assistance. Major Sykes brought his men up | The fire was terrific. We maintained our posiat a run, and, with a deafening shout, they tion for a half hour. Then it was discovered charged upon the enemy's skirmishers, who that the rebel cavalry were attempting to outfled before them several hundred yards. Form- flank our right. We had no force to resist ing in column of divisions Sykes' battalion ad- them, and the bugle of the regulars sounded vanced a considerable distance, until they drew the march in retreat. This, so far as they upon themselves an intensely hot fire of mus- were concerned, was conducted in good order. ketry and artillery. This was a trying mo- On Major Sykes was imposed the responsible ment. The volunteers expected much of the duty of covering the retreat of the army. In regulars, and gazed upon them as they stood in this he was assisted on part of the route by the unbroken line, receiving the fire, and returning United States cavalry under Major Palmer. it with fatal precision. Impressions and reso- The enemy followed us with their artillery and lutions are formed on the battle-field in an in- cavalry, shelling us constantly, until we reached stant. The impression at this moment was a Centreville. Here we bivouacked for an hour, happy one, and Heintzelman's brigade coming and then again took up the line of march. But up into line, our forces steadily advanced upon of the retreat let me say a word, and pardon, the retreating rebels. The batteries, which my dear fellow, this incoherent letter, written had been meanwhile recruited with men and in an excited Centreville bivouac, on my horses, renewed their fire with increased effect, sound knee, the other severely scratched. As and our supremacy upon the field was appar-I said, Major Sykes, with his Third, Second, ent. The enemy's fire was now terrific. Shell, and Eighth Infantry, in all but eight comround-shot, and grape from their batteries cov-panies, and they decimated, conducted the reered the field with clouds of dust, and many a treat. Three of his officers had been wounded, gallant fellow fell in that brief time. At this and one killed or captured. Several of them juncture the volunteers, who hitherto had be- were detached, endeavoring to rally the volunhaved nobly, seeing their ranks thinned out, teers in front, and have them march off in many losing their field and company officers, some sort of order, so as to protect themselves lost confidence, and in a panic fell back. Three against the enemy's cavalry, known to be in fresh regiments coming on the field at this time rapid pursuit. On this duty, I recognized his would have formed a nucleus upon which a special aid, Lieutenant McCook, of our State, I general rally could have been effected; but believe, and another infantry officer, who was while the enemy had reinforcements pouring also mounted. The road by which the retreat in upon them momentarily, our entire force was conducted, the same as that by which we was in the field, and badly cut up. Thus was advanced, had been, I think, discovered by the our action maintained for hours. The panic rebels a day or two since. The engineers, in was momentarily increasing. Regiments were reconnoitring the enemy's position, had been observed to march up in good order, discharge accompanied by a body of troops, who caused one volley, and then fall back in confusion. such a dust to rise from the road as to make But there was no lack of gallantry, generally their march easily observable from the heights speaking, and not a great many manifestations at Manassas. Retreating by this route, no diffiof cowardice. Our artillery, which made sad culty occurred in ranging their guns directly havoc upon the rebels, had spent their ammu- upon our line. Major Sykes quickly discovernition, or been otherwise disabled by this time, ing this, and the cavalry advancing to reconand in the absence of reinforcements a retreat noitre the pass near Centreville, and charge it was inevitable. The time for the last attack if necessary, obliqued the column, getting them had now come. Nearly all of the rebel batter- upon the turf perfectly protected from the enies were in place, though silent. There was a emy's shell, which were continued to be fired calm-an indescribable calm. Every man on upon the line of dust which was raised in the the field felt it. I doubt if any one could de- wake of the galloping cavalry. It was an adscribe it. Gen. McDowell was near the front mirable piece of strategy, reflecting great credit of our lines, mounted on his gray charger. upon the gallant Major, whose conduct in the And here let me say emphatically, that, what- entire action, to my knowledge, drew forth the ever may be the criticisms upon his conduct most enthusiastic expressions of admiration by the military or the abominable stay-at-home from both volunteer and regular officers. Were newspaper scribblers and politicians, no braver the infantry my arm, I could ask no braver or man trod that turf at Manassas than Gen. Mc- more capable commander than he. But we Dowell. Major Sykes' battalion of eight com- are about to renew our march towards Washpanies, five of Third Infantry, two of the Sec-ington, and entrusting this note to the driver ond, and one of the Eighth, were marched several hundred yards to the right, and formed the right flank of the line. Several volunteer regiments were deployed as skirmishers on the centre and left. Thus they advanced to the crest of the hill. The enemy met them with batteries and musketry in front, and two batteries and a thousand cavalry on the right.

