Echoes of First Bull Run: Words of Battle
Yesterday on the 162nd anniversary of First Bull Run (Manassas), I paged through that battle book from the Voices of the Civil War series. Scanning the different primary source excerpts, I had an idea. What if I pulled the dialog quotes out of the primary sources and put those quotes into a document? Instead of a full quote or explanations of the context of the words, what if I just put the quotes one after another? Could we get a sense of the battle experience and confusion?
So, I invite you to set aside the historical details and deeper context for a moment and just let these words spoken on the battlefield tell their own story.
(I’ve included the citations for the speakers and the book’s page references in the source section.)
“The enemy is moving heavy columns from Manassas.”[i]
“Who taught you fellows the skirmish drill?” “The same man that taught you’ns.”[ii]
“Doug, I am awfully sleepy and will just take a nap if you will watch those fellows there.” “Look out Lieutenant! Here they are!”[iii]
“Look out for your left. You are flanked.”[iv]
“FORWARD YOUR BATTERY!”[v]
“Attention! left face—double-quick—march!”[vi]
“Forward, 2d Rhode Island!”[vii]
“Up Alabamians.”[viii]
“Boys where was I hit?”[ix]
[After shooting] “Boys I got one anyway.”[x]
“O! Lord!” [exclamation of pain after woundings][xi]
“Cowards! Cowards! What are you lying down there for?”[xii]
“We’ll come out there directly and show you how to serve that battery!”[xiii]
“Get up there, some you men, and help serve the battery.”[xiv]
“Good God! Major Sykes, you regulars are just what we want: form on my left and give aid to my men who are being cut to pieces!”[xv]
“Right flank, by file left!”[xvi]
“We must get these men out of here.”[xvii]
“Fire!”[xviii]
“Don’t shoot; it is a Massachusetts regiment, or the Eighth New York.”[xix]
“Show your colors.”[xx]
“Ne-ne-ne-never mind a f-f-few shells, boys G-G-G-God Almighty is m-m-merciful. G-g-g-give it to ‘em b-b-boys; God l-l-loves a cheerful g-g-giver.”[xxi]
“Fall back in good order men!”[xxii]
“What regiment is this?” “Why General, don’t you know your own men—this is what is left of the 4th Alabama.” “Come with me and go yonder where Jackson stands like a stonewall.”[xxiii]
“Boys, there is the prettiest sight from the top of the hill you ever saw; they are coming up on the other side in four ranks, and all dressed in red.”[xxiv]
“Stay in ranks.”[xxv]
“We will see them soon enough.”[xxvi]
“Hello! what men are these?”[xxvii]
“Lookout boys, you’re going into a hot place now!”[xxviii]
“Fire once, boys, then charge, and you’ve got ‘em.”[xxix]
“Don’t fire men, those are our friends.”[xxx]
“I am Colonel Smith, otherwise Governor Smith, otherwise Extra Billy Smith.”[xxxi]
“Boys, they are coming, now wait until they get close before you fire.”[xxxii]
“Do not fire yet.”[xxxiii]
“Charge!”[xxxiv]
“By companies, left wheel…Double quick.”[xxxv]
“Blackford, are those our men or the enemy?”[xxxvi]
“Cease firing, you are firing on friends!” “Friends, hell! That looks like it.”[xxxvii]
“Attention! Forward march! Charge bayonets! Double quick!”[xxxviii]
“Boys, let’s turn the guns on them.”[xxxix]
“Fall back fall back, men.”[xl]
“That is the enemy; shall we fire?” “Don’t be in a hurry; don’t fire upon friends.” “There is no mistake; give them h—l, boys!” [abbreviation original][xli]
“Who the hell are those fellows over yonder?” “Fall in! Fall in men!” “Where is the 14th Brooklyn?” “Where is the 69th New York?”[xlii]
“Taken them to the front; it is our left that is driven back; but the ground is new to me, and I cannot direct you exactly.”[xliii]
“We have been in and had a hack at the Rebs and now it is your turn.”[xliv]
“Fire!”[xlv]
“They will not stay together; they will not obey me.” “For God’s sake stop; don’t leave us!” “The enemy is upon us! We shall all be taken!”[xlvi]
“Do try again. See there; let us try to form like that.”[xlvii]
“The Black Horse Cavalry are upon us!”[xlviii]
“What do you suppose they are trying to do?” “They are trying to kill every mother’s son of us; that is what they are trying to do.”[xlix]
“Ever been whipped before, Captain?” “Not since I left school!” “Well, Captain, it’s my private opinion, publicly expressed, that it’s a d—-disagreeable thing to be whipped.” [abbreviation original][l]
Source:
All quotes are from this book:
Paul Mathless, editor, Voices of the Civil War: First Manassas (Richmond: Time-Life Education, 1997).
