true men, strong men, with a powerful, enduring physique, and mental force to sustain it; patriotic men, who cared more for their country and liberties than for wealth or comfort, or even life itself; brave men, who would not shrink from the flashing steel or the belching cannon; men who were willing to be taxed to the last dollar if need be; men imbued with the high faith of religion, and who could go into battle from their knees, and with songs of praise to the Lord of hosts as their great commander: such men were required, and God had provided them in unnumbered thousands. The men of the churches, the very choicest young men from the prayer and class room, from the Sunday school, and the rooms of Christian associations, were everywhere seen gathering around the flag, ready to consecrate it by their prayers, and bathe it in their tears and their blood. They were the very life and soul of the grand army of Freedom.

But these brave citizens must be led; and it was a grave question who should be at the head of the nation when this frightful contest should come on. It must, moreover, be decided while yet an impenetrable veil hung over the dreadful future then just at hand. There was no wisdom in us equal to the selection of this man. We had our favorite candidates: we were grieved when they seemed strangely pushed aside, and a new man, a plain, untried man, rose up to receive our suffrage. I affirm that the people did not know this man; did not understand why he must be the choice of our leaders. We voted for him mechanically, blindly, to a large extent, simply understanding that he was a brave advocate for liberty; that he had not bowed down to slavery, and trusting that he would not; that he was a great debater, and a defeated candidate for the United-States Senate; that he had a reputation for honesty and integrity, - all sterling qualities but there were a thousand more, who, so far as we could see, had these to an equal degree, and a few who had much higher claims to statesmanship. We did not select him. He was brought forward, put into our hands,

and placed at the head of the government, by One who knew the coming events, and the man to guide the nation through the storm.

The same is true with regard to the leading minds in and out of Congress, and eminently so with regard to the commanders of our army and navy. How blind were most of our appointments! and how uncertain, in consequence, were our battles and campaigns! But at the right time, when the crisis demanded it, how strangely did an unseen Power bring forward the men, and especially the one great commander, to lead our armies through carnage and strife to the final triumph of liberty! In how few instances did the popular ideas and the judgment of Providence coincide! but how clearly were the acts of God vindicated! No matter how obscure and unpretending the man; God chose him: and we at length saw him,- the man, apparently the only man, for the grand emergency. Thus did Omniscient Wisdom adjust the conditions of our final success.

BULL RUN.

On the 16th of July, 1861, thirty thousand men moved out, under Gen. M'Dowell, to offer battle to an army of twenty thousand Confederates, 'under Gen. Beauregard, at Manassas. As auxiliary forces, the government had eighteen thousand men in the Shenandoah Valley, under Gen. Patterson, confronting eight thousand under Gen. J. E. Johnston at Winchester. Gen. Patterson was ordered to occupy the attention of Gen. Johnston, and prevent him from re-enforcing Beauregard.

M'Dowell's forces moved in four divisions, commanded respectively by Gen. Tyler, Col. Hunter, Col. Heintzelman, and Col. Miles. These men were brave, but undisciplined. Their march to the field of conflict was irregular and retarded. This, with the difficulty of bringing up his trains, left Gen. M'Dowell a day behind his plans,- an impor

tant day to the Confederates. He reached his headquarters, at Centreville, on the 18th. A reconnoissance in force, under Gen. Tyler, was immediately ordered, who, too impetuous, opened an artillery-fire, which at once notified the enemy of the contemplated attack, and changed the plan of the action; for Beauregard was just completing his arrangements to commence the offensive, when he discovered that he might receive his antagonist on his chosen ground, and with the advantage of his field-works. Tyler, not content without an engagement, then deployed his infantry along the run at Blackburn's Ford, and ordered them to fire into the woods. As this was a material point of the Confederates, they responded briskly; and Tyler found it prudent to withdraw his men.

The prelude to the great battle occupied the 19th and the morning of the 20th. In the mean time, M'Dowell had changed his plan.

Eight brigades of the Confederates confronted the Union army, guarding all the fords. A large portion of Johnston's forces had escaped Patterson, and joined Beauregard. This brought also to the Confederates the superior military skill of Gen. Johnston, who ranked Beauregard, and who upon all occasions showed the cool deliberation and steady valor of a good commander.

