Year: 1861




Gen. Lana, Spanish officer of distinction, gives
his impression of the "Grand Union Army in the
following letter to the Havana Diaris de "a Aariaa.


WASHINGTON, July 81. ls6l.-You will be surprin.
ed on seeing my letter dated from this city since
perhaps yOd supposed l 2as already IN Madrid. Il
would have been 50 had it not happened that
found. ON my arrival at New York, that the famous
steamship Great Eastern Was expected, = eircum
stance which crested in me hope of making my
trip 10 Liverpool in that colossus. In the meantime
in order TO make the most Of my time, visited
Saratoga, where learned the Of the battle AZ
Bulls Run. and since the Great Eastern does not
sail from Quebec till the 9th Of August felt curl
Osity to what WRs going on, now that these peO-
pie appear TO be fighting IN earnest and at one
bound planted myself IN the capital of the old
Union.


Her Catholic Majesty's Minister Sr. Tassara, re-
eeVed me very well, and did everything in his
power to post me ~ fully possible in regard to
the military and political state of tins country from
which information believe have formed q sufh
GENTLY accurate idea of the actual situGtion, al
though hereabOuts they silent As the dead on
certain matters, and have very little news Of what
il taking place On the other side Of the Potomac.


Ii u necessary this place TO be convinced Of
what ia occurring and 90 form idea Of what kind
Of affair army is composed Of men without any
military habits, and led by officers chief and gen
eFals-Who are for the most part devoid of the





rial in the transportation department, such a.
wagons gun carriages, ambulances, ke., &c, which
is magnificent, all else is confusion Of " cad men,
t0aOA any military instruction, and, loG iS toOrse,
tetkodtyiRg to acquire It. according to appearances,
since during the time remained there | have seen
them pass days and nights in the camp without do
ing anything, with the exception Of battalion drill
for & short time in the morning and again In the
evening. As far as l have been able 70 observe
they have large fields fer maneeuVring or target
exercises, which surprises me, since know the
fOndness they have tor il in this country Nothing
impresses you that there il seventy Thousand men
in the negbbOrhoOd preparing for war. Silence and
tranquility reign IN the city and camps, neither
more nor less than If everything we're in = normal
state.


For all have searched, have not succeeded in
finding either cavalry artillery. True, the latter
they abndOned on the Ball run field Of battle, and
the former they bSVe never had except in compsra
lively ink gf1cient numbers. What they have IL
drauRht cattle such as | never have seen anywhere;
the harness and gun carriagers are magnificent all
bran new since they lost those they previously had
in the battle, and that too, in great numbers, IS
every one says.


To-day saw more than thousand most beauti-
full mules good the best which are bred in the
pastures Of La Mancha New CAstle.) All Of them
were destined for draught service in the army; they
had Just come from Kentucky. Certainly all that
money can procure is had here in abundance; but
there are things which cannot be imprOvised.
Hence it is that according to my opinion, these gen.
try will be beaten as often they go into battle,
at least for the present.


Nothing Of all that is said by the Southern papers
on the result of the battle is exaggerated Here it
is known perfectly well that the Federslists, be-
sides having dlOdy heller seter lost about l9 900
muskets seventy odd cannon o. all their wagons
and provisions, field tram, tents and great part of
their knapsecks. It is only necessary TO take peep
at an encAmpment to notice that not Que Of these
latter is to be seen. The soldiers cloth
ing nor uniform than what we understand by bar
racks dress and their clothes are so clusily worn
dirty and motley, that it is necessary to be
leVe. Boards and long hair are also very much 10
fashion. | wonder If they imagine the enemy will
be frightened by showing them dishevelled heads
and dirty, hairy faces | would require to write
many pages to relate some out Of the much which
is seen about here in these days Of the remarkable
and strange. But can neither spare sufficient time
for that nor would you have the patience TO read it


By the time you receive this letter, IL is very
probable the scene may have been transferred more
to the Woodward. IbelsUe. if the SOadhsTnerS dUdi
themselves duly Of time and circumstances, they loii
Uerg soon Obge their enemies 20 eUdclsds HGrperS Fer
ry offer battle to the corps of Federal troops marching


through Western Virginia, and also present henlsslUsi
at Baltimore, threatening the troops IN possession there
In that case the army which is here encamped viii
have to retire to Philadelphis, and then Virginii
and Maryland will remain in the power of thI
Southern Confederates. | am thoroughly convinced
that this mast happen very soon.