picious silence in the despatches and telegrams | pudence to come into my room to-day, and, from the West and South-Western camps of the Federalists which justifies the secessionist ru mors of disaster in those quarters. The Confederates by moving out to meet McDowell anticipated the engagement, and brought on the action sooner than he expected, so much so that he was obliged to break up his column, and turn out the regiments right and left as well as he could to bring them into line. It would seem as if they were aware of his plans, for they disregarded the movements on their right, and did not exhibit any activity there till the force opposite their left began to give way, whereupon they made an attempt on the left flank of the Federalists, which added to the alarm of the retiring army. In my last letter, sent at 4 o'clock on Tuesday morning by special courier to Boston, where it arrived in time for the Wednesday packet of July 24, I brought down my narrative to the Monday preceding, such as it was, and have nothing to add to it of much consequence. One of the first acts of the Secretary of War, on being made aware of the reverse, was to telegraph to General McClellan to come to Washington, and to demand reinforcements from the Governors of the Northern States, as well as to put the authorities at Fort McHenry on their guard against a rising in Baltimore. On Tuesday, the rain having ceased in the morning early, the streets were crowded with baggage carts and with soldiers, who wandered up and down astonishing the natives with anecdotes of battle, and doing any thing but duty with their regiments. These men have now been coerced by the mounted patrols to repair to the rendezvous assigned for them by General Mansfield or to go to durance vile; but for the whole day and night the Capital presented an extraordinary aspect, to which a deeper interest was lent by the arrival of wagons and ambulances of wounded. WEDNESDAY, July 24. Before breakfast I rode over the Long Bridge to Arlington. There were groups of soldiers, mostly without arms or belts, some few shoeless, a good many footsore, going along the ground or standing in the streets of the city engaged in the occupation called "loafing" in these parts. Several of the men stopped me to inquire after the different regiments to which they belonged. They were dejected and brokenlooking fellows, but, at all events, their mien was more becoming than that of their officers, who are crowding about the hotels and talking of their "whipping" with complacency and without shame. A Washington paper, alluding to the demoralization of the regiments yesterday evening, calls on these officers "to forego one day's duty at the bars and hotels," and to return to their corps. Thousands of men follow the example of their superiors. The necessities of others compel them to seek out the quarters of their regiments that they may be fed. One man dressed in uniform had the im after a series of anecdotes, which would furnish a stupendous sequel to Munchausen, as to his valor, "masked batteries," charges of cavalry, &c., to ask me for the loan of $5, on the ground that he was a waiter at the hotel at which I had stopped in New York. I could perceive by his talk and by that of some other soldiers, the mode in which these stories about "charges" and "masked batteries" are made up. A newspaper reporter is made the victim of some glorious myths by a frightened, intoxicated, or needy warrior, and these are duly made immortal in type. Then hundreds of men, anxious to see what is said about them in the papers, and ignorant as soldiers generally are of the incidents of the affair in which they have been engaged, read of "Black Horse Rangers," "prodigious slaughter,' Fire Zouaves," Capt. Meagher, on a white charger, with a green flag, rushing into the midst of inaccessible and impregnable masked batteries, and persuade themselves it is all true, adding to their subsequent narratives such incidents of life and color as may be within their knowledge or imagination. Excitement has a wonderful influence on their perceptive faculties. Great exertions were requisite yesterday to prevent the mob of disorganized soldiers and the rabble from maltreating or murdering the Confederate prisoners, and it was necessary to rescue them by patrols of dragoons. In one instance a Senator informed General McDowell that he had seen the mob with his own eyes hanging a prisoner, and that gallant and generous officer at once rushed off, if he could not rescue, at least to avenge the "rebel; " but on arriving at the place he was happy to find he was in time to shield the man from the violence of the crowd, and that the Senator had mistaken an "effigy " for a human being. Gen. McDowell has been much distressed by the dastardly conduct of some of the beaten troops towards their prisoners, and there have been strange scenes in consequence. "General," said one man, "had I known this I would have died a hundred times before I fell into these wretches' hands. Let me go free, and let any two or four of them venture to insult me then!" The soldiers are, however, greatly irritated not only by defeat, but by reports of the most horrible cruelties and atrocities towards prisoners and wounded by the Confederates; indeed, if it should be the case that the latter burnt a hospital at Centreville with all the wounded, and that they cut the throats of captives and dying soldiers on the field of battle and in the retreat, the indignation and disgust of the whole civilized world should visit them, and their cause will be marred more by such vile cowardice and blood-thirstiness than ten such victories could advance it. For one, I am loth to credit these stories, but it is only right to say that there are many such current, particularly in reference to the New