Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-08-13
FATED FIELD OF MANASSAS.
OMNIBUS CoINcIDENcEs-DAwN OF THE GRAY
HERoIsM OF MARYLAND INFANTRY TOLD.

E1EROlSM OF MARYLAND INFANTRY lOLD.
The Irony of Fate" has given us another
example. The last child of the afflicted
family of that brilliant patriot and oracle
-vicarious sufferer-Jefferson Davis, died
July IS, in far-off western city, was
cremated July 20 and buried July Il an
niversaries of. respectively, (a) repulse of
Federals at Blackburn's Ford (Bull Run),
and beginning of the forced march of
Johnston's army of the Shenandoah from
Winchester to Manassas; (b) arrival of
General T. j. Jackson's brigade at destina-
nation; and (c) great victory in the battle
of Manassas-at Bull Run. All this
I'm eighteen hundred and sixty-one,
The year the cruel war begun"
The last brigade to arrive from the Val
ley of Virginia determined the fate of the
field of Manassas. The regiments were
the First Maryland, Col. Elzey; Third Ten
nessee, Col. Vaughan; Tenth Virginia,
Colonel Gibbons, and Thirteenth Virginia,
Colonel A. P. Hill, afterward Lieutenant
General. The Thirteenth Virginia was
marched away to the right. and was cha
grined over it. All were spelling for a
fight"
Detraining five miles from the point of
conflict. inspirited by the sounds from the
battle, General E. Kirby Smith, command
ing, hurriedly formed the First Maryland,
and promising to get us into the fight he
led us at double quick" over dusty road.
under blazing sun-Our threats parched,
eyes and nostrils filed with dust, suffering
from thirst and hunger-and it was said
we made the distance in three-quarters
of an hour. Fifteen minutes later might
have resulted in Jackson retiring his line.
Gen. j. E. Johnston accompanied General
Smith (mounted) from the railroad to the
battlefield
AS our column turned obliquely from the
road into an open field, the enemy-"a
cloud of skirmishers' encroaching upon
Jackson's left rear-opened brisk fire up
on us but, nothing daunting, the fighting
Marylanders were deployed into line on the
run and rushed upon the enemy in the woods.
Smith had fallen, but Elzey, Selling the
golden opportunity. Immediately moved us
forward, by the left, until we met brigade
of the enemy, posted on ridge, at point
blank range of few hundred yards. From
the skirt of woods, we opened fire upon
them, gave them the best we had in the
shop" and checked them until the Third
Tennessee arrived and aligned on our right :;
whereupon, the two regiments (sOme 1900
strOng), with an unceasing yell, charged
down the hill, into and across blind ditch
and up the opposite slope, at which point
the enemy broke and fled. The Tenth Vir-
ginia had already reached the field on our
left and joined in the charge. Moving to
the Henry House plateau. the First Mary
land halted at captured battery (Rick-
etts) and watched its fire upon the fleeing
foe.
Afterward President Davis, accompanied,
think, by Generals Johnston and Beau
regard, rode up to us, said to Colonel ElZey,
"Gener0I Elzey. congratulate you" and
lifted his hat to the regiment. General
Beauregard exclaimed, Hail. Elzey, Bluch-
er of the day" Ii was the supreme hour
of victory, with all of its sublimity. Fa-
tigued as we were, we followed the enemy,
and returning to the battlefield after night.
we dropped on the ground and slept like
logs.
The hardest, desperate fighting was done
by the troops Of Jackson, Bee, Evans,
Hampton and Pendleton's ID guns. The
main spring was Jackson--his genius of
battle and the valor of his brigade
According to historians, the Federal de-
feat was so crushing and humilating that
the Washington Government was paralyZed
And, what with ordinations and recrim-
nations, military operations in the East
ceased. Advices from Washington, Con
told of all of this, from day to day.
Next day, July %. when in heavy
rain, cooking five days ratiOns for pro.
missed advance. with delightful thoughts OF
marching home, we learned how badly
whipped the enemy was. and the follow
ind day, marching to Fairfax Court House
we witnessed evidences of his flight and
decentralization. Stuart's cavalry in adj
vance, Elzey's brigade in support, with the
First Maryland. going into camp at the
Court House.
On this field of First Manassas not only
did jackson earn his sobriquet, "Stonewall'
(from General Bee, who was very soon
afterward killed. but here Beauregard con-
demned the stars and bars as battle-fiae
and himself invented the ensanguined
Confederate tle-fag-St.An cross
blue. with stars on red field-typica
of crucifixiOn and blood Moreover, Beaure-
gard was a Catholic.
Manifestly the fate of the South was
sealed at First Manassas. We were told
that there, face to face. StOnewall Jackson
said, "Mr. President, with 10000 such men
| can take Washington T. Jackson did say
it. Davis was willing, but yielded to John
ston and Beauregard. II is history, that
Johnston said, I'VE cannot cross river a
mile wide and eighteen feet deep" Beau
REGARD insisted that the enemy was too
strongly fortified. Mark the contrast be-
tween jackson and the other three. jointly
AS a field General, Jackson lowered above
regiment of such Supporters"
The day after the battle, added to per-
haps 10000 infantry and artillery. 5000
cavalry were assembled on the field. More
over, 5000 captured rifles would arm an
other brigade OF volunteers awaiting
taken |also 20 pieces of field artillery,
with many horses and harness.
Had President Davis, with his exalted
soldier record and prestige, hearkened to
jackson and disdained the Fabianism of
Johnston and Beauregard, assumed COM
mand-the cavalry in front, under Stuart,
Ashby and Ransom the victorious brig
AIDES Of Jackson, Kirby, Smith and Bee in
the advance, under jackson, Of Virginia.
and Elzey, of Maryland 0Bee and Smith
having falIen)-a rapid forward move
ment via Seneca ford of the Potomac and
the Yankee army would have been taken
in the flank, ION the hy"-in "Stonewall
Jackson's Way" Washington would have
fallen, foreign recognition and peace as
sured, with the proud record that was justly
due the South.
InverseIy, however, had all this within
our grasp happened, the world would not
have known the mettle and caliber of the
Southern armies and people, tested in the
crucible of war, conquest. subjugation, des-
potism, ostracism and, worse and more
vicious than all else, racial equalization
and amalgamati0n.
The cet-patriot, James r. Randall, was
wont to say: THE Almighty and Jefferson
Davis caused the downfall Of the Confed-
eracy." which only anticipated the grow
ing concensus Of opinion in the Southland.
In our life and death struggle for every
thing dear to us, Military Dictatorship
should have ruled and not the Richmond
Government General Lee. for example,