| Show Where They Won a Battle and Lost a War v I IBy By ELMO SCOTT WATSON N A blazing July day 75 73 years year ago aio this month two armies of ot Americans one composed of ot men of ot the North and the other men of ot the tile South met In desperate des des- desperate encounter on th thee the banks bank of a little stream in Virginia When it was over the men from the North were in lin full tuU retreat The men from the South had won the battle but as II it later turned out they bad had lost the Iwar because they would not or ot could not follow up their Cage Late Lata in the afternoon one of their commanders commander seeing the route of ot his adversaries exclaimed Give me men and I will be in Washington tonight P Per Perhaps e r h hap a p s speculating on 00 historical it Ifs Ua la is laithe ithe the Idlest Idlet of ot all aU occupations occupation Dut But gone one cannot help wondering what might have happened if these 10 10 i men had been given liven to Stonewall Stone wall Jackson Jackon Knowing him as II we do in the light of his hI later career ca reer we can readily believe that he h. would have hav made good lood his hla promise If he ho had hid the Confederacy erae ersey might have won the war then and nd there At least the course coure of events eventa during the next tour four years year undoubtedly would have been very different from what it was Wal The story tory of the battle fought on July 21 1861 1881 the first major en engagement en- en of the Civil war is I. a fa Ia familiar familiar fa- fa one in Its Ita general outlines to most Americans Dut But there are are many aspects peets of It not given liven In the schoolbook histories which make mike I it one of ot the most Interesting engagements engagements en en- in our hi history tory First of ot all aU there Is U the matter of ot its name Southerners prefer preter to call caU it the Battle of Manassas because because because be be- cause the Confederate base was at Mana Manassas Junction where the Ma Ma- Cap Gap railroad joined the Orange and Alexandria railroad But Northerners Northerner prefer preter to call caU It the Battle of Bull Run nun from the name of the little stream tream which runs run through the battlefield even though the jesters jeters have implanted in the public consciousness the suggestion that there was some ome connection between the name of ot that stream and the panic flight which came after atter the tile battle But Dut Butin Butin in suggesting that they do a grave injustice to brave though inexpert ended soldiers For the fact tact is as tit I Glenn I. I Tucker writing in the Washington Post on this battle pointed out t v Th Th Union army did not run durin during the tb battle bailie at al all aU Ther There w was w. running to be sure lure There Then was wal running In copious profusion There was wal running by soldier horses hone mules mule Infantry artillery cavalry and trans and by terrorized talon latore out for or a gala cala occasion who with their thelt rich carriages were giving an n opera opere touch to the greatest greased that bad yet et occurred In North America Amelia and there here was wu running that that did not end at it airfOIl Fair air fax fOIl Cour louse House Washington or Philadelphia Phila delphia but which extended In tome loins Instances In stances dances to New flew York New Nw England and the faIn fastness of the stain Maine forests foret But Dul It really did not start on the bat bal It started when the fact tact w. w was finally Impressed d upon the Union regiments regiment that had bad marched out from Washington Washing Washing- ton that they had Irretrievably lost the engagement It gained strength through a recognition that the line Un of retreat of the disorganized Union column alon along the Uie Centreville and Bud Sudley Ie Springs roads road exhibited an exposed flank to the victorious enemy army which might even ven have hive quicker Ingress Inte to Washing Washing- cp t m sia Yf I k 1 GEN OM IRVIN M MCDOWELL DOWELL ton particularly since alnee the Cub CuI Run bridge bride was wal Jammed with wrecked Fed Pad Federal eral oral wagons and nd cat ona It broke aU all restraints when a small man mounted party of or that enemy enel threw throw a afew afew afew few round rounds of tide rifle Ore Sr Into the retiring In tog ing column In which the different or or- were so 0 confused and Inter Int intermingled mingled that the officers out of control con COD trot tro merely added to the pandemonium by usel useless shouts and aDd orders orden With raw troops troop there then la u a line between a forced retreat a rout and aDd a panic Alter After Bull RuU Run the trill teen transition soon lUon 11 was accomplished with Ith electrify In Ins Ing suddenness by those tho few rounds of rifle rUl Ore fire and one or two pieces of artil rW lery lacy Irvin McDowell had led a formidable for tor array Irray out from the national capital An unarmed mob returned Oiling Ailing the streets erects looking for sleeping Ilett spec space and living on OD handouts So much for tor or the he losers losera of cl the Battle of ot Dull Bull Run Hun As A. for tor the winnen winner win win- nets ner of ot the Battle Dattle of Manassas the game came historian has haa pointed out It was WAI not DOt a battle that reflected the th greatest