Orleans Zouaves. In a previous letter some account was given of the defences on the right bank of the river opposite to Washington. Men were engaged in working at the tête de pont, and letting the water of the river into the newly-dug ditch. It is probable the Long Bridge is mined, as no one is allowed to smoke upon it; but the carters, many of whom are negroes, do not pay much attention to the order when the sentries are not looking. Apropos of negroes, it is confidently asserted that a corps of them is employed by the Confederates for camp duty, if not for fighting, and that they were certainly employed to guard the prisoners, to the intense anger of the Federalists. One officer who came in says that he was actually in their custody. He escaped by a method not often resorted to by officers, for he pledged his word of honor he would not attempt to go away if he were allowed to go for a drink of water, and when he had done so, he made the best of his way to Washington, and told the anecdote in society, among whom was a member of the British legation. There is an increase of the camps on the heights up to Arlington, and there must now be a strong force of infantry there, though there is a deficiency in field-artillery. Of guns in position in the works there is the greatest abundance. The road up to Arlington House was dotted with men returning to the camps, few of whom were encumbered with firelocks, Gen. McDowell was sitting with some officers before his tent under the trees which shaded the place from the sun. He is a man in the prime of life, some 40 and odd years of age, very powerfully built, with a kindly, honest, soldierly expression in face and manners, and it was pleasant to see that though he was not proud of being "whipped," there was no dejection other than that a man should feel who has been beaten by his enemy, but who knows he has done his duty. Originally he had proposed a series of operations different from those which were actually adopted, and his dispositions for the advance of his columns after the scheme of attack was decided upon were careful and elaborate. But he miscalculated somewhat the powers of regular troops. All his subsequent operations were vitiated by the impossibility of gaining the points fixed on for the first day's march, and Gen. Tyler, who engaged somewhat too seriously with the enemy on the left at Bull Run on the Thursday before the battle in making what was a mere reconnoissance, put them on the alert and hastened up Johnston. The General was kind enough to go over the plans of the attack with me, and to acquaint me with the dispositions he had made for carrying out the orders he had received to make it and to my poor judgment they were judicious and clear. With the maps laid out on the table before his tent he traced the movements of the various columns from the commencement of offensive measures to the disastrous advance upon Manassas. It was evident that the Confederate Generals either were informed or divined the general object of his plan, which was, in fact, to effect a turning movement of his centre and right, while his left menaced their right on Bull Run, and to get round. their left altogether; for they had, soon after he moved, advanced their columns to meet him, and brought on an engagement, which he was obliged to accept on ground and at a time where and when he had not contemplated fighting. The initial failure of the movement took place several days earlier, when his columns were late on the march, though ample time had been allowed to them, so that, instead of getting to Centreville and to the Run, he. was obliged to halt at Fairfax Court House, and to lose another day in occupying the posi tions which ought to have been taken when he first advanced. By moving out to attack or meet him the enemy obliged him to abandon the design of turning them and getting round their left below. Manassas, and when once they did so it became obvious that he had not much chance of succeeding, unless he could actually push back the enemy and "keep them moving" with such rapidity that they would fly into and out of their lines just as his own troops did from the field. The officers who were present were all agreed that the Federalists had advanced steadily on the right and centre, and that they had, driven back the Confederates with considerable loss for a mile and a half when the panic took place in the regiments on the flank of the right, which necessitated the issue of an order for the retirement of the whole force, and the advance of the reserves to cover it. The volunteers who had broken could not be rallied, the movement, always dangerous with such materials, under such circumstances was misunderstood by the wagon-drivers and by other regiments, and the retreat became finally the shameful rout, which was only not utterly disastrous because of the ignorance and inactivity or the weakness of the enemy. Major Barry, an officer of the regular United States Artillery, told me he could not stop the runaways, who ought to have protected his guns, though the gunners stood by them till the enemy were fairly upon them, and that, as for the much-talked-of cavalry, two round shots which were pitched into them by his battery sent them to the rightabout at once. The regular officers spoke in only one way of the conduct of the officers of the volunteers and of certain regiments. Indeed, what could be said of men who acted after and in action as others acted before it, and went away as fast as they could? Thus the men of a volunteer battery marched off, leaving their guns on the ground, the very morning of the engagement, because their three-months' term of service was up, and the Pennsylvania regiments exhibited a similar spirit. The 69th Irish volunteered to serve as long as they were required, and so did