,77 
 
7 
 
 / 
 
A COMPREHENSIVE SKETCH 
 
 -:OF; 
 
 THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS 
 
 OR 
 
 Second Battle of Bull Run, 
 
 GIVING A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT 
 ENGAGEMENTS OF THE LATE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE MANASSAS PANORAMA CO., 
 
 Cor. Fifteenth Street and Ohio Ave., 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. 
 
 1886. 
 
in 
 PANORAMA ' ^^ 
 
 OF 
 
 THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS 
 
 OR 
 
 SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN, 
 
 By THEO. POILPOT, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 The Panorama of the Battle of Reischoffen, Paris. 
 " " Storming of the Bastile, Paris. 
 
 " " Battle of Buzenval, Paris. 
 
 " " Charge of Balaclava, London. 
 
 ** " Passage of the Danube, Russia. 
 
 " " Battle of Shiloh, Chicago. 
 
 " " Merrimac and Monitor Naval Battle, N. Y. 
 
 " " Battle of Manassas, or Second Battle of 
 
 Bull Run, Washington, D. C. 
 
 CO- LABORERS 
 
 all graduates 01' THE ECOLE DES REAUX ARTS, PARIS. 
 
 Messieurs L. Du Paty (Sup't) Messieurs C. H. Delpy, 
 
 P. Carrier-Belleuse 
 
 L. KOWALSKY, 
 
 G. Bellenger, 
 E. Merlot, 
 N. Rebersat, 
 
 L. C. BOMBLED, 
 
 F. Bassot, 
 
 F. DE Launay, 
 
 G. PiCARD, 
 
 p. Ballue, 
 
 A. Le Prince (Manager.) 
 
 Everybody visiting New York should not fail to see Mons, Poilpot's late produc- 
 tion, " The Great Naval Battle between the Merrimac and Monitor Iron Glads, 
 the burning of the Congress and sinking of the Cumberland men of war." 
 
 The entire Press of New York have pronounced it the most perfect realism ever 
 produced. 
 
 It is on the corner of Madison Avenue and 59th Street, and quickly reached 
 by Elevated Road from down town. 
 
 No one goes to Chicago without going to see his " Battle of Shiloh." 
 
THE BATTLE 
 
 OF 
 
 Manassas or Second Bull Run. 
 
 2o.h,^:;:!::- :r it rr't:?':* °t '';"'""" ''"-"' ^^^^^ '"»"="»-"'' ^'■-=" *= 
 
 ll.c„,,dvos battle" ™ .,I.l" „T , " ,'r : °" "" =""">■ "'"»*»'G"veton. were in 
 Onr r»cer n vV ; rt:'""^"'-"' F"! °f "- S-nd Battle of B„„ K„„. 
 
 eom^ands of General, MoDoweM Ban! s a;!'rCT''" °''''° "?'""'"■ "'""P--)™' 
 Join, Pope , tl,o,e of the enen v Z I' /T!' ''"'"' """""'"'i'^'t ''y M»jo.- General 
 
 Robert E ice. N,,n2icX th«e f ™'' '"" '^"'""■' "-""■« '«' ''J' ««"«>■»' 
 
 prising about 55,lZ olall 'rr "'" ""'" "^""'^ '""°"««1- "'^ ""™- "-h "".- 
 
 "Ar,!;r;fr:ir :r.av:f;,:f rs:r";rt,::rf ™';"'^"'"" =°-"""" °^ "- 
 
 corps, Major General Fran, ■?i„„l i o, '""■^- /' "'"' '""o it was composed of the 1st 
 Major General Irv n ^.^^u'J^ 3' corps M^or General N. P. Banks; the 3d corps, 
 
 <«.ose Of Bnford and Ba,ardi:l;:';?^ rr^Ool sTbt'-^ ""' ' "''''" "' -'- 
 
 MajorGeneralPit. bnP rter- d'tl^re"™"":"-,^- ^-nt^ebnan, the ab corp,^ 
 with 10 batteries of artille j"Ma]„: G "e^/ A Tb '"•f"'' ''™™' '^ '" "™''' '°-'"''«'- 
 n,o„th to facilitate the ^J^ri^rJ^Z Ll^Z"'' ""' "'" '^'"''"■■""^- »' ^"'- 
 
 hoidti? ' s^hli'r'Lw 'int "7';'"^!"; ""^ """'^^ "°" »= " '■™"- - '>--. 
 