[i] Union General McDowell, page 97.
[ii] Colonel McCook and Captain George M. Finch of the 2nd Ohio Infantry, page 97
[iii] Lieutenant Douglas S. Forrest and Private Lovelace of the 17th Virginia Infantry, page 97-98.
[iv] Captain Edward Porter Alexander, Confederate signal officer, page 98.
[v] Union General McDowell or General Hunter to Lieutenant J. Albert Monroe, Reynolds’ Battery of the Rhode Island Artillery, page 100.
[vi] Union Colonel Fiske, page 102.
[vii] An officer of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, page 103.
[viii] Confederate General Bee, page 104.
[ix] “Coon” Mitchell of the 8th Georgia Infantry, page 107.
[x] Private George S. Barnsley of the 8th Georgia Infantry, page 107.
[xi] Wounded of the 8th Georgia Infantry, page 107.
[xii] Union Captain of an artillery battery, page 108.
[xiii] Old Sergeant from the 3rd U.S. Infantry, page 108.
[xiv] Union Major Sykes, page 108.
[xv] Union General Burnside, page 109.
[xvi] Officers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, page 109.
[xvii] Confederate General Bartow to the 8th Georgia/Atlanta Grays, page 109.
[xviii] Soldiers of the 27th New York Infantry, page 114.
[xix] Soldiers of the 27th New York Infantry, page 114.
[xx] Bob Frazee of the 27th New York Infantry, page 114.
[xxi] Lieutenant Colonel Chambers of the 27th New York Infantry, page 114.
[xxii] Conner of Hampton’s Legion from South Carolina, page 117.
[xxiii] Confederate General Bee and a Captain from the 4th Alabama Infantry, page 121.
[xxiv] Sergeant James P. Daily of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 123.
[xxv] Colonel Cummings of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 123.
[xxvi] Sergeant James P. Daily of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 123.
[xxvii] Advancing Union soldiers, page 123.
[xxviii] U.S. Regular Cavalry to soldiers of the 1st Minnesota Infantry, page 125.
[xxix] Union General Heintzelman, page 125.
[xxx] Officer in the 1st Minnesota Infantry, page 125.
[xxxi] Confederate Colonel Smith, page 126.
[xxxii] Colonel Cummings of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 126.
[xxxiii] Sergeant Major Randolph J. Barton of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 126.
[xxxiv] Colonel Cummings of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 126.
[xxxv] Officers of the 11th New York Infantry, page 128.
[xxxvi] Colonel JEB Stuart of the Virginia Cavalry, page 129.
[xxxvii] Colonel Cummings and Private John O. Casler of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 132.
[xxxviii] Colonel Cummings of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, page 132.
[xxxix] Thomas Furlough of the 33rd Virginia Infantry, his last words, page 132.
[xl] Colonel Allen of the 2nd Virginia Infantry, page 134.
[xli] North Carolina soldiers and Colonel William Smith of the 49th Virginia Infantry, page 134.
[xlii] Soldiers in the 1st Minnesota Infantry, page 135.
[xliii] Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, page 140.
[xliv] Soldiers of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, page 141.
[xlv] Lieutenant Squires, Confederate artillery, page 144.
[xlvi] Officers in Heintzelman’s Division (Union), page 145.
[xlvii] C.H. Howard, Union staff officer, page 145.
[xlviii] Soldiers in Heintzelman’s Division (Union), page 145.
[xlix] Lieutenant J. Albert Monroe and Captain Reynolds of the Rhode Island Artillery, page 152.
[l] Union General Sherman and Captain George M. Finch, page 153.
Perfectly captures the chaos of that, and every, battle. Well done, Sarah.
“The fog of war” at its most obvious. Good job..
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