The battle of Manassas.
Highly interesting Narratives — gallant conduct of officers and men — scenes and incidents — the Eighth Georgia Regiment--North Carolina State troops, &c., &c.,
Although more than a week has passed since the great battle of Manassas, and the public has daily been furnished with narratives of deeds done on that bloody field, there yet remains much to be told, and we have spared no efforts to procure from the most reliable sources, such records of the event as will not only interest the reader, but serve as a guide to the historian who shall hereafter embody the incidents of the Revolution of 1860, -'61.
The following statement was prepared by a distinguished officer, who bore a conspicuous part on the field of battle, on the 21st of July:
The battle of Manassas.
--It may not be unacceptable to your readers to learn something of the battle of Manassas from an eye-witness who had better opportunities of observation perhaps, than any one else. The first gun fired by the enemy was at five minutes past six in the morning, batteries opening against our centre as a feint to conceal the movement against our left. A short time afterwards Gen. Johnston and Gen. Beauregard, with their staff, rode off to the nearest point of elevation and observation convenient to the centre, and there awaited developments, whilst the iron hail whirled around and over them. A singular misconception seems to pervade the public mind which has not yet been corrected that Gen. Beauregard fought the battle and that Gen. Johnston yielded to preconceived plans. Whilst according to Gen. Beauregard all the merit to which he is entitled, and there does not live a more gallant gentleman and officer, nor one for whom I have a higher admiration as a General, it is due to Gen. Johnston to say, that he planned the battle. Pre-eminently a modest man, General Johnston, perhaps, would never claim the high honor, which is his due, and, therefore, it devolves upon his friends to portray the man. Without such a General, the Republic would no longer flourish so greenly, for reverses would have showered upon our arms, and despondency would wreathe our faces instead of the bright gleams of hope. Essentially a man of judgment, Gen. Johnston has never risked during the campaign any battle where our chances were not good. Though our men murmured vastly when ordered to go backward from Harper's Ferry, from Banker's Hill, from Darksville, and from Winchester, no one can now dare to dispute the sagacity which planned all the movements. To have risked a battle by attacking superior numbers, entailing defeat upon us, would doubtless have crushed our proud Republic in its inception. When Gen. Johnston, (who has always been in correspondence with Gen. Beauregard in regard to the junction of their armies, and who for weeks Gas — also pointed out to the President the absolute necessity of such a movement,) received orders to form the junction, it came at a fortunate moment, when Patterson had moved to Charleston, 24 miles distant, and had placed it out of his power to attack as in the rear. Only 10,000 of our column arrived in time for the battle, but they ware enough.To return, however, to the battle, our line was extended over a distance of eight miles, in a position nearly assimilating to a semicircle. On Saturday night Gen. Johnston assumed command, and nearly the entire night was consumed by the staff of both Generals in writing orders to the different brigades to prepare for a forward movement in the morning. General Beauregard's plans were to be carried out in a great measure, and the rout of the enemy would have been more signal, and doubtless Washington would now be in our possession, if our attack had not been converted into a defence by the movements of the enemy. We intended to move about eight o'clock, and they commenced their attack before our movement could be made. From a letter written by one of the enemy, dated July 20, nine P. M., and afterwards found by the writer, their position was taken and movements commenced at that hour. Our Generals waited patiently upon the knoll which I have designated; but the same cannot be said of your humble servant or the other gentlemen around about — until finally the rattle of musketry upon our extreme left betokened that "somebody was getting hurt."
