WASHINGTON, July 22,
1861.
As you will probably have seen by the papers, before you
receive this letter, there has been a terrible battle fought at "Manassas
Gap," about twenty-six miles from here, and as you may not have seen, our
army, at least the right wing, has been badly whipped. The city is in great
excitement, the streets filled with flying soldiers, disbanded, disorganized,
without officers and without a rallying point. Up to five o'clock our men
behaved well and victory was apparently with the U. S. troops, but at that time
a large number of them became panic stricken by the appearance of a body of
rebel cavalry and took flight, which became a general stampede. A member of
Congress, Mr. Blake, who was witness of the engagement, has told me all about
it. He says when the rout commenced that the behavior of our men was perfectly
sickening. That they threw away their muskets and haversacks and fled like
frightened sheep. Teamsters cut their horses loose from their wagons and left
their baggage and stores of all kinds scattered upon the road, which was strewn
for miles with guns, pistols, ammunition, rice, sugar, flour, horse-feed,
blankets, everything, in short, that goes to make up the impedimenta of an
army, while broken and overturned wagons and carriages (for an immense number
of citizens went out to witness what they called the races, expecting to see
the rebel forces flee), the shrieks of the wounded, and the pitiful moaning of
those too tired to make headway and who were trampled upon by the stronger who
came after, conspired to make an hideous ending of the day. The enemy in
pursuit did not hesitate to bayonet or shoot any of the wounded found by the
wayside. They propose no quarter. The dead and wounded are being brought in by
hundreds. All day ambulances are passing my window on their way to the hospital
freighted with their ghastly loads. A mother, Mrs. McCook, living next door,
has just received the dead body of her son borne from the battlefield in the
arms of his father, who brings the news that another son has been killed in the
same engagement. They had eight sons and four nephews all in the service. Many
people here are frantic in the apprehension that Washington will be taken. Beauregard
has an hundred thousand troops now concentrated under his command, well
disciplined, well fed, and flushed with victory. He may press his present
successes.
Great complaint is made of General Scott; this as a matter
of course; if our army had been victorious, great praise had been awarded him,
for it is only success in arms that meets applause; nevertheless, I am forced
to the opinion that our army was in no condition for a great battle. We lack
officers of accomplishment in the profession, and in whom our men can repose
confidence in the hour of danger and trial. There was no such thing as
discipline or obedience to orders yesterday, particularly at such times when
obedience was most necessary. Indeed I have heard to-day of a colonel who all
day long was countermanding his general's orders, and who boasted that his men
would obey him sooner than their general. Consequently, there was no turning
the tide when flight commenced, the men were without confidence in their
officers, who, finding their orders unavailing, fled side by side with them,
and the only cry was "Sauve qui peut" and "the Devil take the
hindermost." General Schenck and his aides are in town, but I have not
been able to find Donn. I understand he is safe and shall endeavor to see him
this evening. I tried very hard yesterday to get out to the battlefield, but
though a member of Congress gave me a pass he had got for himself from General
Scott, I failed to procure any kind of a conveyance and it was too far to walk.
We have had a drenching rain all day which makes it still harder for the men to
rally.
SOURCE: Walter George Smith, Life and letters of Thomas
Kilby Smith, p. 169-71
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