The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-16
BATTLE OF MANASSAS
DESCRIBED BY PRIVATE
Past Senior Commander Chief of Grand Army
OF the Republic, Who Was in 18th Illinois Cav
airy, Gives Northern Version of Encounter.

John McElroy, past senior comman-
DER n-chlef of tho Grand Army of the
Republic. who was u private in the
Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry during the
war, described the battle of Bull Run
of 1851 for a reporter for the New
York Herald in these words:
After preliminary skirmishes the
Confcderates took up n position behind
the gorge at Bull Run, which is about
twenty eight miles from Washington
Their headquarters were at Manassas,
three miles in the rear of Bull Run.
The force at Manassas was under the
command of General G. T. BeaureEard
who had gained a national reputation
through tho reduction of Fort Sumter
Another Confederate force was sta
toned at Winchester, guarding the
Shenandoah Valley. 1t was under the
command of General Joseph Johnston
When 1t was decided by the Wash
ington authorities to move on to Rich
mond to prevent the meeting of the
Confederate Legislature. General Irwin
Mcdowell was put in command of a
movable force of about 1900 men and
was directed to advance on Manassas
junction. Another force of militia, un-
dor General Robert Patterson. of Penn
sylvania. was ordered to advance from
Harper's Ferry and keep General John
ston from reinforcing General Beaure-
gard
Hurriedly Thrown Together.
the force under General Mcdowell
could not be called an army 1t was
merely an aggregation. hastily formed
into regiments many of the men being
IN parade uniform An effort was made
TO organize them into brigades and di-
visions. but it was merely a nominal
ciassihcation, as there were no NAV
oeuVres by which the different unite
could become consolidated into a CO.
hesIve force. 'i''o CO.
mere was scarcely tho pretenca OF
S.an. army. division or brigade,
regiments did not know brigade and
knon. ~ onicers. and officers did not
know their regiments
Inc movement was ordered ~
On July 10, and went forward haltinrIv
many Oh the regiments not going across
ms river TO join their brigades mill
TWO or three days after the date ordar
ea' Mcdowell arrived at the height.
OK CentreVille. six or seven miles from
tn nr oat.ieheid. on July II, and his
ion rec, moved UP to s,oln him.
These forces were placed in ,d,,,.
aoIe FORM for battle, which. with or
6ahiZed troops. led by experienced con,
'handers would have been entirelv enc
cessful. ely sue
Fihoing by skirmish In the direction
81 hiackourn's Forge on July IS that
Oh oH5iy occupied the Steen
oahhS south of Bull Run, Mcdowell dc
termined to keep their attention occv-
Plea whlle he sent two divisions. under
.ieintzeiman and Hunter. on a wide
.uInihs movement to the right. These
iNisioHS were to cross Bull Run Soma
! '"o miies above where a stone bridge
I 1s the Warrenton Turnpike over
- Nun ihey were to come down
through the fields on the enemv,s ,oft
ana strike the rear OF the Confederate
nne along Bull Run bluffs
AS TINS movement progressed the
passase across Stone Bridge would be
uncovered and Tyler's division drive
inc Confederates back to and through
Hlanassas junction ana gain nossessio,,
OF the railroads.
onfcers ms Green MS Men
The movement was ordered 70 ho,in
at clock in the morning of Sunday
jury II. All manner OF difficuNtias
were encountered in the movement of
the new troops. especially as Il was
over unknown country. The officers
were as green as the men. There were
interferences between the different
marching columns occupying the road
ana the uncertainty was heightened bv
the lack of knowledge on the mart of
ne onicers as to what roads they
should take AllNthis greatly fatigued
the men, but they did amazingly well
al sucn raw material.
About 10 o'clock General Burnside
commanding the Rhode Island brigade
which led the advance of Heintze,man.s
diVision. came out of Sudley SPRING.
road INTO the open fields sloping down
TO 1oung's Branch. Beyond tbis
stream rose bluffs fifty feet high. on
which was the Henry house. which be-
came the centre OF the battlefield.
When Burnside's men came out In
demi- brigade commanded by Colonel
N G. Evans. formerly of the regular
army, who had been sent out for oh
servations. rBeauregard having eXpect-
ed that the main effort would be made
on the lct. the scene of the skirmish
at Blackburn's Forge three days be-
! fore.
"Beauregard remained so fixed in this
| idea that he could not be convinced
| that the real battle VS. In progress
| elsewhere. Evans put up stiff fight
| to arrest Burnside's advance and hold
| him In check while he warned Beaure-
gard. In the course of this fight Cen
eral Slocum. commanding tho Second
Rhode Island. was killed. and Burn
sides men were roughly handled.
The rest of Hunters division came
| on the field. followed by Heintzelman's
division. The Confederates we're push
ed back across Young's Branch and
from the open fields around the Henry
house. They retired to the edge of the
! pine woods beyond the field. and there
formed their limo of battle. which they
held most stubbornly under Generals
'StonewalP Jackson. Bee and Barlow
Starting the Mnin Fight.
Meanwhile General Johnston, with
soldiers instinct. left Patte.son's front
for the real tight. and arrived at Ma
nassas, accompanied by one brigade of
his command. Realizing that tho big
battle was being fought on the Henry
house plateau Johnston galloped there
with all haste. He was soon followed
by General BeaureGard. and troops
were brought up from Manassas TO
strengthen the line.
Against the constantly growing
force the Iininn re n innntc L.. La