74 



BUCKHANNON. 



a critical knowledge of the Hebrew and other 

 Oriental languages. She commenced writing, 

 at an early age, her " Essay on Mind, and other 

 Poems," appearing when she was but 17 years 

 of age. In 1833 she published " Prometheus 

 Bound, and Miscellaneous Poems," a volume 

 displaying much genius, though the version of 

 the Greek tragedy so little satisfied her that 

 she subsequently replaced it by another and 

 better one. In 1838 appeared " The Seraphim 

 and other Poems," a work which gave her a 

 high reputation, though at a period when lit- 

 erary reputation was of but little value to her. 

 About the time of its publication, the rupture 

 of a blood-vessel in the lungs had induced a 

 critical state of her health, which was still 

 further impaired by the drowning of her eldest 

 brother, who had accompanied her to Torquay 

 for the benefit of the sea air. For several 

 years she was confined to a darkened room, 

 and for a long time her life seemed to hang 

 quivering in the balance. On her partial re- 

 covery from this condition, she renewed her 

 literary efforts, and the first fruits of it were 

 seen in a series of erudite and brilliant essays 

 on the Greek Christian poets, published in the 

 Athenaeum ; this was followed by the " Drama 

 of Exile," " Lady Geraldine's Courtship," "The 

 Cry of the Human," " The Lost Bower," &c. 

 In 1844 a collection of her poems was published, 

 and almost immediately reproduced in this 

 country. In 1846 she married Robert Brown- 

 ing, a poet of high reputation, and immediately 

 after accompanied him to Pisa, subsequently re- 

 moving to Florence, which was their perma- 

 nent residence during the remainder of her 

 life. Her works were republished with large 

 additions in 1850, and in 1851 she gave to the 

 public a new volume with the title of " Casa 

 Guidi "Windows," which contains some of her 

 best poems. In 1856 appeared her " Aurora 

 Leigh," and in 1859 a volume of shorter poems ; 

 a posthumous collection of her later poems not 

 previously gathered has been published the 

 present year, (1862.) Her health had gradually 

 declined, and her death was rather an exhaus*- 

 tion of the vital forces than a struggle. For a 

 more full account of her works and a critical 

 estimate of her writings, see NEW AMEBICAN 

 CYCLOPEDIA, vol. 3, pp. 765, 766. 



BUCKHANNON, a town of Western Virgi- 

 nia, the capital of Upshur Co., situated on the 

 east fork of Monongahela Eiver. On the 1st 

 July, Brig.-Gen. Morris, commanding the Third 

 and Fourth Ohio regiments, attacked a division 

 of Confederate troops, under command of Gen. 

 Henry A. "Wise, at this place, and routed them 

 completely; killing, as was reported, 23, and 

 taking 200 prisoners. Federal loss not stated, 

 but small. 



BULL RUN", in the northeastern part of the 

 State of Virginia, forms the boundary between 

 Fairfax and Prince William counties, until it en- 

 ters the Occoquan River, about fourteen miles 

 from its mouth. The Occoquan empties into the 

 Potomac, about twenty-five miles below Wash- 



BULL RUN. 



ington. It is formed by the junction of Broad 

 Run and Cedar Run, about one mile below 

 Brentsville in Prince William County, and some 

 miles above the mouth of Bull Run. The dis- 

 tance by railroad from Alexandria to Manassas 

 Junction is twenty-seven miles. The route 

 pursued by the Federal army from Arlington 

 Heights to Centreville is nearly parallel with 

 the railroad, and a few miles north of it. The 

 distance from Manassas Junction to Bull Run 

 where a battle took place, is about seven or 

 eight miles ; and the distance from the latter 

 place to Centreville about three miles. The dis- 

 tance from Centreville to Fairfax Court House 

 is ten miles. The distance from Fairfax Court 

 House to the Potomac is about twelve miles. 



The Confederate Government having adopt- 

 ed the defensive policy as that upon which they 

 should act, their first object was to prevent 

 an advance of any Federal force into Virginia. 

 Early in the month of May, troops were assem- 

 bled in Virginia and pushed forward towards 

 the northeastern boundary of the State, to a 

 position known as Manassas Junction. The 

 name is given to this hilly region, as it is here 

 that a railroad from Alexandria, another from 

 Staunton up the valley and through Manassas 

 Gap, and another from Gordonsville unite. 

 At Gordonsville the railroad from Richmond 

 and the line from East Tennessee unite. As a 

 point for concentration none more eligible exists 

 in northeastern Virginia. The advantages for 

 fortification are naturally such that the place 

 can be rendered impregnable. Here the centre 

 of the northern Confederate army was posted, 

 with the left wing pushed forward to Win- 

 chester, and the right extended to the Poto- 

 mac, and sustained by heavy batteries which 

 served to blockade the river. 



The Federal force, the advance of which was 

 assembled at Washington for the defence of. 

 that city against any attack by the Confederate 

 troops, was posted on the Virginia side of the 

 Potomac, on Arlington Heights, which were 

 strongly fortified. Their right was pushed 

 some distance up the Potomac, and chiefly on 

 the Maryland side, while their left occupied 

 Alexandria. The armies of both sides consisted 

 of raw militia hastily brought together, and of 

 volunteers who for the first time had put on the 

 uniform, and taken up the weapons of the sol- 

 dier. On both sides the forces were constantly 

 accumulating. On the morning of June 27th, 

 the consolidated report of Gen. Mansfield com- 

 manding the Department of Washington, gives 

 the number of troops in that city and vicinity. 

 The privates, including regulars and volunteers 

 present for duty, numbered 22,846 men. The 

 grand aggregate of the force, including officers 

 &c., present and absent, was 34,160 men. The 

 force of Gen. Patterson commanding in Mary- 

 land above Washington, and also on the Vir- 

 ginia side of the Potomac, on the 28th of June, 

 was returned, embracing oificers and men en- 

 listed and present for duty, 15,923. Of these 

 about 550 were reported as sick. 