 Hatch (J. P.,, D™b o'dav p';,"! pT, ' p ' P'""'"''' <'°''°"' «'«"» («"• «). King. 
 Jackson (C. P ) Ken nv Poh!, ;t^^°"„'. °''""' '^'""'■■' "'J-""'*' """O". Seymour 
 B„..er«eld, SyL"^ Bl^i;,;*'^;: tan 'wlZ' Pil'tf °s.''°°'"' T''' «»-«"' «'^'=-". 
 most all of these gentlemen as weVa pTne Ind Z' ' ""^"""'' ""'="• A'" 
 
 were or had been offieer, of the rel, ,/ "^ , the corps commanders already named, 
 States Military Aeademv ,1 wL P °'T' "'"^ '" '"'"""'^ '=°'°"""">' ">» United 
 
 Mexico, and in the neirv bn. Z ' "°"'. """"y "^ "'™ "P= '■> experience derived in 
 
 otefTfr„;i;t;rr:;"-hri™"™ 
 
 ».that period Of tbert::r;;erortVe';:::::7:rc\:r:i^:tyo:h"''ir"'"' 
 
 in;sra: :,fti::'::er:;:':^^™t™'r '■""'""'" '- '•■■-" ^ "™' --s 
 
 wi-,g! rg'^and lT;ilr°lTitt*° command of General Lee, we're divided into two 
 
 W..I.. on this saL L^;i^i ^^^u:; ^i^i^X^:^:^. 
 
— 5 — 
 
 21 batteries, with Colonel Stephen D. Lee as Chief of Artillery ; that of the left wing, 
 also 21 batteries, with Colonel Stapleton Crutohfield Chief of Artillery. The calvary corps, 
 under the famous J. E. B. Stewart, consisted of the brigades of Fit/. Hugh Lee and Beverly 
 El. llobertson. Of these, and of the division and brigade commanders, many of them 
 were also ex-officers of the old regular army of the United States, who, in taking up arms 
 against their countrj', were the antagonists of their old friends, classmates, and comrades, 
 in a cause they believed to be right. Their names — many of them — are as familiar to 
 us all, as are those of the Union Army, and held as dearly in Southern remembrance as are 
 those of the Union roster. There was Evans and Hood and Law and Stevens ; there was 
 Wilcox (Cadmus) with Pryor and Featherston ; Kemper and Corse, Jenkins and Hutton ; 
 Jones (D. II.), Anderson (G. T.), Benning, and Drayton ; R. H. Anderson, Mahone, Wright, 
 and Armistead. All those of Longstreet's corps. Of "Stonewall" Jackson's command 
 there was Ewell, Lawton, Jubal Early, Fcrno, Trimble, Hill (A. P.), Branch, Gregg, Field, 
 Pender, Archer, Thomas, Starke, Baylor, Johnson (Bradley T.), Taliaferro, Stafford, and 
 many other well known officers. Like the men of the Union Army, the rank and flle of the 
 
 FIGHTING OVER THE FENCE. 
 
 Confederate forces were drawn from the best material of the South. Their terrible earnest- 
 ness made up in a largo measure for many deficiencies in clothing, camp equipage and 
 commissariat ; their courage and endurance are known of all men. 
 
 In order to a clear understanding of the Battle of Manassas, it seems desirable to explain 
 briefly the military situation immediately preceding this culmination of a short and— to the 
 Union Arms — disastrous campaign. 
 
— 7 — 
 
 General McClellun had already effected liis change of base, from the Chickahominy to 
 the James River, and it had been decided in Washington, to unite the Armies of the 
 Potomac and of Virginia, withdrawing for this purpose the Army of the Potomac from the 
 Peninsula. 
 
