WARREN LETTER: MANASSAS

" .... they'd already been a pretty brisk fight

> > earlier ... the Tiger Rifles

> > givin a good accounting by killin some yankee's."

> >

>*(It is believed that the Author of this letter is

>referring to the Fight at the Stone Bridge. At about

>5:30 am, Tyler's Div. is sent forward to start a

>diversionary attack against Col. Evans Brigade

>consisting of Sloan's 4th South Carolina Reg. and

>Wheat's Battalion. After about two hours of fighting

>across Bull Run Creek, with no real Union assault,

>Col. Evans receives this message,"Look out to your

>Left, you are Turned!". Col. Evans leaves 4 Companies

>of the 4th S.C. to hold the bridge and moves the rest

>of his Brigade, about 1,000 men, West to Matthews

>House Hill, Just East of Sudley road. Unknown to Col.

>Evans he has placed his Brigade right in front of

>18,000 Union Troops, Gen. McDowell's surprise attack

>on the Confederate Left Flank.)

>"Theyd moved Co B down onto some pretty flat grassy

>ground."

>*(Wheat moves his Battalion in advance of the 4th S.C.

>Reg. by about 2 or 3 hundred yards,in a flat area

>between Matthews Hill and Buck Hill.)

>"They wasnt much to see cause of the smoke and dust,

>almost like being caught in a smoky glass jar.

>Occasionally the flash of a big gun could be seen

>through the murk. It was kinder like a nightmare and a

>damned lonely feelin - they was an ungodly sound made

>by both horse and men that was shot up.  Peerin offn

>to the murk it wasnt hard to imagine the ghostlike

>figures of yankees movin about. Naurally this was jes

>jitters and they really wasnt anything about.

>*(It is unclear what "big gun" the Author is talking

>about. It could be one of the two guns of Evans

>Brigade or those of Col. Ambrose Burnsides Rhode

>Island Reg. at the head of the Union advance. It is

>known that July 21st, 1861 was very hot and humid, and

>the smoke from gun fire and the dust from troop

>movements hung thick in the air.)

>"T'werent long afore a passel of sojers come up near

>us. They was either North Carolina or Alabama Men.

>Not much mind was given to these fellars till theyd

>wheeled and fired a volley directly at Co B. They was

>a ways off and about the time we seen the flash of a

>volley they was clods flyin amongst the fellars and

>the zip and whir of punkin balls flyin.  Needless to

>say nary a child, Private to Officer figured out what

>had happened. All was plumb corralled by our own

>fellars firin into Co B. Pvt M threw up his punkin

>chucker and said "thems some ignorant bastards ..."

>and fired in the general direction or thems that had

>fired on Co B.  Tiger Rifle blood was runnin hot ..

>though no one had been snaked in the firin. They was a

>presence of mind to let fly on these fearsomely

>confused rascals. In the instant most of the Tiger

>Rifles was involved in an impromptu turkey shoot.

>Turned out with the smoke and what not our shootin was

>no bettern the other fellars and we didnt snake anyone

>either. This did raise the alarm amongst the Officers

>and they was much yellin for all of us to quit shootin

>  .. not to mention a lot of yellin and cussin from

>thems that had started this whole affair.  Sad I say

>but we was not inclined to jes up and quit 'gardless

>of the caterwaulin of the fellar what refered to

>hisself as Cap'n White or Lt D or any the others.

>Needless my mention but they was quite frittered and

>soon Major Rob come over and says they should move us

>in an advance so's we would quit shootin."

>*(It is well documented that the skirmishers of the

>4th S.C. mistook the blue jackets of Co.B 's Tiger

>Rifles for Union Troops and fired on them. It is also

>well known that the Tigers fired back! It is believed

>that it was this fire that caused Col. Burnside to

>send his Rhode Island men in right away, by Regiment,

>instead of waiting and sending them in mass attack.)

>  "Another shot or 2 fired offn the smoke and we was

>movin forward with some grumblin and agitation.  Along

>the way the ground sloped down a bit an a slight

>breeze had stirred we come out of the murk an could

>see a treeline down past some busted up ground.  We

>was a couple rods from the tree's  when it was noted

>that they was a fairly heavy movement of blue comin

>outtn the trees to our front.  Major Rob  rode along

>our front .. a splendid lookin man in a dark blue

>bottle frock an a straw hat  agin his eyes glitterin

>an face mottled up red. He said "well here it is boys

>.. lets give em hell ". He made damn sure to look deep