of an ambulance in front of our line, in the expectation that it will reach you early, let me say that if we halt near Alexandria or Arlington, and my horse can stand the pressure, I will not be long in grasping your hand. Till then, my dear fellow, believe me your disgusted and worn-out friend,

****

-Philadelphia Press, July 24.

NORTHERN PRESS ON THE BATTLE. | Upon the receipt of the first exaggerated reports of the retreat from Bull Run, many weakbacked and nervous individuals began to cry out that it was all over with us; that our inferiority, and the superiority of the rebels as soldiers had been so fully established as to render it expedient for us to be thinking as to what terms we would make with the enemy. Ever since the receipt of the corrected accounts-by which it appears that the disgraceful panic and flight, which constitute, so far as we are concerned, the only alarming part of the affair at Bull Run, and were limited to a comparatively few frightened individuals, a large part of them teamsters and spectators, who, not content with running away themselves, sought, by their false and scandalous reports, to involve the whole army in the disgrace-ever since the receipt of these corrected accounts, there still remain those upon whom this first disaster casts a shade of sadness and alarm, and who see in it a malign omen as to our future success. For the benefit of these doubting Thomases, we propose, by a brief retrospect of some occurrences in the wars of the Revolution and of 1812, to show that panic, flight, disaster, and a certain proportion of cowards, are to be looked for in all armies and all wars, and that they furnish no presumption at all unfavorable to ultimate success.

superior force which the opening of the spring enabled the British to throw into the St. Lawrence, and the American army retreated out of Canada, in the emphatic words of John Adams, "disgraced, defeated, discontented, dispirited, diseased, undisciplined, eaten up with vermin, no clothes, beds, blankets, nor medicines, and no victuals but salt pork and flour," and a scanty supply of those.

The disastrous defeat at Brooklyn, three months later, made a most alarming impression on Washington's army assembled for the defence of New York. When the van of the British crossed from Long Island and landed at Kip's Bay, the troops posted to guard that landing, panic-struck by the late disasters, fled without firing a gun. Two New England brigades, brought up to support them, seized with a like panic, ran away in the most shameful manner, leaving Washington, who had ridden up to view the ground, exposed to capture within eighty paces of the enemy. Then occurred a scene which we wonder that some one of our numerous and gifted artists has not made the subject of a picture. Greatly exasperated at the dastardly conduct of the panic-struck and flying troops, Washington dashed his hat to the ground, exclaiming, "Are these the men with whom I am to defend America? His attendants turned his horse's head, and hurried him from the field. The occurrence will be found described at length in the Memoirs of Even at the world-renowned battle of Bun- Graydon, a Pennsylvania officer, who seems to ker Hill, every common soldier present at have been present at it. Yet the very next day which, in the ranks of the United Colonies, has these same men sturdily repulsed the enemy, been exalted by a grateful posterity and an, ad- being spurred up to do their duty, by the exammiring world to the rank of a mythical hero-ple of Colonel Knowlton and other brave offieven in that famous battle, cowardice had its representatives in the colonial ranks. The conduct of several officers on that day was investigated by court-martial, and one, at least, was cashiered for cowardice-a precedent which, if all rumors are true, ought to be followed out in the case of the late fight or panic. An American historian who, in his account of the battle of Bunker Hill, saw fit to state the above fact, was very severely handled for so doing by certain patriotic critics, as if he had cast a shadow over the glories of the day. But history is written, or should be, not so much to exalt the fathers as to instruct the sons, and the above incident in the battle of Bunker Hill may now, for that purpose, be put to good use. Even the heroes of Bunker Hill, it seems, had among them a portion of the same leaven which worked so malignantly at Bull Run.