some other corps, I believe; but there must be something rotten in the system, military and political, which generates such sentiments and de velops neither the sense of military honor nor | any of that affectionate devotion for the Union which is called by one party in America patriotism. As the General was speaking to me, a volunteer Colonel came up, and said abruptly, "General, my men have had nothing to eat for four days; what is to be done?" "Make an application to the commissariat officer, and represent the circumstances to me. There is no reason whatever why the men should be without food, for there is plenty of it in camp." "Yes; but the carters won't bring it. They go away and leave us, and, as I tell you, the men have had nothing for four days." "I tell you, sir, that must be the fault of their officers. Why were not the circumstances reported? Go over to Capt. and he will take the necessary steps." And, after some further expatiation on the hardships of his case, the Colonel, who is as brave as a lion, but who is not very well acquainted with military routine, retired. It need not be said that the men were not actually without food for four days, although the Colonel's statement in reference to the commissariat was true. Reckless as all soldiers are of provisions and food, volunteers are notoriously extraordinarily so. Then, there is probably a want of organization in the commissariat. McDowell's corps were ordered to march with three days' food cooked, not including, of course, the day of marching. The food was, however, issued, inclusive of that day, and next day the men had eaten up or wasted the two days' rations in one, and had nothing. They were badly provided with food and with water on the very day of the action, and some men told me that evening they had eaten nothing since 24 A. M. Indeed, the General witnessed the disorder which was caused by the regiments rushing out of the ranks to drink at a small stream before they went into action, though their canteens were filled before they set out. Mr. Wadsworth, a gentleman of New York of large fortune, who, with the rank of Major, is acting as aide-decamp to the General, had just come in from Centreville from the Confederates, to whom he had gone yesterday with a flag of truce, relative to the dead and wounded. They would not permit him to enter their lines, but otherwise received him courteously, and forwarded his despatches. This morning he was told that an answer would be sent in due time to his despatches, and he was ordered to return to his quarters. While I was at Arlington, despatches and messengers were continually arriving. One was from head-quarters, appointing Major Barry to command the artillery. Another stated that the enemy had advanced to Fairfax Court House. Presently in came two young men, who said they had been prevented going to that place by the approach of the Confederates, and that they had heard the sound of guns as they turned back. The balloon was up in the air reconnoitring, or, as I suspect, struggling with the wind, which was drifting it steadily toward the Confederates. No one seemed to know, however, what Beauregard and Lee are doing, but it is affirmed that Johnston has gone off with a corps towards Western Virginia once more, and that an insurrection in Baltimore and Maryland is only prevented by the reënforcements which are pouring in to Gen. Banks, and by the anticipations of speedy aid from the Confederates. Mr. Bernal, the British consul, came over to-day to consult with Lord Lyons on certain matters connected with our interests in the city of Baltimore. As the truth is developed the secessionists in Washington become radiant with joy, and cannot conceal their exultation wherever it is safe to indulge it. Their ears are erect for the sound of the cannon which is to herald the entrance of the enemy into the capital of the United States. The Unionists, on the other hand, speak of the past hopes of the enemy, of the great reënforcements arriving, of the renewed efforts of the North, and of its determination to put down rebellion. There must be an infatuation which amounts to a kind of national insanity in a portion of the North, or is it possible that they believe what the journals tell them-that they are the strongest, bravest, richest, mightiest people in the world, and that they have only to will it, and the world-including the Confederate States-is prostrate before them? The exaggerations and misstatements of part of the American press would certainly lead those who believed it to such conclusions. 66 Let us take a few phrases from the papers in reference to the action at Manassas, One New York journal on Monday announced positively "the national troops undisputed victors." "Bull Run lost, they must want water.” "The enthusiasm which carried certain regiments" whose "brave and brilliant exploits" were "preeminent," "into the face of the intrenched foe was startling in its effect." "The nation has triumphed! Praise be to God! Live the Republic!" It does "not infer the Southern men are cowards," but that "all the forgery, perjury, and telegraphic lying have not weaned a very large proportion of them from their old love of the Union." Splendid Union victory!" "Terrible slaughter!" "Twelve hours' terrific fighting! "Their last hope gone!" "Heroism of the Union forces! They know no such word as 'fear!'" "Hot chase of the rebels!" At 5.30, when the Federalists were in retreat, "an officer telegraphs the enemy totally routed." There is, of course, plenty of "flanking" and "masked batteries; and, as a proof of hard work on the part of the pioneers, it is remarked-" An observer judged it would ordinarily take three months to do what these lumbermen did in half a day!" "Guns were discharged as rapid as two in a minute." "We have successfully