Unday's work — destruction of Scott's
regular army.
‘"Send me good troops, not volunteers."’--There were the words of General Scott to the Government, during his unlucky wars in Florida; and this was the sentiment on which he acted in preparing for the great encounter with the South on Sunday last.
He had collected at Washington all the troops of the regular army on the east of the Rocky Mountains.
The forces from Jefferson Barracks and from St. Louis, with which Gen Lyon had been hectoring for two months over the people of Missouri had been brought to the Potomac.
The three batteries of the regular army that had been sent to aid the column of Patterson in its projected march into the valley of Virginia — a march, however, which Patterson did not effect — had been brought down for the work of Sunday, by a cunning stroke of strategy.
The whole forces of regular troops that had been collecting by degrees in Washington since February last, had been marshalled for this special service. All had been crossed over the Potomac and formed into the advancing column which was to precipitate itself upon our left flank on Bull's Run, and enforce success by an irresistible coup de main. In the column of thirty-five thousand men which charged upon Johnston's division, not less than ten thousand were thoroughly trained soldiers of the regular army, including all the finest batteries of the Federal service, which had been diligently brought together from long distances for the special work of this important day. It was an army of those ‘"good soldiers,"’ with which Gen. Scott delights to fight, and whom he is in the habit of thinking invincible against volunteers, that the little band of Southern troops who never were under fire before, literally beat to death on Sunday. Our brave Southern volunteers not only whipped their own number of Yankee troops, but they whipped in addition, ten thousand forces of the regular United States Army. The fifteen thousand men under Johnston beat thirty-five thousand of the enemy, including the best regiments and the crack batteries of the regular army of the United States. It is the fact that this latter forces was encountered, which explains the terrific mortality that our column suffered. The day's work cost us dear; but it is a performance that makes an everlasting record for Southern prowess, as compared with Northern instability and inefficiency in the field.
The fight, too, was in open field and in fair encounter. The enemy, recollecting his unpleasant experiences of Thursday, avoided our strong works opposite Centreville, on Bull's Run, and endeavored to outflank Johnston's division, which were posted higher up the stream, under the protection of strong works at the Stone Bridge. To meet and defeat this flanking movement, Johnston marched out from his position at the Stone Bridge, advanced a considerable distance to the front, and met the enemy before he had made any progress in his flanking movement. Meantime feints were kept up in the most active manner against our right flank and our centre. But the heavy onset throughout the day was continued against our left flank; and on that side the main battle was fought.--For seven hours did Johnston make good his resistance against more than double his numbers, composed in part of the flower of the regular Federal army. Terrific as was his loss, he still held his advanced position, and was still maintaining a successful encounter with his adversary, when, about four o'clock, Gen. Davis, finding the attack elsewhere upon our lines to be little more than a feint, advanced the centre to the support of Johnston, and decided the fortune of the day.
It would be idle to attempt to apportion the credit of the day among our able and consummate Generals. The first praise is due to Gen. Beauregard, who planned the defence, and prepared so admirably and completely the fortune that was won. Each division of our gallant army did its duty, its whole duty, without faultier or default. The plan of battle chosen by the enemy forced the heavy fighting upon Gen. Johnston's command, who met the danger and fought the good fight, as their country expected them to do. To say ‘"well done, brave and faithful soldiers,"’ is to give expression to the language of every heart and tongue. Every soldier and every officer did his duty, and henceforward, through all time, it will be the highest pride of every man in that gallant army to say that he was at Manassas on the 21st of July.