To understand the battle, you must know that our line was faced towards Bull Run and immediately back of it, defending the various fords. By turning our flank, the line of battle was changed to a direction perpendicular to the one which we had assumed, and commencing at our left extended back for a mile and a quarter. When the musketry betrayed the "cat in the meal tub," away went the Generals and their Staff, flying upon the wings of the wind to reach the scene of action, distant fully three miles. The country was a rolling one, thickly interspersed with pine thickets, and the battle ground was an open valley with a hill upon each side, rising some 100 feet above the low ground, and distant from each other about 600 yards. The struggle was an alternate movement of regiments. When the head of McDowell's column reached Sudley's spring, (a ford much higher up than it was anticipated they would cross, as the Stone Bridge was the point we were defending upon the extreme left,) quietly they sneaked along, getting in behind us, until discovered, I believe, by General Evans' Brigade, who opened fire upon them. Then, in quick succession, the enemy's regiments deployed in line to their right, whilst ours came up upon our left. The engagement grew hot and heavy. Their column numbered 25,000, whilst we could only oppose them at the beginning with about 8,000. Slowly but surely the heavy column kept on in its march, pressing our line back by the weight of numbers, and moving on in the settled purpose of turning our flank and attacking us in the rear. Gallantly however, did our army struggle for the right, and despite of odds, regiment after regiment threw itself in the way, disputing the ground, inch by inch, regardless of the fact that its predecessors had been cut to pieces or dispersed. A battery harassing our lines, the 8th Georgia Regiment was ordered to take it, and right well did they do so; but a myriad of Yankees seemed to rise up, who had been hitherto concealed, and pouring in their fire upon our column, it seemed to melt away like snow beneath a summer's sun. Col. Gardner was here shot down and was taken prisoner, but afterwards retaken by our men later in the day.
The 8th, compelled to retreat with nearly half its number wounded or killed, the attack of the enemy was met by the Brigade of Gen. Bee, composed of Mississippians and Alabamians, and one regiment, I think, of Tennesseans. Later in the day, Col. Bartow was shot near this spot, whilst leading on the 7th Georgia Regiment, commanded by Col. Gartrell Gen. Bee's Brigade could not withstand the fierce tornado of shot and shell sweeping through its ranks, and slowly retired, fighting bravely all the time. The 4th Alabama Regiment suffered terribly, all of its field officers being shot down, and two (Col. Jones and Major Scott) left upon the field. --Col. Jones was captured, but afterwards retaken during the rout. Falling back upon the position taken by Hampton's Legion, whose prowess can clearly be shown by the heaps of dead in front of their line, a momentary check was thrown in the enemy's approach.
They had now retreated to the brow of the hill, where the brigade of Gen. Jackson was lying perdu, and this was the most critical point of the day. Fighting for hours under a not sun, without a drop of water near, the conduct of our men could not be excelled; but human endurance has its bounds, and all seemed about to be lost. Our reserves were yet miles distant from the scene of action, whilst the enemy's reserve kept pressing on. From the knoll near the Lewis House, the two Generals had remained anxious spectators of the conflict; but the time had come for action, and plunging their spurs into the quick-foote steeds, away went the Generals and their staff right into the thickest of the fight. Coming up first to the Alabamians, who were without a field officer Gen. Johnston placed the color-bearer by his horse's side and moved on — each and all of the staff, with the Generals, vising with each other in words of encouragement to the men to come on.--And well timed was this movement.--Already our line upon the hill top was giving way, but incited to fresh deeds of heroism by the appearance in their midst of our Generals, apparently bringing up reinforcements, they pitched into the fray with redoubled ardor, and from that time we yielded not an inch of ground. Gen. Beauregard riding over to the left took charge of operations there, displaying his reckless bravery by riding everywhere in the face of the enemy's fire, and having his horse killed beneath him, fortunately escaping uninjured himself. The tide of battle thus checked, away went Gen. Johnston's staff, to hurry up the reserves and assign them to proper positions. The first were met two miles back, covered with dust and coming at a double quick. On they went plunging into the midst of the fray, and the sunshine of certainty did not gleam from beneath the murky clouds until Gen. Kirby Smith arrived with a portion of his division upon the ground. Coming from Winchester, he heard the roar of battle, and without waiting for orders he at once disembarked his men, Col. Elzey's Brigade, and marched hurriedly to our assistance. Col. Kershaw's and Col. Oash's regiments arrived upon the ground at the same moment, and with those four thousand men General Smith promptly took the extreme left and turned the tide of battle.