credit upon th the victors Even Eve though on the th yer verge of 01 defeat they pos poll possessed sewed the stamina to stay tay through until ua un til W the th opposition crumbled and end fortuitously for foro n found reinforcements arriving at al exactly the right moment With the president of ot the Confederacy on the battlefield deemed excellently fitted for tor his bis post oat t because of 0 his West 4 t IM IMf f S a k kar ar I 11 a 1 eJ S 1 P K KM d M t tt M t y 1 I If I f 1 tp r I alt e I L A iSU ti 1 y t I RALLYING THE TilE TROOPS OF BEE DEE BARTOW AND EVANS AT THE mE BATTLE OF BULL DULL RUN I Point training with Joheph E. E Johnson John John- son on soldier of high renown In both armies In N full tull command and with Pierre Beauregard sometimes called the th Beau of the Confederacy Confederacy In active charge chare of the battle tine line It remained for a hitherto rather obscure brigade commander a professor sor Or of ot artillery tactics and natural philosophy to perceive that the high highway way to Washington to the capture of the Union capital and possibly reco recognition of the new Confederacy by anxiously waiting foreign powers and the termination of the war by II a single stroke was wal as a. wide open as If It had been strewn with welcoming garlands by McDowell s flying But Dut Stonewall Jacksons Jackson's need for fresh freh men men and and there w. w was Ample allowance amon among those still stul unengaged found President Davis Davie arranging conferences con In the Ih rear of the seen scene of triumph Johnson satisfied with the already already al ready gathered lathered fruits fruit of ot victory and Beauregard concerned with rumors of advances on his hll rear I These rumors rumor had phantom Union armies coming from all aU directions and seemed to cloud the fact tact that the flesh and blood Union Army was w. fleeing dou quick ble-quick toward the Potomac followed no longer by even a squadron of ot caval ry TI There Thre were questions of supplies behind while flour lour 11 was rotting In the freight cars carl and a rich country lay ahead But Rut the elements of victory which fired Jacksons Jackson's intuitive mind with the tIe test rest for tor further action spoke caution and satisfaction to his supe supe- don and the precious wasted hours swept by And the Confederate army settled down for nine months almost on the spot pot and the defenses of Washington were strengthened and a new Federal army assembled The eagle ulle of victory perched often thereafter on the banners bannera banners ban ban- ners nera of the South but the Northern volunteers volunteers vol vol- who had raced from Bull Dull Run hardened Into some ome of the th fighters the world h. h has known And the attrition set It In In and the war rolled on toward Gettysburg and nd Appomattox with never another rout for the North so 10 utter and complete nor highway so 10 clear nor the cause caus of the South so w near triumphant And Jackson JacklOn never had opportunity to prove to history that with fresh freh men on the night of July Tuly 21 10 1881 1 he would bo ho In Washington on the tho morrow mor more row e e eThis This battle was noteworthy forthe for forthe forthe the number of ot officers lu In It who were marked for later fame By Byone Byone one of ot those strange quirks of ot fate tate the commanders of the opposing armies Irvin armIes McDowell of the Union and Pierre Gustave Gustavc Toutant had had been classmates at West Point In hi 1838 On the Confederate side there was James E. E Longstreet Lees Lee's war horse to whose slowness Is often otten attributed the loss Iou of the Battle Bat Dat tie lie of Gettysburg the South's last chance to win the war There were also Joseph E. E Johnston KirbySmith KirbySmIth Kirby Smith C. C P. P Ewell and Hugh Fitz-Hugh Lee and those dashing cavalry leaders Jeb Stuart and Jubal A. A Early and Wade Hampton And last but not least was that queer military genius whose Imperishable ble nickname was wa fattened upon him at Bull Run that Run that professor of ot artillery tactics and natural philosophy Thomas Thomaa J J. J Jackson That was the name with which he went Into the battle batUe But Dut he came out of ot It Stonewall Jackson Jack Jack- Jackson son on because at a critical moment In the battle batUe he deployed his hi brigade bet bri gade rade upon a little ridge and there awaited the onrush of ot the Union forces which almost had bad victory In hi their grasp Look there then Is Lt Jackson Jack son standing like a stone wall Rally behind the Virginians I shouted another brigade commander commander comman der Cen Cea Barnard E E. Dee Bee The Union tide Ude of ot victory was stemmed and Stonewall Jackson and his hi Stonewall Brigade became an American legend Everyone has heard of ot Stonewall Stonewall Stonewall Stone wall Jackson Jackon but how bow know anything about the man who gave ave him that name Perhaps If he had been spared to share abare In the victory victory vic vie tory he might also have shared hared In his fame tame But Dut Bee Dee while leading a rally of ot the Confederates after Jackson had taken his stone tone wall stand tand tell fell mortally wounded Thus ended a brilliant career caner which had begun with the graduation of ot th the young South Carolinian from WestPoint West WestPoint