 On the 11th of July General Halleck was appointed General-in-Chief of all the armies of 
 the United States, and soon afterward reaching Washington, assumed command. Orders 
 were issued to McClcllan early in August to withdraw his army from the Peninsula and 
 •embark for Aquia Creek on the Potomac. To prevent a concentration of Lee's army upon 
 McClellan while executing this manoeuvre by making such demonstrations as would create 
 a diversion was the problem before Pope. 
 
 When Lee found McClellan's withdrawal from the Peninsula was determined, he saw 
 also two courses open to him — to concentrate upon and give battle to McClellan — and at 
 least embarass and delay his embarkation, or, disregarding the manoeuvres of the Army of 
 ■the Potomac, to mass his forces on Pope and crush him before McClellan could unite with 
 him. This latter course General Lee decided upon, with what lamentable result to us we all 
 know. 
 
 On August 13th, about the same time McClellan was embarking at Harrison's Landino- 
 the march of Longstreet with his corps of some 25,000 men was directed upon the Eapidan 
 near which, on the 9th of August, Banks had engaged Jackson at Cedar Mountain with dis- 
 asterous results to the Union arms. 
 
 The cavalry corps of the Confederate Army, under Stuart, was directed upon Gordons- 
 ville. Pope now fell back behind the Rappahannock, the movement being completed by the 
 20th, maintaining his commiuiications with Aquia Creek, at which point the corps of the 
 Army of the Potomac were to disembark. Reynolds' division of Pennsylvania Reserves 
 was the first of these troops to arrive on the 23d, when it was attached to the corps of 
 
 McDowell. For several days movements and counter-movements were takino- place the 
 
 two armies silently preparing for the great battle that evidently was impending. Presently 
 on the night of the 22d, Stuart made a dash with his cavalry around our left, striking the 
 railroad at Catlett's Station. This demonstration threatening Pope's rear had the usual 
 disturbing result of a cavalry raid, including the annoying capture of headquarters trains 
 and papers. 
 
 Lee now determined upon another and bolder movement, and Jackson with his whole 
 corps moved out on the morning of the 25th, and swung round our right for the purpose of 
 cutting our railroad communications and capturing 'or destroying the great mass of stores 
 assembled at Manassas Junction. It was a dangerous move for the enemy since there was 
 the chance of Jackson being crushed by Pope before Lee could send Longstreet to his aid^ 
 to say nothing of the risk of his running into large bodies of McClellan's troops advancing 
 from the direction of Alexandria and Falmouth. These troops, some of them, were already 
 en route to the front and some had joined. Heintzelman, with the divisions of Hooker and 
 Phil. Kearny, had already reported for duty with over 10,000 men ; Fitz John Porter's two 
 divisions of the 5th corps (Sykes [the regulars] and Morell) were at Kelley's Ford and 
 Bealton Station; and Reynolds, as has been said, was already up and at Warrenton.. 
 
 Buford was on the right, near Waterloo, with his cavalry } Ricketts was near Warren- 
 ton ; King was stretched out on the road between Warrenton and Sulphur Springs ; Sigel 
 was in camp near by ; Banks was at Fayetteville ; and Heintzelman was near Warrenton 
 Junction where Pope's Headquarters were. On the night of the 26th the " Foot Cavalry " 
 of Stonewall Jackson was at Bristoe Station with the divisions of Taliaferro, A. P. Hill and 
 Ewell— in all some 25,000 men. Pope soon discovered this move, although its magnitude 
 and importance was not primarily apparent. Having first sent a regiment of Heintzelman 's 
 down the railroad by cars to feel the enemy, the next morning (the 27th) the results of this 
 reconnoisance determined Pope to move with his whole army on Gainesville. The move- 
 ment at once began. Hooker was sent in the direction of Manassas, " to drive out the enemy," 
 and near Bristoe encounted Ewell's division of Jackson's corps. Hooker at once attacked 
 and in a sharp engagement terminating only with night fall, forced Ewell back across Broad 
 Run. It was now apparent that here was the opportunity to smash Jackson before Lee 
 could come to his aid— but the chance was lost. Jackson, after capturing Manassas Junction 
 
