The record-union., 1897-08-15
VISIT TO BULL RUN.
PRESENT APPEARANCE OF THE
FAMOUS BATTLEFIELD.
The Country Has Changed But
Little Since the Opening
of the War.


Iscription of recent visit to the historic
on a Sunday and he says it was very
much such Sunday as when Mcdowell
came to Bull Run, July II, 1861. The
corn was tasseling in some fields, and at
least waist high in ALL as it is now. The
wheat was in the shock. The oats had
been Graded. Marching along the Vir-
ginia pixies, the Northern invaders
passed the fringe of hills south of the
Potomac. They came to an undulating
country. AS they reached successive
SUBMITS of the gradual rises they
looked forward upon stretches of country
divided into squares OF woodland, corn
fields, meadows and small grain stub
BILE. At the bottom of every descent
was a stream of pure spring water wrig-
Cling to the eastward to find its way to
the Potomac. At the top of every
ridge the soil was thin, the powders
were in sight, and the suggestion of a
semi-mountainous region was impressed
by the fires, as well as by the excess of
rock.
The country has changed but little,
the inhabitants say. There are about
the same divisions of woods and titled
fields that there were then. The roads
are where they were. On the pixies can
be seen to-day some of the close cobble-
stone paving that was done with slave
labor and was in use thirty-six years
ago. To-day the farmer of Fairfax and
Loudon and Prince William doesn't
wreck the springs of his top buggy on
that pavement He drives in the dirt
road beside it.
State militia from New York, batteries
from the regular army, battalions of
United States cavalry, marines from the
navy yard, Fire Zouaves from New York
City, volunteers from all of the New
England States and New York, single
regiment from Michigan, one from Wis
consin, one from Minnesota and two
from Ohio marched down upon that field
where Beauregard was waiting to fight
the first battle of the war. The ten
brigades had been the best part of the
week getting out of Washington and
| following the pixies to Bull Run, and, if
not stopped, intended to continue ION
TO Richmond" They had been hastily
mobilized Their uniforms were as
many colored as Jacobs coat. Their
commander, Mcdowell was only Bri-
gadier. William T. Sherman destined
to become famous, was a Colonel in
charge of a brigade. Howard, who has
just retired as a Major General, held a
position as Colonel, as did also Robert
| c. Schenk, who was afterward Minister
to England, William B. Franklin, of Sol
diers' Home management, Ambrose E.
Burnside Samuel P. HeintZleman and
Orlando B. Wilcox.
1t was motley army that came upon
the fields of Bull Run from the North.
1t was composed of soldiers who ex-
pected to end the war in so days and get
back to the offices and shops and stores
and farms after a summers campaign
ing. Assembling along the south side
of Bull Run to meet the mixture OF
regulars and militia and marines and
volunteers was the provisional army
of the Confederate States, arrayed in
even greater variety of clothing, for
many of the organizations were without
uniforms, and those which bore the sem
| blance of real soldiery were in the garh
of the militia of their respective states
Two days before the battle Beaure-
guard, to distinguish his men from the
northern troops, found it necessary to
issue such an order as this:
After midnight tonight the red fam
mel scarf badge will hereafter be worn
as a cravat or scarf by all to whom
it has been issued. The enemy has
resorted to this badge and to-day is
wearing it around the left arm. New
ertheless. 1T is enjoined on brigade, reg
mental and company commanders tC
impress on the men the necessity fol
the greatest circumspection and self
command, so as to avoid firing or
friends wearing the armed badge by
mistake, or from ignorance of thi:
| change. Certainly should be sough
| for by all possible precautions before
| firing his gun"
Just before midnight the Confederate
commander concluded that the rec
badge would not answer the purpose!
| of Identification. He issued another
order to this effect:
From and after this date all order:
providing badges are revoked, and TX
badge will be worn until otherwise
specially ordered from these headquar
ters Instead of which a signal of rec
ognftion will be the raising of tht
right or left hand as high as the ha
or cap rim-the palm to the front
or a watch word issued daily when re
| quired. Watchword for the 20th O
| July, 1861, Our homes"
! When, at a few minutes past ; thai
| Sunday morning, the opening gun wa!
fired by the Northern army, both side'
knew ALL about the theory of war. Beau
I ID.
Run which did great credit to his judg
| ment, as the civilian riding down tht
| pike from Centerviue toward WarreI
can see to-day. The way is down hill
to the stone bridge. Then comes a fla
| of a few hundred yards and the hill
rise rather abruptly. There are woOC
| lots to conceal real strength and opel
| folds to permit the deploying of consid
| cradle bodies. From the hills the Con
| federates could look toward Center
Vile and see the Union brigades NOV
| ing toward them with tF1e worst par
| Of Buu Run tc cross before the battl
! became hot. But after the openin:
gun, which was answered all along TIL
! front, the brigade.s didn't advance t,
| cross Bull Run where Beauregard eX
pected and where he was prepared t
/ welcome them with bloody hands Il
| hospitable graves. They halted at tn
stone bridge and the foris farther to
ward the Confederate right and began
to move with great column across Bul
Run higher up, at Sudiey's Mill The.
came down toward Beauregard by
road which brought them against hi
| left and rear. It was a case of flank
ing which the science of war could no
have improved upon The Confederate
commander was forced to swing bacl
/ his left wing from its fine front atont