WestPoint Point in 18 1815 followed by service la In the new state of ot Texas and Inthe In Inthe th the Mexican war where lid h was waa severely wounded at Chapultepec Chapultepee and was a captain for gallantry at Cerro Cerro Cerdo Alter After service against the Indians Indian In the Northwest and with Albert Sidney Johnston in the Mormon troubles in Ja Utah be he was wag promoted to cap tain i but upon receiving the news of the secession of ot his hi native state Bee Dee resigned from the army and returned to South Carolina a. a He lie entered the Confederate service IIa as II asa asa a major of infantry and on June 17 1861 1881 was Wal made brigadier general gener gener- al a distinction which he lived to enjoy only a little more than a month Although most historians speak of Bull Run as the first battle between between between be be- tween the Blue and the Gray that statement is II more figurative than literal For it was also noteworthy noteworthy noteworthy note note- worthy for the variety of uniforms worn by participants on both sides The Federal Blue had not yet been I Issued souse and the troops wore either the uniforms of ot their militia organization organ organ- organization or those furnished by their several everal states tates Mingled in this motley array was the striking costume costume costume cos cos- tume of the zouave regiments and there was even one the one the New NewYork York York York-In in Scotch Highlander kilts MM STONEWALL JACKSON The Confederate te uniforms showed a similar variety Some of the regiments were still sUll in citizens' citizens dress and several of ot the general officers who had been in the old service service Including so 0 It is said Generals Johnston Beauregard and Longstreet still Longstreet-still still wore the uniform of ot the United States army Among the interesting stories connected with Bull Run are those of two civilians who were victims of the war war god One of them was Wilbur McLean who lived near the battlefield In hi a substantial colonial mansion which Beauregard the Confederate commander made his hi headquarters Early in hi the battle a shell sheU plunged Into his dining room and broke up the meal The rage rale of battle was too much for McLean and he left this locality and traveled traveled tra tra- to a retired section where he thought he would be secure from wars war's alarms He went b by a strange freak of fate tate to Appomattox Court House a sequestered and secluded hamlet bamlet far oft on the main roads where he bought a good house and he settled down In hi peace At the closing act of the great reat drama both armies drew up at his hi doorstep and he saw aw the close as II he had witnessed the beginning of the great American epic for Lee surrendered to Grant GrantIn In hi his house housel IThe I The heaviest fighting rag raged e d around the Henry House plateau so named because of ot the farmhouse farm tarm- house bouse occupied b by Mrs Mra Isaac Henr Henry widow of ot an American naval naval na na- na val surgeon who had received his commission from President John Adams Adama and had served aboard the Constellation A ridden bed invalid five eighty years yearl of ot age Mrs Mra Henry was killed in her own room by the fire cross of ot the opposing opposing op op- posing armies which destroyed her home borne She was buried burled In the family fame fam ily Uy plot near the scene of f her death beside two of her children Today an American flag Cag floats above the grave of this first woman victim of ot the Civil war war war-a a flag which is fa symbolic of ot the reunited country that was t torn tm rn by hatred and fratricidal strife 75 73 years ago ao e I Until this thi year the battlefield 01 ct 1 Bull BuU Run was but changed from its appearance when the hosts of ot the North and the South came to grips death there three quarters of a century ago True the old Washing Washing- ton Warrenton ton turnpike down which the le Federal troops marched so gaily before the battle batUe and over which they retreated so dejectedly afterward afterward after after- ward is now a modern modem highway dotted with filling stations signboards signboards sign sign- boards and well kept well kept homes But Dut the rolling plain near Manassas which was stained with the blood of ot fellow countrymen on that fateful July day is so much the same that the battle could be fought all aU over again along its original lines so far faras faras faras as any anT man made improvements on the terrain are concerned so there is special Interest in the recent recent recent re re- re- re cent announcement that it is I. to become a na national shrine The federal government through the Rural Resettlement administration has acquired approximately 1500 acres acre along Bull BuU Run creek near Manassas and this spring more than men were put to 10 work clearing away the land and determining determining determining deter deter- mining landmarks This area it is expected will become the nucleus for a battlefield park which eventually eventually eventually even even- will contain nearly acres acres or or most of the territory over which the embattled armies fought in 1861 1881 While the scenes of most of the larger Civil war engagements long since have become the property of the nation of states or of private |