— 10 — 
 
 with its immense quantity of military stores of all sorts (a god-send to his ragged and 
 famished, but indomitable soldiery) destroying all he could not carry off, deftly slipped 
 throuo-h our fingers, and unopposed, though marching on three different roads, arrived 
 earlv on the 28th, on the old battle field of Bull llun, and safely ensconsed himself behind 
 and in the cuts and fills of an old unfinished railroad where he rested — and " waited f )r the 
 hour and the man." 
 
 Although the position occupied by Jackson was at this time unkntnvn to General Pope, 
 it was at least certain that sufficient time had not elapsed for him to have rejoined Long- 
 street or for that officer to have united with him. Dispositions were at once made by Pope 
 to accomplish one or all of three possible things : 1st, to intercept and retard the march of 
 Longstreet ; 2d, to destroy Jackson ; and 3d, to beat each in detail. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 28th, cavalry was sent to reconnoitre toward Thoroughfare 
 Gap, and on their report Pickett's division was detached to intercept Longstreet's march 
 through the Gap toward Gainesville on the Warronton Pike. This movement was so effective 
 as not only to delay but divert the march of Longstreet, so that he was compelled to pass a part 
 of his command through Hopewell Gap further north, and consequently did not arrive on the 
 field until near 11 o'clock of the 29th when, accon-ipanied by Lee in person, he rested his left 
 on Jackson's right and stretched out his line of battle far to the south of the Warrenton Pike 
 and beyond our left. In the meantime, King's cHvision was moving by the flanlc along the 
 Warrenton Pike toward Centreville. About dark, at Groveton, Gibbon's brigade of this 
 
 
 CONFEDERATE OFFICER URGING HIS MEN. 
 
 division, supported by two regiments of Doubleday's brigade of the same division, engaged 
 in a fierce and sanguinary conflict with Ewell's division of Jackson's corps, "Stonewall 
 himself bein- present on the field. This was practically a drawn battle, and was useless in 
 its results, except in developing the position of the hitherto missing " Stonewall." Our loss 
 was heavv, as was that of the enemy ; the position was a critical one for us ; no supports 
 were within reach; and the enemy evidently outnumbered King's division, and possessed 
 the advantage of position, although the battle field remained in our possession. It was there- 
 fore decided to withdraw the division near and east of Mansassas Junction for the night, 
 which was done in perfect order. 
 
—11 — 
 
 The morning of the 29th opened with Reynolds and Sigel near Groveton, King and 
 Porter at Manassas Junction, Ricketts near Bristoo, and Heintzehnan, with Hooker and 
 Kearny's divisions near Ccnlcrvillc. Jackson was still in position on the line of the un- 
 finished railroad, while Lee with Longstreet's whole corps was moving steadily forward from 
 Thoroughfare and Ilopewell Gaps, arriving and forming, as already described, by noon of 
 that day. Toward morning of the 29th, General Pope supposing for some reason that Jacksim 
 was in retreat, started Kearny and Hooker forward to attack his rear while Porter was 
 instructed to move upon Centerville. General Pope now learning of the movements of King 
 and Eickets during the night, ordered Sigel to overtake Jackson and bring him to a stand. 
 Sigel, delivering his attack, developed Jackson's intrenched position from which he had not 
 stirred since Gibbon's fight with him the night before. Porter's corps, of about 9,000 men 
 had in the meantime been countermarched, and moving out on the road toward Gainesville 
 ho deployed Morell's division along the line of Dawkin's branch, where he confronted the 
 right wing of Lee's army under Longstreet, 25,000 strong. Not being at that moment quite 
 fully informed of the enemy's movements, and being then under orders from Pope to push 
 towards Gainesville, with view to cutting ofl' and "bagging" Jackson, Porter was pressing 
 forward to attack the enemy in his front, when General McDowell, arrived on the field at 
 Porter's headquarters with later information of the enemy, and with later and difi"erent 
 
 longstreet's skirmishers. 
 
