circulation, always leaving the impression that the whole Union army stampeded. The way the press has handled the subject is illustrated by a single example. General Hawley (then captain) com manded a company in the First Reg- ment c. V. l. He was the subject of an eulogy which appeared in the "Conti- nent" May, 1884 From that Is quoted the following: At the battle of Bull Run his company was specially distih- guished for remaining in good order throughout. including the retreat, which as whole, as the country knows, was 0 masterly scare and pan ic."
 True, at the close g. few regiments lost their organization and ran away, The number of men who were in this
 
 thousand. There were engaged in that part of the field twelve thousand. The whole army numbered over twenty five thousand, not counting the reserves.
 The beginning of the panic is a mys- tery To say that it was caused by an 1mpetuous aggressive movement of the enemy is an explanation that does not explain. Why didn't they kill or cap- tIyv.n f1&o kl, 1, tween them and @ single narrow bridge? Let us have 1t this way. The s'Divinity who shapes our ends" de- creed that the rebellion should not be put down till slavery, it's cause, could be crushed with it-and it was SO.
 The Union army was not driven with bayonets into Washington There was no compulsion, even for the stampe- ders. Largely the men were enlisted for ninety days and were withdrawn to be mustered out The rebels fought in defence until the tide turned in their ] favor; after that they didn't fight.
 To strengthen these opinions as to what the rebels did and what they did not, will describe the movements of a single regiment. The writer carried a rifle in the ranks of the Second Regi- dll6uC C. V. l., two COIuphuleS Ol WLlCIl were recruited in Winsted.
 The regiment was mustered into the United States service at New Haven May 7, 1861 Four days later, by way of the Atlantic ocean and the Potomac river, we were in Washington. We went into camp near the city limits on the north, where we remained until June 16 On the evening of that day we broke camp, crossed Long Bridge and at day light were eight or ten miles within the Confederacy. We camped by the railroad leading northwesterly from Alexandria. In the afternoon General Schenck sent a few companies of troops up the railroad toward Lees- burg in ouen cars When near Vienna ten or twelve miles beyond us, they were ambushed by a rebel battery The engineer who was backing. the train uncoupled and got away with his engine.
 This startling news reached us apou, six o'clock, while we were listening roi the call to coffee and hard tack. We heard instead the Hong roll' followed by the order from Sergeant Skinner te .sfall in" We fell in and waited 1T line a long time for cars from Alexan- /~dria to take us to the scene or the trou' ble, Our supper was dead JOSS. A Falls Church we met the Ohio boys re turning. The rebels after one rakinf shot at the crowded train hastily re tired toward Fairfax. Five were klliet and several wounded.
 Iii the morning it was decided Una we should remain here and not go paci to our camp. About ten o'clock we hat a. ration of dry crackers. At night w took to the woods and our tents nv miles away.
 Morning came Aalso our tents, ant we set them up in, a field of oats. Tn First regiment camp was one hundred rods east of us and the Third some dis tance west. We remained here at tn front a month. l.,
 On the 18th of July "a movement De gan that ended atsBulIARun. The thre Connecticut regiments ana the oecoh' of Maine were brigaded under Coione Kevs of the regular array week pc fare. We left our camp with guard ana at two o'clock p. m. began ou march. resting at night near vienna The next day we met oostfuctlons y,arge trees had, been telleo across LII road. At Germantown a breastworK 0 earth had been thrown up. we Wer halted. the artillery was brought to tn front and shot fired into the Worf nIo harm was done. The rebels had go away. We passed Germantown an Two miles beyond in an open field DIV ] nuaced that night The next day " 1, msde temporary quarters near Center f vile This also was rebel post aban l, doned at our approach We remaine s,era three days while troops wer ssathering in the vicinity. Saturda! f Irlv 2oth. three days rations, so-callet were distributed, also forty cartridge to each man. July Fist at two a. m. W were in line and at daylight had GOV ! cred Ave miles, more or less, and wei near Bull Run. The battle was con meneed at eight o'clock with artiiler from a point near Stone Bridge, also . snfantry crossing the stream thre 7niles above and attacking the reo left. Between nine and ten o'clock ware ordered forward.