outflanked the enemy." A "brigadier quartermaster was taken. several places it is stated that the men asserted "their officers were cowards." In another journal of New York there are accounts of the · In The rebel army could have entered Washington-He speculates as to the reasons why it did not. “Greatest battle ever fought on this conti- MR. RUSSELL'S THIRD LETTER ON BULL RUN. nent!" "Fearful carnage on both sides!" "Incessant roar of artillery and rattle of smallarms!" "Terrible tenacity!" "After a terrifie fight, each and every rebel battery was WASHINGTON, July 29, 1861. taken!" "Now on to Richmond!" "The On this day week the Confederates could rout of the enemy was complete!" "Crush-have marched into the capital of the United ing rebellion! "Victory at Bull Run; Sum- States. They took no immediate steps to folter avenged! A "battle of unparalleled se- low up their unexpected success. To this moverity! "Our gallant and laurel-crowned ment their movements have betrayed no fixity army! Another newspaper, "Our army of purpose or settled plan to pursue an aggresswent into battle with firm step and light ive war, or even "to liberate Maryland if they hearts, singing patriotic songs." Bull Run de- have the means of doing so." feat is placed among those great military achievements which in ancient and modern times have overthrown or marked the beginning of empires," &c., "not less than 125,000 being engaged on both sides." The poor blusterer tells us 16 an army equal in numbers to that of France, and as well disciplined, will burn to resent the wrongs that have been offered to the country, and they will rejoice at being able to display abroad the valor for which there will be no longer a field at home." It would be worth while to know what the Secretary of State thinks of this style of writing at present. His frame of mind just now, perhaps, is not suited to such strong expressions, particularly as the people they are meant to arouse only laugh at them. And, indeed, their success was, as I suspected, not known to them in its full proportions, and their loss, combined, perhaps, with the condition of their army, as much as political and prudential motives actuating their leaders, may have had a fair share in producing the state of inactivity with which the Federalists have no reason to be dissatisfied. A diplomatic view of our Union position. Let us look around, now that the smoke of battle has cleared away, and try to examine the condition of the ground. First, as regards foreign relations: The personal good feeling and perfect understanding which exist between the representatives of the great European powers directly interested in America, are founded on an apTHURSDAY, July 25, 1861. preciation of the exact demands of the interests Last night there was an alarm that the en- they represent, and on the necessities of a comemy were advancing. General Scott and his mon honorable policy. England, having a vast staff were roused up in the night by messen- commerce directly involved in the contest, has gers from the outposts. There was a similar naturally been the first to provide for its safety alarm in Alexandria, but the report was un-in American waters, and has also felt it desirtrue. The Confederates, however, have advanced their pickets within six miles of the latter place. The War Department is in ignorance of their general movements, and can get no intelligence from the country. Several regiments marched out of the city, as their time was up, and their places will be taken by others coming in from the North and West. The three-months men are going off just as their services are most needed. Can any one say the three-years men may not do the same? The proportions of the contest are not likely to be dwarfed. FRIDAY, July 26, 1861. I have kept my letter open to the last moment, but there is no change to announce, except a nearer advance of the enemy's pickets on the road to Alexandria. General McClellan has arrived, and it is said he will send a force out at once to guard the Upper Potomac, and to prevent any force crossing in that direction. The weather is not excessively hot, and is favorable enough for campaigning purposes. Washington is quiet to-day as yet. There are considerable additions to be made to the works on the other side, and, indeed, there is a hill in front of one of the redoubts which commands it a trifle, and which it is an oversight not to fortify. In a few days, if a column is ready, I hope to be able to accompany it. able, in the face of the desperate counsels which have been given on this side of the Atlantic, to furnish a trifling reinforcement to her small military establishment in Canada. The fleet at present in observation is neither powerful nor offensively disposed, and no exception can be taken to the mode in which it has acted by the most sensitive Americans, although attempts have been made to arouse vulgar prejudices by erroneous statements respecting the views and declarations of Admiral Milne. The authoritative assertions on that subject in some of the journals here are destitute of authority, except that of the writer. What is of more consequence, perhaps, in respect to the preservation of friendly relations between England and the United States, is the fact that a great change has come over the views of the members or member of the Cabinet who was supposed to seek the reconstruction of the Union in a war with Great Britain, and that the most favorable disposition is evinced to cultivate our good graces, not by any sacrifice of principles, but by the adoption of a tone at once calm, just, and dignified, which will be appreciated by the Foreign Office. It is not probable, either, that we shall hear much more about the immediate annexation of Canada, and the fury of 750,000 "better than French" soldiers