The Confederate generals now resolved to take the initiative; and, on the night of the 20th, orders were despatched to cross the creek at the lower fords, and attempt to turn the Union left. Before these orders reached their destination, Gen. M'Dowell had commenced the attack. Most unfortunately, this was Sunday morning, God's day of rest. Hunter's and Heintzelman's divisions, being behind Tyler's, were delayed three hours beyond the time appointed in getting to their position across Sudley's Ford, where the first main attack was to be made. Tyler, prompt as usual, moved up to his place at Stone Bridge, and at half-past six precisely, the time appointed, fired his signal gun. Evans, on the ex

treme rebel left, was occupied some three hours by the noise of Tyler's cannonade; but, observing a large column of men moving through the woods toward his rear, he changed front, and, in half an hour, threw his demi-brigade in order of battle in the way of the advancing Union troops. Burnside's men came first into action; Porter's next debouched from the woods, and formed on the right; Sykes, with his eight hundred regulars and Griffin's battery, took position promptly on the left; and the great battle began. Re-enforcements came to the support of Evans on the Confederate side. Col. Bee with a part of his brigade from Johnston's army, Col. Bartow with a portion of his brigade, and Imboden and Richardson with six additional pieces of artillery, came up, and entered vigorously into the conflict. The rebels' right, in the woods, was pressed severely by Sykes's battalion. Col. Bee, now in command of the Confederates, resisted with great bravery and strength; but the Union troops presséd him back, and soon became masters of that part of the field. They swept across Young's Branch, and forced the enemy up the slope to the top of the hill. Hampton, with his famous legion, rushed in to restore the battle, but, as Johnston said, "only helped to render efficient service in maintaining the orderly character of the retreat from that point." On the top of the ridge stood Col. Jackson with his brigade, dressed and calm as on a public parade. "There," said Bee, "is Jackson, standing like a stone wall;" and ever thereafter he was "Stonewall Jackson."

Let us now turn to another part of this bloody field. The movement of Evans to meet Hunter had left an opening in the Confederate lines. From the tops of trees it was seen that Evans was receding from the fire of Hunter's men. His re-enforcements coming up increased his stubborn resistance, but without decisive effect. Tyler ordered Sherman and Keyes to move up to Hunter's left. This was done promptly; but, the enemy yielding to the energy of Hunter's forces, Sherman, reporting to M'Dowell, was ordered to join

in the pursuit of the enemy, who were falling back to the Sudley-springs Road. Keyes formed on the left; and Heintzelman swept over the conquered field, and came up vigorously into action.

Victory for the grand army of the Republic now seemed certain. M'Dowell had three divisions, including some eighteen thousand men in admirable position; and, flushed with victory, they were ready to move on, and finish the battle.

Johnston and Beauregard, seeing the critical condition of their army, ordered up fresh troops. The brigades of Holmes, Early, Bonham, and Ewell, with the batteries of Pendleton and Albertis, promptly entered the struggle. The Confederate commanders rode rapidly four miles to the front, and threw themselves into the places of dreadful slaughter. Johnston seized the colors of the Fourth Alabama, and of fered to lead the attack. Gen. Beauregard leaped from his horse, and, turning his face to his troops, exclaimed, "I have come here to die with you!" The courage of their fainting army rose again. Many of the broken troops, fragments of companies, and individual stragglers, were re-formed, and brought into action. The battle was restored, and now raged furiously on the plateau around the Henry and the Robinson Houses. The brigades of Bee, Evans, Bartow, Bonham, Jackson, Hampton's legion, and Fisher's regiment, with the batteries of Imboden, Pendleton, Albertis, and others, now formed a new line of battle; and they were assailed with terrific energy by Union forces under command of Wilcox and Howard, supported by parts of Porter's brigade and Palmer's cavalry on the right, Franklin and Sherman in the centre, and Keyes on the left. The batteries of Rickett and Griffin were on the right, and that of Rhode Island on the left. Schenck's brigade and Ayres's battery on the other side of the run, and nine thousand men under Miles at Centreville, were in reserve.

The enemy's right now rushed to the charge; and Jack