86 



BULL RUN. 



The rear-guard thus organized followed our 

 panic-stricken troops to Centreville, resisting 

 the attacks of the Confederate cavalry and 

 artillery, and saving them from the inevitable 

 destruction which awaited them, had not this 

 body been interposed." 



Colonel Burnside, commanding the other bri- 

 gade of Colonel Hunter's division, which com- 

 menced the attack, thus reports this part of the 

 battle : 



" When the general retreat was ordered, the 

 First Khode Island passed on to the top of the 

 hill, where it was joined by the remainder of 

 the brigade, and formed into column. Large 

 bodies of stragglers were passing along the road, 

 and it was found impossible to retain the order 

 which otherwise would have been preserved. 

 Yet the brigade succeeded in retiring in com- 

 paratively good condition, with Arnold's bat- 

 tery of artillery and Captain Armstrong's com- 

 pany of dragoons bringing up the rear. The 

 retreat continued thus until the column was 

 about emerging from the woods and entering 

 upon the "Warrenton turnpike, when the artil- 

 lery and cavalry went to the front, and the ene- 

 my opened fire upon the retreating mass of men. 

 Upon the bridge crossing Cub Bun,* a shot took 

 effect upon the horses of a team that was cross- 

 ing. The wagon was overturned directly in 

 the centre of the bridge, and the passage was 

 completely obstructed. The enemy continued 

 to play his artillery upon the trains, carriages, 

 ambulances, and artillery wagons that filled the 

 road, and these were reduced to ruin. The ar- 

 tillery could not possibly pass, and five pieces 

 of the Ehode Island battery, which had been 

 safely brought off the field, were here lost. The 

 infantry, as the files reached the bridge, were 

 furiously pelted with a shower of grape and 

 other shot, and several persons were here killed 

 or dangerously wounded. As was to be ex- 

 pected, the whole column was thrown into con- 

 fusion, and could not be rallied again for a dis- 

 tance of two or three miles." 



Colonel Schenck, stationed at the Stone Bridge, 

 thus reports : 



" It was not long after this that the unpleas- 

 ant intelligence came of our army being in re- 

 treat from the front across the ford above, and 

 the order was received to fall back on Centre- 

 ville. The retreat of my brigade, being now in 

 the rear of our division, was conducted in the 

 reverse order of our march in the morning, the 

 Second New York moving first, and being fol- 

 lowed by the Second and First Ohio, the two 

 latter regiments preserving their lines in good 

 degree, rallying together, and arriving at Cen- 

 treville with closed ranks, and sharing compar- 

 atively little in the panic which characterized 

 so painfully that retreat, and which seemed to 

 be occasioned more by the fear of frightened 

 teamsters and of hurrying and excited civilians, 

 (who ought never to have been there,) than 



* Cub Run is a small stream running south and southwest, 

 and crossing the Warrenton turnpike midway between Cen- 

 treville and the Btone bridge over Bull Run. 



even by the reckless disorder and want of dis- 

 cipline of straggling soldiers. Ne^ir the house 

 which was occupied as a hospital for the 

 wounded, about a mile from the battle-ground, 

 a dashing charge was made upon the retreating 

 column by a body of the rebel cavalry, which 

 was gallantly repelled, and principally by two 

 companies of the Second Ohio, with loss on 

 both sides." 



The reserve, consisting of two brigades under 

 Col. Miles, was stationed at Centreville. The 

 most important of its movements were made 

 by Col. Blenker's brigade, who thus reports 

 these passing scenes : 



" In this position the brigade remained until 

 about 4 o'clock p. M., when I received orders 

 to advance upon the road from Centreville to 

 "Warrenton. This order was executed with 

 great difficulty, as the road was nearly choked 

 up by retreating baggage wagons of several di- 

 visions, and by the vast number of flying sol- 

 diers belonging to various regiments. Never- 

 theless, owing to the coolness of the command- 

 ing officers and the good discipline of the men, 

 the passage through the village was sucessfully 

 executed, and the further advance made with 

 the utmost precision, and I was thus enabled to 

 take a position which would prevent the ad- 

 vance of the enemy and protect the retreat of 

 the army. The Eighth Eegiment took position 

 one and a half miles south of Centreville, on 

 both sides of the road leading to Bull Run. 

 The Twenty-ninth Eegiment stood half a mile 

 behind the Eighth, enchiquier by companies. 

 The Garibaldi Guard stood in reserve in line 

 behind the Twenty-ninth Eegiment. The re- 

 treat of great numbers of flying soldiers contin- 

 ued until 9 o'clock in the evening, the great 

 majority in wild confusion, and but few in col- 

 lected bodies. Soon afterwards, several squad- 

 rons of the enemy's cavalry advanced along the 

 road, and appeared before the outposts. They 

 were challenged, " Who comes here ? " and, re- 

 maining without any answer, I being just pres- 

 ent at the outpost, called " Union forever ! " 

 whereupon the officer of the enemy's cavalry 

 commanded, " En avant ! en want ! knock him 

 down ! " Now the skirmishers fired, when the 

 enemy turned around, leaving several killed 

 and wounded on the spot. About nine prison- 

 ers who were already in their hands were liber- 

 ated by this action. Afterwards we were sev- 

 eral times molested from various sides by the 

 enemy's cavalry. At about midnight the com- 

 mand to leave the position and march to Wash- 

 ington was given by Gen. McDowell. The bri- 

 gade retired in perfect order, and ready to repel 

 any attack on the road from Centreville to 

 Fairfax Court House, Annandale, to Washing- 

 ton." 



A prompt retreat of the fragments of his ar- 

 my was resolved upon by Gen. McDowell, and 

 while the stragglers had pushed on from the 

 battle-field to Washington without halting, the 

 organized masses commenced leaving about 

 nine o'clock that night. By midnight all but 