 orders from Pope, assumed command of both Porter's corps and his own division (that of 
 King) and stopped Porter's advance. It was then evident to both Porter and McDowell 
 that a strong force of the enemy was in their immediate front, and from a few prisoners • 
 captured the fact was elicited that Longstreet was up. General McDowell dacided to advance 
 no further, and leaving Porter where he was, confronting Longstreet, (who with more than 
 double his numbers overlapped his flank with not only his infantry, but with a cloud of 
 cavalry under J. E. B. Stuart,) he took King's division with him back along the Gainesville 
 and Manassass road, past Bethlehem church, and up the Sudley springs road, where these 
 troops, now under command of General J. P. Hatch, awaited events in a field opposite 
 the Henry House until later in the day. 
 
— 12 — 
 
 The veterans of Heintzleman, under Kearny and Hooker, early in the morning of the 
 29th, crossed Bull Kun, pressed forward to the front, and deployed opposed to Jackson's 
 left near Sudley Springs. About 3 p. m., under Pope's orders, Hooker and, later Keaniy 
 delivered a gallant attack, which was unsupported ; and though attended with severe losses on 
 both sides, left Jackson unshaken. There was no general engagement during the 29th of Au- 
 gust. The battle of that day consisted only of a number of sharp and gallant combats. These 
 were of short duration, and were separated by long intervals of simple skirmishimx and 
 artillery duels. Only a small part of the troops on either side were engaged at any oneli'me. 
 The attacks of both Hooker and Kearny were conspicuously gallant, and had they been 
 
 GLNKUAL LEE AND STAFF. 
 
 simultaneous and properly supported must have resulted in breaking Jackson in twain. Gro- 
 ver's brigade led the attack in the most handsome manner. He charged and carried the railroad 
 embankment, and in an actual hand-to-hand conflict with the bayonet and the butt of the 
 musket, drove the enemy some distance. But both Grover and Kearny were compelled to 
 retire before overwhelming numbers. Then about sunset. Pope still under the mistaken impres- 
 sion that there were no troops in his front except those of Jackson, and that he was in " full 
 retreat," directed McDowell to " pursue him and give him battle." King's division (Hatch 
 commanding) was designated for this dutj', and promptly pushed along the pike to Groveton. 
 Ncaring this village deployments were made and our skirmishers soon encountered those of 
 the enemj'. A well-sustained and rapidly-increasing musketry fire from an unyielding line, 
 together with a vigorous cannonade on his part, soon convinced General Hatch that the 
 enemy, far from being "in retreat" was strongly posted, and determinedly resisting the 
 Union advance. Presently, in the darkness the enemy advanced both his flanks, and finally 
 with a charge delivered from his left, compelled Hatch to retire with considerable loss in 
 killed, wounded, and prisoners, and one gun. It was a gallant fight, but fruitless and useless 
 to the Union arms. The enemy encountered was Hood's division of Longstrect's corps, 
 eujipoilcd by the division of Cadmus Wilcox. 
 
— 13 — 
 
 This ended the contest for the night all along the lines ; both sides lectilied their positions 
 and slept on their arms, preparatory to the eventful day to come, that for so many gallant 
 souls was to be their last on earth. 
 
 The morning of the 30th of August, 18G2, broke clear and bright. The beautiful hills 
 and dales, the forests and streams of Prince William county were destined to be the scene of 
 a terrible conflict, the details of which cannot be recalled, even at this late day, without 
 emotion. At an early hour Pope ordered a reconnaissance made in his front. The enemy, 
 in readjusting his lines during the night, had made various unimportant changes in position 
 that persuaded General Pope he was in retreat. The Union army was now all north of the 
 pike facing west, Fitz John Porter having, by General Pope's order, been withdrawn from, 
 his position on the left confronting Longstrcet and put in at sunrise on the right of the pike 
 One division alone, that of Pvcynolds, was on the left (or south) of the turnpike. The rest of 
 the Army stretched off northward toward Sudley Springs in the following order: First 
 Porter, tlien Reno, and then Heintzelman, Ricketts and King (Hatch) behig in reserve' 
 
 ^». ^ 
 
 longstbeet's aktillery. 
 