About the whole early history of the Revolutionary War is a series of disasters, interspersed with a few splendid successes. One of these last was the capture of Montreal and the occupation of nearly the whole of Canada by the forces under Montgomery and Arnold. But this success was only short-lived. Sullivan, though sent with large reinforcements, and aided by the intrepid valor of Wayne, found it impossible to hold the province against the

cers, who sacrificed themselves in their eagerness to show the soldiers how to fight. Afterwards, in the disastrous retreat through the Jerseys, on the victorious day of Trenton, these very regiments covered themselves with glory, and gained the right of standing by Washington and their country through the worst extremes of defeat and danger.

So also upon the occasion of Burgoyne's invasion of New York, a year or two later. At first, his approach spread everywhere terror and dismay. St. Clair fled from Ticonderoga in haste and disorder, and the British, pursuing, captured all his baggage and stores. Of three regiments attacked at Hubbardton, one fled disgracefully, leaving most of their officers to be taken prisoners. The other two, though they made a stout resistance, were broken and dispersed, and a large number of them captured. After a disastrous retreat, or rather flight, Schuyler collected the troops of the Northern army to the number of 5,000 men at Fort Edward, on the Hudson. But he could not make a stand even there, and was obliged to continue his retreat to the mouth of the Mohawk.

The loss of Ticonderoga with its numerous artillery, and the subsequent rapid disasters, came like a thunderbolt on Congress and the

Northern States. "We shall never be able to defend a post!"-so wrote John Adams in a private letter. He was at that time President of the Board of War-would to heaven our Board of War had such a head!-"we shall never be able to defend a post till we shoot a general." Disasters, the unavoidable result of weakness, were ascribed to the incapacity or cowardice of the officers. Suggestions of treachery were even whispered, and the prejudices of the New Englanders against Schuyler -for even the North, at that time, was divided and distracted by bitter sectional prejudices, of which now, fortunately, hardly a trace remains-broke out with new violence. But all this disaster and confusion did not prevent, within two or three months after, the glorious days of Bennington and Bemis Heights, and the total capture of all Burgoyne's invading

army.

Not to dwell any further upon the disasters of the war of the Revolution, of which it would be easy to multiply instances, let us now cast a cursory glance at some of the occurrences of the war of 1812.

now universally admitted, to the incapacity of the Government, and the want of spirit and enterprise on the part of the general in command. Hull was sent to Detroit with a very inadequate force, under order to invade and conquer Upper Canada. Hull's troops were eager for action, and had Amherstburg-the post of the enemy nearest to Detroit, and held by a weak garrison-been attacked immediately, it might have been taken; but, ignorant of the weakness of the enemy, though fully conscious of his own, and discouraged by his isolation from means of succor-for he was 200 miles distant from the nearest frontier settlements, and 500 from any source of effectual support, much worse off in that respect than any of our present generals-Hull wished to fortify his camp, to get his cannon mounted, to give time for the operation of a formidable proclamation which he had issued. While he was thus employed, the British General, Proctor-for Proctor we might read Johnston-arrived at Amherstburg with reinforcements, followed, first by General Brock, and then by Tecumseh, a noble Indian, any parallel for whom we should seek in vain in the ranks of our rebels. Hull thereupon gave over the invasion of Canada and retired to Detroit, where he shortly after ingloriously surrendered to the approaching British and Indians, whereby not only Detroit, but the whole peninsula of Michigan, passed into the hands of the British.

