88 



BULL RUN. 



only come from Vienna, about six miles, and it 

 was not more than six and a half miles farther 

 to Centreville in all a march of twelve and a 

 half miles ; but the men were foot- weary, not so 

 much, I was told, by the distance marched, as 

 by the time they had been on foot, caused by 

 the obstructions in the road, and the slow pace 

 we had to move to avoid ambuscades. The 

 men were, moreover, unaccustomed to march- 

 ing, their bodies not in condition for that kind 

 of work, and not used to carrying even the 

 load of light marching order. 



" "We crossed Bull Run with about 18,000 men 

 of all arms, the fifth division (Miles' and Rich- 

 ardson's brigades) on the left, at Blackburn's 

 Ford to Centreville, and Schenck's brigade of 

 Tyler's division on the left of the road, near the 

 Stone Bridge, not participating in the main ac- 

 tion. The numbers opposed to us have been 

 variously estimated. I may safely say, and 

 avoid even the appearance of exaggeration, 

 that the enemy brought up all he could which 

 were not kept engaged elsewhere. He had no- 

 tice of our coming on the 17th, and had from 

 that time until the 21st to bring up whatever 

 he had. It is known that in estimating the 

 force to go against Manassas, I engaged not to 

 have to do with the enemy's forces under John- 

 ston, then kept in check in the valley by Major- 

 General Patterson, or those kept engaged by 

 Major- General Butler ; and I know every effort 

 was made by the General-in-Chief that this 

 should be done, and that even if Johnston joined 

 Beauregard, it would not be because he could 

 be followed by General Patterson, but from 

 causes not necessary for me to refer to, you 

 knew them all. This was not done, and the 

 enemy was free to assemble from every direc- 

 tion in numbers only limited by the amount of 

 his railroad rolling-stock and his supply of pro- 

 visions. To the forces, therefore, we drove in 

 from Fairfax Court House, Fairfax Station, Ger- 

 mantown, and Centreville, and those under 

 Beauregard at Manassas, must be added those 

 under Johnston from Winchester, and those 

 brought up by Davis from Richmond, to other 

 places at the South, to which is To be added the 

 levy en masse ordered by the Richmond author- 

 ities, which was ordered to assemble at Manassas. 

 What all this amounted to I cannot say cer- 

 tainly much more than we attacked them with. 



" I could not, as I have said, more early push 

 on faster, nor could I delay. A large and the 

 best part of my forces were three-months vol- 

 uteers, whose term of service was about to 

 expire, but who were sent forward as having 

 long enough to serve for the purpose of the ex- 

 pedition. On the eve of the battle the Fourth 

 Pennsylvania Regiment of volunteers, and the 

 battery of volunteer artillery of the New York 

 Eighth militia, whose term of service expired, 

 insisted on their discharge. I wrote to the regi- 

 ment, expressing a request for them to remain 

 a short time, and the Hon. Secretary of War, 

 who was at the time on the ground, tried to 

 induce the battery to remain at least five days. 



But in vain. They insisted on their discharge 

 that night. It was granted, and the next 

 morning, when the army moved forward into 

 battle, these troops moved to the rear to the 

 sound of the enemy's cannon. 



" In the next few days, day by day, I should 

 have lost ten thousand of the best armed, 

 drilled, officered, and disciplined troops in the 

 army. In other words, every day, which added 

 to the strength of the enemy, made us weaker." 



The loss on the Federal side, according to the 

 official returns, was 481 killed, 1,011 wounded, 

 and 1,216 missing. Among the killed were 

 Col. Cameron, of the New York Seventy-ninth ; 

 Lieut.-Col. Haggerty, of the New York Sixty- 

 ninth ; Col. Slocum, Second Rhode Island ; also 

 Major Ballou and Capt. Tower. 



The artillery lost was as follows : 



Company D, Second Artillery, 6 rifled guns. 



Company I, First Artillery, 6 rifled Parrott 

 ten- pounders. 



Company E, Second Artillery, 2 rifled guns 

 and 2 howitzers. 



Company , Fifth Artillery, 1 rifled gun. 



Company G, First Artillery, 1 thirty-pounder 

 Parrott gun. 



Rhode Island battery, 5 rifled guns. 



To this should be added 180 boxes of small 

 arm cartridges, 87 boxes of rifled cannon am- 

 munition, 30 boxes of old fire-arms, 12 wagons 

 loaded with provisions, and 3,000 bushels oats, 

 a large number of muskets thrown away, and 

 an immense number of blankets and knap- 

 sacks.* 



* The folio-wing documents, found in the camp at Mauassat 

 after its evacuation by the Confederate troops, contain re- 

 turns embracing the period of the battle, and extending to 

 the 16th of August ensuing. They correspond so very 

 nearly with the statements of other documents entitled to 

 the highest credit, that they should be considered in esti- 

 mating the results of this battle. 



The following is a list of captured Quartermaster's property 

 turned in to the Quartermaster's Department of the Con- 

 fede 



12 sets harness, 23 extra traces for artillery. 

 1 platform and other scales. 

 1,650 camp cooking utensils. 

 700 camp mess utensils. 

 802 pairs pants, drawers, and socks. 

 700 blankets. 

 22 tents and dies. 

 21 wagons and 23 horses. 

 24 trunks and carpet-bags. 

 1 lot of rope. 



Incomplete returns of many miscellaneous articles, such 

 as bedticks, buckets, coffee mills, halters, saddles and bridles, 

 and 15 barrels commissary stores. 



E. P. ALEXANDER, 

 Captain Engineers, General Staff, C. S. A. 



The following is a return of hospital equipments and sup- 

 plies captured from the enemy and turned into the Medical 

 Department of the Confederate States Army of the Potomac 

 up to August 16, 1861 : 



5 medicine chests, partially filled. 



6 cases surgical instruments. 

 2 sets panniers. 



7 ambulances. 



1 lot of medicines, lint, bandages, &c. 

 Returns of litters, instruments, supplies, &c., are all very 

 incomplete, so much having been appropriated by surgeons 



