The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-04-12
The First Great Battle.
BY w. IL. S. HARRIS.

the 2lst Of July, 1861, which wa.
the first great battle Of the late war
GenI u. R. Jones brigade was
composed of the 5th S. G. Volunteers
and the 18th and 18th Mississippi
regiments, these regiments were com.
posed of about one thousand men
each and were as a rule young, stout,
brave fellows who had enlisted at
the first call of the Confederacy for
troops. The brigade lay along the
southern banks of Bull Run creek,
on the extreme right of our army.
The great battle commenced in the
morning of the 21st July. Sunday,
which was q clear, hot day. The
battle was to our left near the stone
bridge and as the Yankees tried to
turn our left flank the battle NOV cd
farther from our brigade, and while
we had been expecting all the fore
noon to see the blue coats appear in
our front and We were really eager
for the fight, they did not come, and
in the evening our brigade was
ordered across Bull Run led by q
citizen of that community as guide,
we made circuitous march around
to the rear of the Yankee army and
finally we formed line Of battle and
made charge forward through some
woods and were soon in view of q
Ysnk camp and line of blue coats.
The enemy opened a heavy fire of
both shot and shell, but On the gal
liant old Fifth regiment went with u
yell with brave Micah Jenkins, its
colonel, leading the charge. Three
of our regiment were killed in the
charge, Tom Bunker Fowler, Of
Jonesville, was one of the killed.
rom SAID when he first enlisted and
left home that he would never get
back alive and when we started into
this fight he gave his pocket book to
J. G. Fernandis and told him he
would be killed and sure enough he
was killed. The first blood the
writer saw in the war was shed in
this charge. From some cause or
other Gen. Jones and the two Missis-
sippi Regiments got parted from the
9th S. G. Regiment and did not
keep in the charge but emerged from
under hill and being rather to our
left some distance in the rear mistook
the 5th regiment for Yankees and
fired q heavy volley into US and
wounded some of our men. Our
regiment made short halt and was
preparing to renew the charge and
plunge right into the Yankee lines,
which were only few hundred yards
away, and Gen. Jones ordered Col.
Jedkins to fall back and form on the
Mississippians, which command Col.
Jenkins obeyed very reluctantly for
he was eager to continue the charge
| and win the fight, which really had
already been won, for the Yankees
had already left the field and had
fled in disorder. The brigade was
ordered back to our same position on
Bull Run and the firing at Stone
bridge and Blackburn's ford, the
main battle ground, had ceased and
the great battle was over. The next
day Yankee battery of six guns
with a large camp Of tents and equip
age was found deserted and left stand
ing where the 5th regiment made it
gallant cearge, which was really tn
spoils Of the regiment but they neve
got them. History don't give tn
9Th regiment the credit it deserve
in the success of our armies in tha
great battle, for l claim that it wa
this flank movement and that charg
upon that Yankee division which wa
in the rear of their army that sen
the impression along their lines ths
the rebels, % they called US, had &C
} in their rear and cut them of fror
+ Washington and caused consterns
f ton and q general panic and
scramble for Washington and th
grand army of the republic copmsnt
ed by Generals SCOTT and Mcdowell
: never stopped till they crossed th
D Potomac and took shelter under th
0 gums of the Notifications around Il
capital. claim that the 5th Sou,
Carolina regiment commanded b
4 the gallant Colonel afterwards Gol
I eral} Micah jenkins shauld ha,
q credit for that Arst great victory, b.