The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-03

WY were anything nut quiet ncldS-
on the occasion of my first visit
We rode to many familiar and his
lorlc pointS-to the Henry House. the
stone House. to Douglas IIili Sudlry
springs. out on the Warrenton Pike
10 Croveton., near which the three
ever be known as the battle of Gaines
NlIle was Fought, August IS 1859. to
the memorable railroad cut which an
swcrcd for hrcaStwork behind which
the ctnfedcrates killed and wounded
thousands of Union men in their re-
P tr charges: to Bull Run and a hin
Town VI CcHtreville, To which The
Cnion forces retrcatcd after their de-
ieat on the 30th. not to mention other
places Of historical Importance.
SO much has been written about all
OF thesc enumerated points OF interest
that | shall not specialize in speaking
Oh OK them; nor shall 40 into a de-
or series OF battles, for there were
three on those fields that evcntiul
Week in the long ago. as there were
ehree battles at Gettysburg less than
q year afterward. Numerous histories
thousands of magazine and newspaper
articles have gone into details in their
descriptions. and yet a brief refer
eHce VIII be made to the opening and
closing tragedics-those of August Is
and August 30.
-. We'll toward the close of august IS.
Wnlle General John Gibbons Western
Brigade of General Rufus Kings Dl-
vision. McDowells Corps. WAS swing.
lhS along on the Warrenton Pike not
i., from Groveton. on the way. as was
supposed. TO Ccntrcville. II came 10
an abrupt halt for cause y battery
81 tnc confederate General J. l.. Il.
Stuarts dying artillery swept to a
Went into position and began to she'll
me brigade. That was tho first in
t'na the brigade had that the road
10 Centrevile. four or 1--WE miles away.
- Ia
one regiment of Gibbons Brigade. The
second Wisconsin. had been in battle
rul 1he -four regiments instanti5'
formed and were engaged; both forces
Union and Confederate--fghtin in
me me open at close range. and They
fought both sides. until dark. Cen
OF the battle. said that the fEnting
was the most stubborn of the war
General Gibbons four regiments. three
from Wisconsin and one from Indiana
with Battery b. Fourth United states
;Arullery assisted part OF the time
~ Two regiments OF General -Abner
Douoieday's Brigade. fought eighteen
regiments and several batteries OF
StonewaN Jackson's Corps. as good
soldiers as either army possessed at
any time during the four tragic years
of awful Civil War.
The cost to both sides in that eve
hlnE battle was great. Gibbons Bri-
gade lost in killed and wounded 900 of
ne ne 200 engaged, including most OF
colonies was killed and the other four
We're wounded. 1t was in that battle
c :nai the Confederate Lieutenant-Geu
ei"i iSWoll, one of Jackson's division
commanders, lost leg. Another dl-
vision commander. Taliaferro, was
M0unded' one brigade general was
hhiiIed, two wounded and nine field Of
ncers killed or wounded. In the rank
anu file Jackson's loss was 1900
~ was a drawn battle. That night
GiDoon'S Brigade, with the rest of
Is lft-ls
reaching there less than twenty-four
hours from Jackson's departure from
that point after destroying rations
ana property of the Union army to
iars. burning railroad trains and tear
ing up the tracks. when he set out on
mis- eight-mile march. some OF which
was forced, to meet the advancing
mon army. a brigade of which he
met at Gainesville. TO which reference
mas been made.
life-eNactinG. flesh mangling series OF
tragedies began at what is known as
The Second Battle OF Bull Run. a por-
lion OF which was fought on the fields
more than year before
In passing, pride If not desire for
statement of the facts of history.
impels me to say that ten months la
ter, lacking two days. the same Vest
efn Brigade, General John Gibbons
former command, for he was then the
commander of division in the Second
Corps. opened the battle of Gcttys-
burg after General John Buford's cav.
AIRY had uncovered the oncominC Con-
iederatcs under the leadership OF
Lieutenant-General A. T. hin, the
peerless soldier, who gave his life at
petersburg, Va, April ,. 1865. Isn't
me fact worthy of mention in this
connection? The fact that to that
W estern Brigade must be given credit
lor opening two OF the greatest bat
Ties ever fought on this continent?
me closing tragedy OF Second Bull
Throughout the 2eth and 3oth there
was hard lighting, nearly all of The
troops on both sides, about 10000
men having been placed in the firing
lines. The afternoon OF the 3Oth be-
gan with much uncertainty as to the
outcome. but as evening approached
the fierce and repeated charges of the
Con liederates Broke the Union lines.
ana the retreat in the main an order
~ and dogged one, TO Centreville ana
from there to opposite Washington. be-
gan. II was then that the late Cen
ert E was directed by General
Lonsstrect to mass the artillery of
MS corps on "A hin and open upon the
departing Fcderals. Who that heard
those laundering volieys Of manv
hcaNy guns can forget them so long
as anything can be remembered? And
VINO can forget the unpleasantness
those terrible volicys added TO that
wholly unpleasant march on Centre
VILE and shelter?
In spite Of promise to leave out
details, ind that probably too many
nave crept in. But let any one WIN
was in that campaign so back to the
historic battlehclds and see for him
sell how hard 1t viii he to write of
the visit without piling up details.
TINS explanation is in no sense an
apology.
What, among all of the Impressions
resulting from last weeks revisit To
the Bull Run fields took the strong
est hold and is likely to prove the
most abiding?
noted not the recalling of the OPEN
ing ana closing events: the abrupt
elevations and DrS~ty valleys; not the
patches OF forest to the right and the
left-not any of all OF these. but the
thoughts that at first were unwelcomc
guests, but later were less unwel-
COmN. Whit rrn a.,