The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-04-22
A FIGHT THAT FAILED.
A Connecticut Mus story Of the Bull Run
Field.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I noticed
"reminiscences of Bull Run field from Eb1n
Gordon, I'd r. l., which interested me. The
I'd Conn. were the first troops to camp at
Falls Church, Va, and picket the Fairfax
and Vienna roads 1t was on the nth of
june l think, that detachment of the "a
Ohio went on reconnaissance to Vienna
with engine and platform and box-cars.
When saw the train passing our camp we
thought they were going to repair bridges.
Some time after about so men of the I'd
Conn, including Adi't Russell, who was
| killed in battle at Island No. 10, Tennessee,
while Colonel of the 10th Conn.,, went pick
J ing berries on hill some hall mile from
camp and about three miles from rams
| Church. Some of us had gathered all the
berries we wanted, and while sitting on the
| fence our attention was called to the constant
blowing of a locomotive whistle from the
direction of Falls Church. We knew some
| thing was wrong with the Ohio boys.
| We were all soon on the run for our camp,
| and reached it in time to fall in with our
] companies, then forming.
| The engineer informed Col Terry that the
| Ohio men had been cut to pieces by a masked
| battery at Vienna. When fired upon the
| engineer had cut loose the platform cars,
men had tumbled off into the brush If the
commander of the Confederate battery had
| waited a moment the train would have
| passed OH into the station and all aboard
| been captured 1t was a great mistake for
| our General to advance into an enemys
| country without p:ckets, scouts or sklr-
mish-line ont. Seven men were Killed.
The day on which the Ohio regiment was
attacked at Vienna, the I'd Conn. leit It's
camp at Meridian Hill, Washington, at an
early hour, and marched to Rock Springs to
relieve the 1st Conn, while the 1st went to
Washington for a review.
| a bout July l. 1861, while company was
on picket ON the Fairfax road, near Col
Delaney's Castle, two young ladies named
| Scott enticed a Yankee Captain from his post
| to escort hem home through the woods some
| distance, and out of sight OF our plcket-llnes.
The Captain took with him one man, to fol-
! low some distance in the rear. AS soon as
the Captain entered the yard at the Scott
house a squad of Johnnies put him on one
| OF their horses and forwarded him to Rich
mond via Fairfax Courthouse.
| The private returned on the run and gave
the alarm, but 1t WAS too late; besides, the
company had no orders to leave their post.
The Captain did not come back again, that
l remember. Later the girls were hauled
| up and raked over the Goals
On the march to Bull Run field the Con-
| necticut Brigade, the 1st, ID and Sd regi-
| ments and I'd Me-, took the Vienna road for
some distance, then changed direction by
the left flank. and came IN between Fairfax
and Germantown. As our brigade vas
marching IN battle through the leids
and over rising ground we could see the
enemy marching from the field into the road,
and burrying on TO Germantown and Center
vile. Our sklrmishers fired a few shots
| st the retreating enemy. The bugle sounded
a halt Command was given by the right
| flank, and we marched by fours through the
fields parallel and on right of Centerviile
road and across the Vienna and German
| town road when command was given by
| the left-hank, which brought our brigade
in line-of- battle, and advanced into the
woods, when the bugle sounded halt;
| command Tx bayoncis"
There was q line of earthworks in our
| front Our artillery opened the ball. After
| few shells were thrown command was to
charge. On over their works we sailed, but
| the enemy had lit out; left their breakfast
cooking on the stoves also, their shovels,
picks. axes etc Our boys were going to eat
the Johnuies' breakfast; others said don't
do it there is poison in the meat All but
| 1t did not take many months for soldiers to
learn that neither side had time to poison
| food when run out with bayonets.
At Germantown our brigade halted, and
some of the boys made raid on crossroads
store, and fitted themselves from a pair of
Overalls 10 silk hat.
While resting at Germantown some New
York regiments came in on the Fairfax road.
| / remember seeing the 18th Brooklyn Goth
and 18th regiments pass, and from the looks
of the 69th | thought they had done
nothing but forage since they struck Vir-
| GINA, for the men had pigs, ducks and
chickens fastened to their bayoDets aud slung
! over their shoulders The loikes never
saw before, and only equaled in 1862, 49,
| '64 in the Shenandoah Valley.
| As soon az the New York regiments had
passed on, the Connecticut Brigade fell into
| line and marched to Centervlle, and lay all
night in line-of- battle on the right of the
road. Gen. Blenkef's troops lay parallel on
the left of the road, and his men threw up
temporary works.
| Our brigade was up at 3 a. ~, Saturday,
July 81, and on the road to Bull Run field
That day seemed as if we were on Wild
goose chase commands being split up, sent
here and there, not knowing the location of
our troops; tangled up in the woods and
crossroads, fighting independently; but our
thoughts were On TO Rchmond!D and up
| to D. m it seemed we would soon be driv-
| ing the Confederates on to Richmond.
But we had to fall back to Centerville, and
| from there on to Germantown. The road WAS
strewn with abandoned wagons, etc., as the
drivers and others had cut the horses loose
and seooted for Washington.
On July % about 2 pm, the Cd Conn
/ formed hollow square on their old camp
beside Taylor's Tavern, Falls Church, and
stood in a heavy rainstorm until night, await
| ing the coming OF the Black Hoss or any
other Confederate cavalry.
During this time our camp equipage was
forwarded to Washington, and the night of
July % the I'd Conn. stopped at tle aban-
doned camp of the Ohio troops some miles
from Falls Church, and on the road to Wash
| ington. The 23d-our regiment-sent in the
camp equipage of the Ohio regiment and
marched to Fort Corcoran and stopped "a day,
then TO Washington to a camp alongside the
7th Pa. Reserves. X. PILKINGToN. Ser
geant Co. II, I'd Conn.,, West Newbury
| Mass.
Now is the best time of the whole year to purify
your blood. Take Hoods sarsaparilIa.
sheridan's Absence mt Winchester.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Will you