 Elevated ground immediately in front and to the left of Reynolds was covered with dense 
 timber. A narrow but dense forest was also on Porter's right and extending for a Ion- dis 
 tance in front of Reno and Heintzelman. Between the forests and skirting the Warrenton 
 pike was cleared ground and a ravine, through which flows the insigniflcant stream called 
 Dogan s branch emptying into Young's branch, while beyond a natural glacis rises rapidly 
 o an elevated ndge, along which runs the unfinished railroad, behind which cover Jackson 
 
 and the n, " T ;■",•'; ?' '"''^" ^^'^ '''"^''''' '^^ J'^^^^^«^'^ ^-'S^t -<! ^^tween that 
 
 and the till more closely-hidden Longsfreet's left were crowned with numerous artillery 
 commanding all approaches with both direct and enfilade fire. Away off to our left, buried 
 out of our sight in the forest depths, stretched for a distance of over two miles Longstreet's 
 
 noon of the .0th the commanding general of the Union forces was still of the opinion he 
 Confederate array was in full retreat; so much so that he issued the following order: 
 
— 14 — 
 
 "Headquarters, near Groveton, 
 
 "August 30, 1862. 12m. 
 " Special Order. 
 
 " The following forces will be immediately thrown forward in pursuit of the enemy, and 
 press him vigorously during the whole day. Major-Generul McDowell is assigned to the 
 command of the pursuit. Major-General Porter's corps will push forward on the Warrenton 
 turnpike, followed by the divisions of Brigadier-Generals King and Eeynolds. 
 
 "1'he division of Brig. Genl. Eicketts will pursue the Ilaymarket road, followed by 
 the corps of Maj. Genl. Heintzclman. The necessary cavalry will be assigned to these col- 
 iiinns by Maj. Gen. McDowell, to whom regular and frequent reports will be made.. 
 " The general headquarters will be somewhere on the "Warrenton turnpike. 
 "By command of Maj. Genl. Pope. 
 
 "Geo. D. PiUGGLEs, 
 " Colonel and Chief of Staff." 
 