The enemy had so far turned our flank as to have gotten entirely behind us, and nearly 4,000 were marching up to attack us in the rear; seeing this, Gen. Smith, determined to cut them off, and would have done so, but for his misfortune in being shot through the neck with a grape shot just as Col. Kershaw was within twenty yards of him for the purpose of receiving orders. His plan of cutting them off was, consequently, not carried out, and they were enabled to rejoin the main body, hotly pursued by our men. Gen. Jackson's Brigade had been lying for hours sustaining with unflinching courage a most terrific fire. The General had his horse shot under him. and a finger of the left hand shot off, but cool as a cucumber he still urged his "boys" to be "steady," and steady they were when they charged and butchered the Fire Zouaves and other regiments right and left. The General has a way of holding his head up very straight, and his almost invariable response to any remark, is "very well," whilst his chin seems trying to get up towards the top of his head. The writer remembers, in the midst of the fight, to have seen the General rallying his men, whilst his chin seemed to stick out further, and his "very wells" seemed to sound more euphoniously than ever, and when the writer wished to pour a little whiskey upon the shattered finger, he was told that it was "of no consequence," and away went the General with a battery following him to take position in some advantageous spot. If any one was ever entitled to a soubriquet, the General certainly deserves that of cool.
An incident connected with this battle is worth mentioning. A young gentleman from Kentucky, 20 years of age, named Thomas G. Duncan, was very desirous of being in the fight, so by request of the writer, he was placed alongside of Capt. Trigg, of the Montgomery Fencibles. Tom received a good Minnie musket and went for his ammunition, but expressed doubts after receiving it whether he and enough. Upon inquiry, after ascertaining that he had only 60 rounds, the writer told him to quit shooting after he had exhausted that amount. After laying exposed to the enemy's fire for a long time, this regiment, (Col. James L. Preston's) was ordered to charge the Fire Zonaves, and well they did it. Tom in the front rank leading, was the first man shot. A few minutes later, the writer met Tom going to the rear with a Minnie ball through his shoulder, and the great source of dissatisfaction uppermost in his mind, was that he had been shot whilst charging bayonets, and had not been allowed time to fire a single one of his balls. It was really too bad.
This regiment of Col. Preston's behaved admirably, as its long list of killed and wounded will testify; but it would be invidious to praise any portion of an army to the exclusion of others, where all did so well. It is worthy of mention, that in all the vicissitudes of the battle the enemy at no time tool one of our pieces of artillery, and they thundered away all the time, doing great execution and carrying dismay into the hearts of the Yankees.
The scene of carnage was beyond description. Here a pile of dead and dying men; there struggling, crippled horses; and over the surface of the hitherto peaceful fields the surging, angry waves of battle still adding its victims to the long list. Our light artillery batteries seem to have been more than a match for the rifled cannon at the short distance, for our guns would be fired three or four times to their once. But it must be admitted that some of their batteries were fired with the precision, almost, of a rifle at one hundred yards distance. During the retreat, a single gun was planted in the skirt of a wood, a mile distant from one of our guns, which was firing shell into the retreating column. Bang! went their first gun, and the shell exploded about twenty feet beyond ours, and directly in a line over it. The second shell was thrown about three feet farther, and instead of moving our gun a few steps, the artillerists kept firing in the same position. Being only thirty yards distant, the attention of the writer had been drawn to this precision, when bang! came the third gun, taking off the head of the officer in command of our gun. Then our piece was rapidly moved to another position, but too late to save the life of a gallant officer.
There was a constant struggle during the day over the enemy's batteries. Time and again were they captured by our men, and very often retaken by the enemy. The most excited creature on the battle field was the Rev. Mr. Repetto, Captain of the Page County (Va.) Grays, who claimed the honor of taking Rickett's (Sherman's) Battery. Of his whole company, nearly 100 strong, he had only 18 uninjured. Another of our Reverends, Col. Pendleton, a graduate of West Point, a resident of Lexington, Virginia, and an Episcopalian Minister, was quite busy during the day, and doubtless did more than any one else to check the advancing enemy. The inquiry among the prisoners was very general "who the Devil commanded that battery on the left, that killed so many of our men? " Our reply was, that it was a Saint, named Pendleton.