Great was the astonishment and anger of President and Cabinet-though they themselves, by the inadequacy of the forces which they had placed at Hull's disposal, were greatly to blame for it-great the astonishment and anger of the people at the mortifying termination of the first attempt to conquer Canada. But, so far from checking the ardor of the western people, it stimulated them to fresh exertions, and before long a force was placed at the disposal of Gen. Harrison, who succeeded to Hull's command, by which, in the course of the next year, Michigan was recovered, the battle of the Thames was fought, and Upper Canada temporarily occupied.

Let us note, by the way, a curious circumstance with respect to that war-a circumstance eminently instructive as to the total change which has taken place of late years in the objects, ends, and aims of leading Southern politicians. That war, as everybody knows, was preeminently a Southern measure, of which the great object, and leading end and aim, by which it was alone justified as an expedient undertaking, was the conquest and annexation of Canada. That attempt, had it been successful, would have added so much to the strength and population of the free States as effectually to have curbed all the slaveholding pretensions of the last forty years to govern the nation, and now, failing that, to sectionalize and divide it. Nor is it unreasonable to suppose that such men as Clay, Calhoun, Cheves, Lowndes, and Grundy, who urged the conquest of Canada as the means within our reach to punish the maritime aggressions of England, could have failed to foresee the inevitable consequences of that enterprise had we succeeded in it. They were We might cite other incidents of this war, patriots who sought the glory, welfare, and including the conquest of Washington itself by greatness of the united nation, not the base the enemy, the burning of the national capitol and selfish aggrandisement of a section and athen, as now, in an unfinished condition-and faction. Unfortunately they failed to conquer the coming together of Congress, the blackened Canada, but in the impulse which the war ruins of the capitol still smouldering, in the gave to our domestic manufactures, and to the patent office, the sole remaining public buildgrowth of our navy, they aided greatly to cre- ing, hastily and scantily fitted up for the recepate the means which will now enable the nation tion of the national legislature. Worse and to put down speedily with a strong hand the more alarming than all, we might picture the insolent traitors who have fallen away so rashly fierce contentions and embittered spirit of parfrom the spirit and example of their noble fa- ty by which the national legislature was dithers, and, deserting the altars of republican vided when thus assembled in this hour of disliberty at which they worshipped, have has-aster to quarrel over the past, and with specie tened to pass themselves, and are attempting to compel us and our children to pass through the fires of the Moloch of slavery.

The first efforts of land warfare in the war of 1812 were signally unsuccessful, due, as is

payments suspended, and national credit at the lowest ebb, to provide as well as they could for the future. We prefer, rather, to quote a few extracts from Madison's message sent to Congress at that meeting, and which are not with

out a certain applicability to the present mo- | terrible indeed if they do not shout over their ment: "Availing himself of fortuitous advan- successes to the very echo; and if, inspired by tages, our enemy is aiming with his undivided fresh hopes, they do not put forth renewed exforce a deadly blow at our growing prosperity, ertions to sustain their cause. perhaps at our national existence." "He has But, as we have already said, this one battle avowed his purpose of trampling on the usages will settle nothing. The closely-populated comof civilized warfare, and given earnest of it in munities in the great States north of us are the plunder and wanton destruction of private becoming newly stimulated by the pressure of property." "He strikes with peculiar animos- events, and are pouring their thousands upon ity at the progress of our navigation and our thousands toward the seat of war, so that manufactures." "From such an adversary, probably in ten days or thereabouts an overhostility in its greatest force and worst forms whelming force will be at the capital, and premay be looked for. The American people will pared anew to try the chances of the battleface it with the undaunted spirit which, in our field. How far the new general ordered to the revolutionary struggle, defeated all the unright- command may be able to gain their confidence eous projects aimed at them. His threats and and inspirit them with fresh enthusiasm, rehis barbarities will kindle in every bosom, in- mains to be seen; but it is evident enough, stead of dismay, an indignation not to be ex- from proofs afforded on all hands, that in the tinguished but by his disaster and expulsion." ." late contest, the Federal troops may be said to "In providing the means necessary, the na- have been without a general, in fact. One tional Legislature will not distrust the heroic newspaper correspondent tells his readers that and enlightend patriotism of its constituents. in the heat of one of the desperate conflicts, he They will cheerfully and proudly bear every met the ostensible general of the forces "three burden of every kind which the safety and miles" from the scene of the combat, in a carhonor of the nation demand. We see them riage, and that he had the honor of reporting rushing with enthusiasm to the scenes where to him how affairs were going. Another statedanger and duty call. In offering their blood, ment is made that in a whole day's conflict the they give the surest pledge that no other trib-general in command was not able to communiute will be withheld." cate with one brigade at all—of course, did not know where it was.