 In compliance with this General McDowell sent orders to Porter to "organize a strong 
 advance to precede your command and push on rapidly in pursuit of the enemy until you 
 come in contact with him." Bayard's cavalry was ordered to report to General Porter, who 
 was instructed to push it well to the left. King's division (Hatch commanding), supported 
 by Reynolds, was ordered to follow Porter, while Heintzclman with his corps, preceded by 
 Ricketts' division, was to move on the road from Sudley Springs to Haymarket, skirmishers 
 being thrown out all along the line. Previously to the receipt of this order General Porter 
 and General Reynolds had sent out skirmishers in their fronts, and both ascertained the fact 
 that the enemy was strongly posted, Reynolds' flank being threatened by a turning movement. 
 This was reported to General Pope, but that oflicer, believing that Jackson was retiring to 
 unite with Longstreet, at 2.30 p. m. directed Porter, with Hatch in support, to move forward 
 and attack. Accordingly General Porter made his dispositions, sending forward two brigades 
 of Morrell's under General Daniel Butterfield, and two brigades of Sykes' regulars under 
 Buchanan and Chapman to develope the enemy, holding the remainder of Sykes' division 
 in supporting distance. At the same time he ordered Hatch to deploy his division on 
 Sykes' right in four lines. Bayard's cavalry was useless if sent forward, and he was 
 directed to deploy in his rear and arrest stragglers. While these preparations were making 
 the order for the pursuit was issued, and Porter pressed forward to the attack, and 
 gallantly charged Jackson's intrenched lines. The murderous enfilading artillery fire, 
 together with the furious direct infantry fire, swept away rank after rank of the gallant 
 Union troops as each was about to crown the embankment. The fighting was, much of it, 
 hand to hand, many being killed and wounded by stones and clubbed muskets. Four times 
 the Federal troops stormed the embankment, and as many times were repulsed, inflicting and 
 receiving extremely severe losses. While this fighting was in progress on our left the right 
 of our line, under Ricketts, Reno, Kearny, Hooker, and Heintzclman, was also hotly engaged, 
 sufl'ering heavy losses. These ofiicers continued the struggle until nearly nightfall, when, on 
 the falling back of the troops of Porter and Hatch on the left, those on the right were, by 
 General Pope's order, retired also in the direction of Centreville. During this time Sigel 
 was held in reserve behind Porter, and Reynolds was withdrawn from his commanding posi- 
 tion south of the pike, where he was holding the enemy in check, and put in position on the 
 turnpilce in rear of Porter. This move was an unfortunate one, entirely uncovering the left 
 flank of the Union troops. Colonel (afterward the famous Major General) G. K. Warren, 
 ever prompt to remedy errors and to take advantage of positions, seeing the key to our whole 
 lino thus vacated by the removal of Reynolds, without waiting for orders, but with Sykes' 
 approval, threw his small brigade into the gap, where, after sustaining a destructive artillery 
 firo and losing very heavily, he stemmed the tide of Confederate advance until compelled by 
 overwhelming numbers to withdraw. Further attack on Jackson was now evidently useless, 
 for Longstreet was turning our left with his powerful force, and the possession of the turnpike 
 became at once the point at issue. Longstreet's command comprised the divisions of Hood, 
 Kemper, D. R. Jones, and Wilcox, besides artillery and cavalry. These troops were pushed 
 steadily forward, and were as steadily and gallantly met by the Union forces. Two principal 
 heights. Bald Hill (better known as Chinn House) and Henry Hill, were occupied, and 
 troops were hurried there as rapidly as possible. Sigel's corps had up to this time been iu 
 
— 15 — 
 
 reserve and was comparatively fresh, and he was sent to Bald Hill, together with two 
 brigades of llicketts' division under General Tower and several Latteries of artillery. Por- 
 ter, with the men of his corps available after his heavy losses in front of Jackson, went 
 to Henry Hill, as did also the brigades of Meade and Seymour of Ecynolds' division, with 
 Graham's battery and a part of Eeno's command and Tower's brigade of Kicketts' division. 
 North of the pike the rest of Reno's corps, with Heintzelman, disputed the advance of Jack- 
 son, who had begun a general forward movement all along his line simultaneously with that 
 of Longstrcot. 
 
 The fighting at Bald Hill was severe in the extreme. McLean's brigade of Schenck's 
 division of Sigel's corps received and repulsed several furious attacks with great gallantry. 
 Stahl and Schurz also, with their brigades and those of Koltes and Kryzanowski, went in 
 here and behaved handsomely. The losses were heavy on both sides. Schenck was severely 
 wounded, as was also General Tower. Colonel Koltes and Colonel Fletcher Webster (son of 
 the great Daniel Webster) were killed. The Confederates also lost heavily in officers as well 
 as men. Notwithstanding the heroic resistance of our brave troops the enemy carried this 
 position by sheer force of numbers. 
 
 COL. .s. L). LKE DIRKCTING TUE FIRING OF A CANNON. 
 
 ' But Henry Hill still remained to us, and the safety of General Pope's command demanded 
 a determined stand should be made here, and the position held to cover the retreat of the 
 army. As already stated Henry Hill was now occupied by the remnants of the corps of Fitz 
 John Porter with parts of the commands of Pieynolds and Reno. With stern bravery, sup- 
 ported in their hearts by a valor born of true patrioti.sm, the Union soldiery received the 
 shock of battle without quailing. The heights were held, though the losses were terrible. 
 Gradually our army withdrew behind Bull Run and toward Centreville — the Confederate 
 advance terminated — and the Second Battle of Bull Run was over. 
 
