466 Defeat of the Federals at Bull Run. [isei in length, his force having been increased to over 23,000 men with 35 guns. By an unopposed but rather slow march, McDowell reached the village of Centerville, opposite the enemy, on the 20th, and on the following day, Sunday, July 21, crossing Bull Run by a circuitous march, attacked the enemy's left flank. Until noon he drove the Confederates before him ; and had General Scott's promise been fulfilled, would have secured an easy victory. The usual dispute exists whether or not Patterson, in the Shenandoah Valley, obeyed orders, but the exact fact remains that he neither attacked nor strongly threatened, and that on the 18th Johnston marched away from him, with 9000 effectives, and got them safely into Beauregard's camp behind Bull Run on the afternoon of the 21st, increasing the Confederate forces (at the close of the fight) to a total of 32,000 men with 57 guns. When therefore McDowell resumed his attack in the afternoon, his advance was checked ; and about four o'clock seven fresh rebel regiments suddenly came out of the woods from the direction of the Manassas rail- road station, against the Union right flank. At this heavy onset from an unexpected quarter, the Union soldiers gave up the fight, and half marched, half ran from the field, convinced that Johnston's army had at length arrived, and not knowing that they had been fighting a portion of it all day. The Confederates were as much surprised as their foes at their sudden victory. There was little pursuit. The vanquished regiments hurried to Centerville, sweeping the reserves back with them in a general retreat upon Washington. The losses, nearly equal on both sides, attest the common valour of the raw troops which for the first time met in battle. The official reports show a loss to the Union side of 25 guns, 460 killed and 2436 wounded and missing; on the Confederate side, 387 killed, 1582 wounded, and a few prisoners. General Sherman, who commanded a brigade in it, says, " It was one of the best planned battles of the war, but one of the worst fought." General Johnston says, "If the tactics of the Federals had been equal to their strategy, we should have been beaten." The Confederate victory at Bull Run produced throughout the South a feeling of wild exultation, and full confidence in its ability to achieve ultimate independence. To the North, on the contrary, the Union defeat was a bitter disappointment and a deep humiliation. The newspaper reports of the battle greatly exaggerated the disaster, representing it as an unmitigated panic and rout. What there was of panic had occurred among the fringe of teamsters and camp-followers at the rear. It was this which came under the personal notice of the newspaper correspon- dents, and gave colour to their whole recital of the day's events. In reality most of the regiments returned to the forts before Washington in reasonably good order, though, as always happens, there were many stragglers ; and these, drifting in confusion through the national capital