There is as much patriotism in the country now as in the Revolution, or in 1814. The traitors of the South are no more formidable than were the tories of the Revolution, who, at one time, aided by the British, had complete possession of the States of Georgia and the Carolinas, with an invading army in Virginia; while, in contrast to the war of 1812, the people of the North, and we may say of the Union, are united as one man.

-N. Y. Tribune.

Without assuming any of that profound knowledge of strategy, and of military matters generally, which has made the New York major-generals of the printing-offices so famous, it strikes us that such leadership as has thus been exhibited is not what soldiers would expect who are sent under the fire of masked batteries, each corps to act, in truth, as a forlorn hope; nor is it such as the country will hold the Government responsible for when a deliberate verdict has to be rendered in the solemn inquest over the slain.

So far as the late reverses by the Federal troops in Virginia may give one an idea of the actual damage done the cause of the Union, perhaps Wall street affords as good an index as Disclaiming, as we have said, all knowledge, any thing else-when it is summed up at about as a military critic, that knowledge so abun"four per cent.," as indicated in our last issue. dant now amongst that numerous class who, as The material losses, the arms and munitions of Byron says, are "the prophets of the past," we war uselessly sacrificed, are, of course, but a yet should be glad to know wherein is the great mere trifle when we take into consideration necessity of leading men, except they were the immense resources of the Government. made of wrought iron-cast-iron would not do That it will have a bad effect on the prestige-right up to the front of a net-work or checgained previously by the prompt action of the quer-board of masked batteries, constructed Government, cannot be doubted. But then, months before, and awaiting the advance of the one battle gained, with whatever brilliant re-simple-hearted but brave thousands who were sults, will not cause the great powers of Europe to take sides with the Confederates; nor will it cause any fears of such a result on the part of those sustaining the Government. That it will vastly inspirit the secession States is perfectly certain. Previous to the battle, the utterances of such papers as the Charleston Courier and Mercury, and the Delta of New Orleans, prove that they entertained gloomy apprehensions in view of the mighty preparations for the campaign put forth by the Government, and, naturally more excitable than their opponents, their losses will prove to be

expected to present themselves as victims? With the whole of Virginia to outflank these batteries in, with a shorter base of operations by Fredericksburg or Yorktown to Richmond, why were the gallant thousands precipitated on this deadly trap, so carefully laid for them at Manassas? A sacred proverb says: "Vainly is the snare laid in the sight of any bird," but it was not so in this case.

Again: There is an incident in the life of the great Napoleon, that life so fruitful of suggestions, that would seem to have a bearing upon the matter in question. It is long since

we saw the account alluded to, but we do remember that in his first essay with the army of Egypt he was invited by the Turks to walk up to a deliberately constructed range of batteries and be slaughtered; but that-in a cowardly sort of manner, perhaps-he chose to go around the spot where they were planted with so much care, and the result was, that he slew some thousands of the Turks, and broke their power completely for all time. Valor is a very good thing, doubtless, but we greatly prefer the "Rich Mountain" sort-the McClellan and Rosecranz school of tacticians-to that which is in vogue lower down on the Potomac, especially where the purpose of those on the line of the advance is to disorganize and conquernot slay-with the remembrance that those who are opposed to them are people of the same country.

