BULL RUN. 



85 



also of Kershaw's and Cash's regiments. Pres- 

 ton'a Twenty -eighth Regiment, of Cocke's bri- 

 gade, had by that time entered the same body 

 of oaks, and encountered some Michigan troops, 

 capturing their brigade commander, Colonel 

 Wilcox. 



" Another important accession to our forces 

 had also occurred about the same time, at 3 

 o'clock p. M. Brigadier-General E. K. Smith, 

 with some 1,700 infantry of Elzey's brigade, 

 of the Army of the Shenandoah, and Beck- 

 ham's battery, came upon the field, from Camp 

 Pickens, Manassas, where they had arrived by 

 railroad at noon. Directed in person by Gene- 

 ral Johnston to the left, then so much endan- 

 gered, on reaching a position in rear of the oak 

 woods, south of the Henry house, and imme- 

 diately east of the Sudley road, General Smith 

 was disabled by a severe wound, and his valu- 

 able services were lost at that critical juncture. 

 But the command devolved upon a merito- 

 rious officer of experience, Colonel Elzey. who 

 led his infantry at once somewhat further to 

 the left, hi the direction of the Chinn house, 

 across the road, through the oaks skirting the 

 west side of the road, and around which he 

 sent the battery under Lieutenant Beckham. 

 This officer took up a most favorable position 

 near that house, whence, with a clear view of 

 the Federal right and centre, filling the open 

 fields to the west of the Brentsville-Sudley road, 

 and gently sloping southward, he opened fire 

 with his battery upon them with deadly and 

 damaging effect. 



" Colonel Early, who, by some mischance, did 

 not receive orders until two o'clock, which had 

 been sent him at noon, came on the ground 

 immediately after Elzey. with Kemper's Seventh 

 Virginia, Hay's Seventh Louisiana, and Barks- 

 dale's Thirteenth Mississippi regiments. This 

 brigade, by the personal direction of General 

 Johnston, was marched by the Holkham house, 

 across the fields to the left, entirely around the 

 woods through which Elzey had passed, and 

 under a severe fire, into a position in line of 

 battle near Chinn's house, outflanking the ene- 

 my's right At this time, about half-past 3 p. M.. 

 the enemy, driven back on their left and cen- 

 tre, and brushed from the woods bordering the 

 Sudley road, south and west of the Henry house, 

 had formed a line of battle of truly formidable 

 proportions, of crescent outline, reaching on 

 their left from the vicinity of Pittsylvania, (the 

 old Carter mansion,) by Matthew's, and in rear 

 of Dogan's, across the turnpike near to Chinn's 

 house. The woods and fields were filled with 

 their masses of infantry, and their carefully pre- 

 served cavalry. It was a truly magnificent, 

 though redoubtable spectacle, as they threw 

 forward in fine style, on the broad, gentle slopes 

 of the ridge occupied by their main lines, a 

 cloud of skirmishers, preparatory for another 

 attack. But as Early formed his line, and Beck- 

 ham's pieces played upon the right of the ene- 

 my, Elzey's brigade, Gibbon's Tenth Virginia, 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart's First Maryland, and 



Vaughn's Third Tennessee regiments, and Cash's 

 Eighth, and Kershaw's Second South Carolina, 

 Withers' Eighteenth, and Preston's Twenty- 

 eighth Virginia, advanced in an irregular line 

 almost simultaneously, with great spirit, from 

 their several positions upon the front and flanks 

 of the enemy, in their quarter of the field. At 

 the same tune, too, Early resolutely assailed 

 their right flank 'and rear. Under the combined 

 attack, the enemy was soon forced, first over the 

 narrow plateau in the southern angle made by 

 the two roads, so often mentioned, into a patch 

 of woods on its western slope, thence back over 

 Young's branch and the turnpike, into the fields 

 of the Dugan farm, and rearward, in extreme 

 disorder, in all available directions, towards 

 Bull Run. The rout had now become general 

 and complete." 



In his report, General McDowell thus re- 

 marks on the position of the battle : 



" It was at this time that the enemy's rein- 

 forcements came to his aid, from the railroad 

 train, understood to have arrived from the val- 

 ley with the residue of Johnston's army. They 

 threw themselves in the woods on our right, 

 and opened a fire of musketry upon our men, 

 which caused them to break, and retire down 

 the hillside. This soon degenerated into dis- 

 order, for which there was no remedy. Every 

 effort was made to rally them, even beyond the 

 reach of the enemy's fire, but in vain." 



A line drawn thro'ugh the battle-field to 

 Manassas Junction, would run about due south. 

 The railroad from Winchester to Manassas 

 Junction comes in on a southeast course. Con- 

 sequently, the line above mentioned, and the 

 railroad, converge, and meet at the Junction. 

 The Dumfries road, bounding the west side of 

 the battle-field, and running straight south, 

 crosses the Winchester railroad about two miles 

 from the Junction. Up this road came the last 

 reinforcements of the enemy, from General 

 Johnston's command at Winchester. This was 

 nearer than to proceed to the Junction, and 

 caused the clouds of dust seen. 



Colonel Porter, commanding the division of 

 Colonel Hunter, thus continues his report : 



" All further efforts were futile. The words, 

 gestures, and threats of our officers were 

 thrown away upon men who had lost all pres- 

 ence of mind, and only longed for absence of 

 body. Some of our noblest and best officers 

 lost their lives in trying to rally them. Upon 

 our first position, the Twenty-seventh New 

 York was the first to rally, under the command of 

 Major Bartlett, and around it the other regiments 

 engaged soon gathered their scattered frag- 

 ments. The battalion of regulars, in the mean 

 time, moved steadily across the field from the 

 left to the right, and took up a position where 

 it held the entire forces of the enemy in check 

 until our forces were somewhat rallied. 



" The Commanding General then ordered a 

 retreat upon Centreville, at the same time 

 directing me to cover it with the battalion of 

 regulars, the cavalry, and a section of artillery. 



