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[192] from about 10 A. M. until 4 P. M. on a hot and dusty day in July. McDowell in person reached Centreville before sunset, 1 and found there Miles's division with Richardson's brigade and 3 regiments of Runyon's division, and Hunt's, Tidball's, Ayres's, and Greene's batteries and 1 or 2 fragments of batteries, making about 20 guns. It was a formidable force, but there was a lack of food and the mass of the army was completely demoralized. Beauregard had about an equal force which had not been in the fight, consisting of Ewell's, Jones's, and Longstreet's brigades and some troops of other brigades. McDowell consulted the division and brigade commanders who were at hand upon the question of making a stand or retreating. The verdict was in favor of the latter, but a decision of officers one way or the other was of no moment; the men had already decided for themselves and were — streaming away to the rear, in spite of all that could be done. They had no interest or treasure in Centreville, and their hearts were not there. Their tents, provisions, baggage, and letters from home were upon the

Brigadier-General Louis Blenker2 from a photograph.

banks of the Potomac, and no power could have stopped them short of the camps they had left less than a week before. As before stated, most of them were sovereigns in uniform, not soldiers. McDowell accepted the situation, detailed Richardson's and Blenker's brigades to cover the retreat, and the army, a disorganized mass, with some creditable exceptions, drifted

1 left the field with General Franklin. His brigade had dissolved. We moved first northerly, crossed Bull Run below the Sudley Spring Ford, and then bore south and east. Learning by inquiries of the men I passed that McDowell was ahead of me, I left Franklin and hurried on to Centreville, where I found McDowell, just after sunset, rearranging the positions of his reserves.-J. B. F.

2 Colonel Louis Blenker, commanding the first Brigade of miles's division, covered the retreat of the army from Centreville, which he describes as follows: “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 the retreating baggage-wagons of several divisions, and by the vast numbers of flying soldiers belonging to various regiments. . . . the 8th [New York volunteer] regiment took position one and a half miles south of Centreville, on both sides of the road leading to Bull Run. The 29th [New York] regiment stood half a mile behind the 8th, en echiquier by companies. The Garibaldi Guard stood as reserve in line behind the 29th regiment. The retreat of great numbers of flying soldiers continued till 9 o'clock in the evening, the great majority in wild confusion, but few in collected bodies. Soon afterward several squadrons of the enemy's cavalry advanced along the road and appeared before the outposts. They were challenged by ‘who comes there?’ and remaining without any answer, I, being just present at the outposts, called, ‘Union forever.’ whereupon the officer of the enemy's cavalry commanded, ‘en avant; en avant. knock him down!’ now the skirmishers fired, when the enemy turned around, leaving several killed and wounded on the spot. About nine prisoners, who were already in their hands, were liberated by this action. Afterward we were several times molested from various sides by the enemy's cavalry. At about midnight the command to leave the position and march to Washington was given by General McDowell. The Brigade retired in perfect order, and ready to repel any attack on the road from Centreville to Fairfax Court House, Annandale to Washington.”--editors.

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