About five o'clock our anxious minds were relieved by the cessation of cannonading from their side, whilst upon ours the thunders still rolled out long and loud. Then we knew we had them. A long line of dust towards Centreville proclaimed that the stripes had been plenteously administered to the proteges of Lincoln, and the "Stars and Bars" waved triumphant over the field. A long line of fugitives defiled across the fields, and the cavalry were ordered to pursue. The history of that pursuit upon our part could well be written in words of blood, for more men were killed then and there than had fallen in the battle. Our infantry hurried on as rapidly as possible, whilst our batteries gave a parting "fire in the rear" It was " sauve qui peut"--"devil take the hindmost" --and knapsacks, guns, everything that incommode a speedy flight were gotten rid of as quickly as possible. The amount of plunder strewn upon the road is almost incredible. --The quantity of arms taken it is hard to get at, as many of them are in the hands of those who first took them. For instance, one company of Virginia troops, in returning from the pursuit, captured enough Minnie muskets to arm the whole command--80 strong. It is estimated, however, that 12,000 small arms will be added to our stock of ordnance. Enough powder was taken to supply the army for another big battle, and 63 pieces of artillery, with the caissons full of projectiles, which will be returned shortly with our compliments, to their former masters. Many hundreds of our brave boys now sport splendid blue overcoats, the owners of which didn't have time to call for them.
There is no earthly doubt that our army was overcome several times between twelve and three, and that the bulletins sent by the enemy are in the main correct; but alas! "the best laid plans of men and mice aft gang agree"--and in this instance, verily, was there a great "slip between the cup and the lip." With all their preparations made, their "grand army," complete in every department, it is too bad that destruction should come upon them when victory seemed perching upon their standard. And they cannot lay the blame this time upon those "infernal masked batteries." They chose their own ground and we met them in the open field with no other entrenchments but bright steel bayonets above our brave-hearted soldiers. The whole plan of attack had been mapped out, as was shown by a splendid map of the entire country, which the writer received from Col. Wilcox, of Michigan, commanding the Second Brigade. Upon that map, which had been drawn up by order of the War Department from the coast survey records, showing the topography of the country from Washington to Manassas, it was evident that the plan of action had been mapped out by old Scott. At Sudley Springs, where the crossing was made, three columns indicated that the crossing was to be made there. The number of men actually engaged upon our side was 18,000, though some think it was less. The number engaged upon the other side, taken from the admissions of captured officers, was about 37,000. What was the secret of our success, against such odds? The enemy fought bravely. There can be but one opinion about that, and forced our lines back more than half a mile. Our success can alone be attributed, (beyond that which Divine Providence acceded to us,) to the dauntless bull dog courage of our men. They would not quit fighting. Said one of the Lincoln officers-- "What sort of men are you's? We broke your Regiments all to pieces and yet we didn't whip you." And so it was, Scattered as they were, every man went to fighting on his own hook, and you could have shook a thousand at any time out of the pine thickets, who didn't know where their companies were, but kept loading and blazing away. From these scattered fragments of companies General Johnston gathered several hundred, and requested Col. Thomas to take them to a position, which he indicated a short distance off. It was in performing this service that this gallant gentleman fell pierced to the heart.
The artillery captured upon the field had splendid horses attached to them, caparisoned in the best style. Sixty-two of them were brought in together the next morning. In the rout, however, the artillerists to save themselves from that devil, Col. Stuart, of our Cavalry, cut loose the horses and left the cannon in the road.
The mortality was immense upon both sides. Upon ours, the returns will show about six hundred killed, and twenty-five hundred wounded. Upon theirs, about fifteen hundred left dead, and forty-five hundred wounded.--We could have had as many prisoners as ten thousand, but what good would it have done to take them and feed them? Their return home, with the tale of their fright and discomfiture, will produce far greater benefits in inducing the Northern fanatics to cry--
"Hold! Enough."
We half-starved "rebels" have actually sent back the great American Eagle squealing to old granny Scott. Let Abraham and his followers beware, for our deeds may be immense when we shall get into a sleek, well-fed condition, consequent upon the recognition of our nationality by the Great Powers of the world. For one, the writer has no desire for a long- continued war, with all its attendant train of horrors; and right earnestly does he hope that the North will now come to its senses and let us alone. If not, then upon their own fertile fields let us hereafter wage the fight, and conquer a peace.