That a more overwhelming disaster has not been the consequence of all this management this helter-skelter rush to "Richmond "-is rather remarkable than otherwise. Nearly two hundred miles to advance through hostile territory is an exceedingly long distance, comparatively, as those have found, doubtless, who have penetrated about one-eighth as far, to retrace their footsteps under these untoward results. And suppose here comes a lesson from history again-suppose, we say, that Beauregard and his advisers had adopted the tactics of the Parthians toward the Roman consul, Crassussuppose they had coaxed along toward Richmond the brave but inadequate force lately defeated, and then turned upon and suddenly and completely destroyed them, what then would have been the condition of the questions at issue to-day? They might have done it. "Onward to Richmond!" has been the senseless battle-cry which has stunned the ears of the nation for weeks past, and the authorities at Washington may consider themselves fortunate that the case for them is no worse.

bers of Congress, sitting in grand council, and yet commanders of regiments in the field-if it does not likewise silence in some way the newspaper school, who cause impatience, and consequent insubordination in the camp, as well as untimely precipitancy at head-quarters, it will prolong a struggle awful to contemplate in the far future. Some steps, it is true, have been taken toward reforms in high places, in view of the lesson of the other day; but there must be a clean sweep of the blundering and incompetent civilians, in the new levies especially, if the country at large is to expect success in the reconstruction of the Government.

-Baltimore American, July 26.

WASHINGTON, July 26, 1861.-The public mind, painfully but reasonably excited, is entitled to be informed of what so deeply and vitally concerns the general welfare. When the rebellion broke out into open war upon Fort Sumter, the people rose with a unanimity unexampled in the world's history, offering themselves and their possessions to the Government, asking only in return that a war thus wantonly and wickedly provoked, should be vigorously prosecuted.

Passing over an interval of three months, we come to the disastrous battle of Manassas. Who is responsible for this great national disaster? Officials cannot answer-individuals may speak-their answers passing for what they are worth, according to the estimate which the public put upon the judgment and means of information.

Lieutenant-General Scott, in the discharge of his duty as commander-in-chief of the army, conceived and perfected a plan or programme, by means of which he confidently, as the results of a summer and fall campaign, anticipated the overthrow of the Confederate army, and thus virtually to end the rebellion.

This plan, primarily, contemplated camps of instruction, where raw levies might, during the months of June, July, and August, be subject to discipline and inured to service, sending the regiments as they became fit for duty, into the field, making room, as they departed, for green organizations.

It is not our special business either to censure or defend those attempting, with varied success, to preserve those free institutions, that unequalled fabric of free government so nearly suffered to go to ruin mainly by default of the head of the late Administration. We cannot defend the palpable blunders of our present rulers, but when we behold them reeling under the heavy burdens cast upon them by the faults of others, we would be as charitable as possible toward their shortcomings. Not their partisans, we yet hope they may, with as little suffering to the nation as possible, restore the country to its wonted condition of prosperity; but to do this, that terrible evil-political brawling-inust not be recognized as a qualification for military position, or for the places of military counsellors. If there is one rock which more than any other endangers the safety of the Government in this frightful crisis it is this. But this plan did not accord with the popular And if the Government does not remorselessly, idea. Prominent individuals, whose counsels and at once, throw overboard the whole phalanx and clamors precipitated the outbreak, demandof these insane brawlers-some of them mem-ed precipitate action. These demands were

With this disposable force (after the safety of the Capital was assured) Gen. Scott commenced operations at Fortress Monroe, near Harper's Ferry, and in Western Virginia, the latter point being most favorable, profiting, as no other section did, by the cooperation and sympathies of loyal inhabitants. With Washington for his base of operations, the western wings of his army were to feel and fight their way southward; until at the appointed time, having reached their designated positions, all his columns were to move sinultaneously, Richmond falling as Mexico fell, before an irresistible

army.