with which we were threatened will be for a time averted. not received; the exchange of prisoners with rebels is ridiculous. A regular "blockade" of rebel ports is quite anomalous. It remains to be seen, after Mr. Davis's recent hints, what the Government dares to do in the case of the "pirates" whom its cruisers caught in the act, redhanded, of privateering policy. Meantime the arm raised to chastise and subdue has been struck down, and the attitude of the North is just now defensive. There will be on the part of the one people whom the American press has most insulted and abused every disposition to give fair play and to listen to the call for "time." But the quarrel must have its limits The Morrill Tariff as a cause of embroilment. But if there are such pleasant changes in the diplomatic and press world, there is nothing at all like them in commercial relations. In the Senate it is proposed to clap a round ten per cent. on all the duties to be levied under the Morrill tariff, and Mr. Simmons, the father of this wicked little bit of political economy, declares he will thereby raise $45,000,000 of additional revenue. The House of Representatives, on the contrary, propose to raise revenue by taxes on coffee, tea, sugar, pepper, spices, and articles of the sort, not of necessity nor of luxury, but in the intermediate position, so that every one who uses them now will con--the time must be fixed, and the sponge must tinue to do so, notwithstanding the tax, and no one will be the worse for it. On these plans it is probable there will be a conference between the two branches of the Legislature, in which the contending systems may be adjusted or amalgamated. The income tax to be adopted will give some $40,000,000, according to the calculations of the designers, and the people fondly believe it will be removed as soon as the war is over. The mercantile interests of France and Russia-Alleged opinions of the ministers of both these coun tries. If the increase of ten per cent. on the Morrill tariff be actually passed, it is difficult to sce how France can continue to regard with friendly feelings such a direct attack on her great article of exportation. England is accustomed to bear these things from the United States, but France cannot afford any meddling or mischief in her wine trade and her tobacco monopoly. M. Mercier, the energetic and able representative of our ally, is said to entertain strong notions that the contest now waging cannot terminate in the success of the North in what it proposes to itself. M. de Stoeckl, the Russian minister, who has lived long in America, knows her statesmen and the genius of her people and institutions, and is a man of sagacity and vigorous intellect, is believed to hold the same views. Perhaps the only minister who has really been neutral, observing faithfully all engagements to actually existing powers, and sedulously avoiding all occasion of offence or irritability to an irritable people, rendered more than usually so by the evil days which have fallen upon them, is the discreet and loyal nobleman who represents Great Britain, and who is the only one threatened with a withdrawal of passports and all sorts of pains and penalties for the presumed hostility of his Government to the United States. Is the North acting merely on the defensive? The world sees that the North has not treated the Southerners as rebels-we will not say it has not dared to do so. But the Federalists have treated the Confederates up to this moment as belligerents. Rebels are hanged, impris oned, and shot at discretion. Their flags are be thrown up if one or other of the combatants cannot "come up" to it; nor does it seem a case in which any amount of "judicious bottleholding" can prolong the fight. Now, at the present moment, the North is less able to go into the contest than she was a month ago. She has suffered a defeat, she has lost morale and materiel. Besides killed, wounded, and prisoners, cannon, arms, baggage, she has lost an army of three-months men, who have marched away to their homes at the very moment the capital was in the greatest danger. The Federal reinforcements. do not bring up the Federalists to the strength Up to this period the reinforcements received they had before the fight. No one can or will tell how many have strayed away and gone off from their regiments since they returned to the camps here, but the actual number of men who have come here are less than those who have gone away home by fully 8,000 rank and file. And the change has been by no means for the better. The three-months men at least had been three months under arms. They were probably at of their people. Just as they are most required least as martial and as ready to fight as the rest and likely not to be quite unserviceable, they retire to receive ill-deserved and ridiculous ovations, as though they had been glorious conquerors and patriots, instead of being broken and routed fugitives, who marched off from Washington when it might be expected the enemy were advancing against it. In their place come levies who have not had even the three months' training, and who are not as well equipped, so far as I can see, as their predecessors, to face men who are elated with success to be associated with regiments cowed, probąand the prestige of the first battle gained, and bly, and certainly, in some instances demoralized, by defeat. The artillerymen who cut the traces of their horses from caisson and carriage at least knew more about guns than the men who will be put to the new field batteries which Government are getting up as fast as they can; and the muskets, of the best description, left on the field or taken, cannot be replaced for a long time to come. In fact, much of this army must be reorganized in face of an enemy. That enemy is either |