 The stubborn, persistent lighting on both sides on this as on all occasions was distinctively 
 American. The Union array, beaten but undismayed, only two weeks later, under another 
 leader, on the 14th and 17th of September, at South Mountain and Antietam, met, fought, 
 and beat the sanne Confederate army that had beaten it a fortnight before. The strife is long 
 since ended; the war is long since over ; and while we of either side in the fight look, in 
 company, upon this noble ijicture that thrillingly depicts the bitterness of that awful day, 
 we can surely afford to mutually remember that now we are all Americans with but one 
 country and one llag, and can truthfully and graphically speak of each other as "our friends, 
 the enemy." 
 
— 16 
 
 WHAT THE PANORAMA SHOWS. 
 
 Standing upon the platform and looking east we see the town of Centreville in the distance 
 directly over the school-house on the Sudlej' and Groveton road. A little further to the right 
 is the Henry house, where the first battle of Bull Run was mainly fought, and where the final 
 stand was made by us at the second battle. Still further to the right and nearer us is the 
 Dogan house and peach orchard. On the left of the large tree in the foreground, under which 
 is seen a wounded Union officer, is the Chinn house on Bald Hill, and to the right of the tree 
 is the village of Groveton, at the junction of the Groveton and Sudley road with the War- 
 renton pike. The dense forests beyond the turnpike are those that hid from view the 
 powerful corps of Longstreet. To the westward is seen the Bull Run range of mountains, 
 the deep notch being Thoroughfare Gap. Still turning to the right we see before us more 
 forest and a stretch of parapet that is part of an unfinished railroad which Stonewall Jackson 
 occupied from here to Sudley Springs with his troops. 
 
 THE DUEL. 
 
 The point occupied by the platform from which wo look out upon this charming land- 
 scape is on " Douglas Heights," directly opposite Jackson's right. That officer and his stalf 
 are seen in the field directly in rear of the railroad cut occupied by his men. The Union 
 troops represented making the tremendous and gallant charge (m Jackson's entrenched lines 
 arc some of Sykcs' regulars, the brigades of Chapman and Buchanan. The officer on the 
 bay horse with his sabre raised is Colonel Chapman ; the officer nearest him is Major Lovell. 
 Captain Collins, with his sword raised, is leading the battalion immediately in rear of the 
 colors, with Captain Powell on his right. The officer who is being dragged by the stirrup i^ 
 
— 17 — 
 
 a staff officer who has been wounded while bearing orders. Captain David McKibben, com- 
 manding one of the regular regiments, is seen coming up on a gray horse, his first horse, a 
 bay one in the foreground, having been killed. In the field just beyond is seen part of 
 Buchanan's brigade, led by that veteran officer. 
 
 Still further off is King's division, under Hatch, going into action, while near by is 
 General Porter and staff directing the movement. Nearer us to the right of a clump of 
 trees, is Major General John Pope and his staff Batteries of our artillery are scattered 
 along as far as the Dogan house, while in the open ground beyond are the reserves under 
 Sigel and Reynolds. Warren's brigade can be seen in position in the fields beyond the peach 
 grove, while some few of our skirmishers are deploying in the open ground in front of the 
 village of Groveton. From the woods in their front have just emerged a few troops of the 
 left of Hood's and Wilcox's divisions of the Confederates. General Hood and his staff are 
 shown on their left. In the foreground are skirmishers of Porter and Wilcox engaged at 
 close quarters, while in the distance and inrear of the latter is the left of Wilcox's division. 
 Immediately in his front is the artillery of the Confederates, some of it in battery and some 
 coming up at a gallop. Close by us is General Lee and staff That officer is mounted on a 
 gray horse and is engaged in conversation with General Longstreet. General Wilcox is on 
 the opposite side of General Lee. The three officers behind General Lee are his personal 
 aides-de-camp— Colonel Long, in the red cap, Colonel Venable, and Colonel Marshall. The 
 other officer in the red cap is Colonel Crutchfield, chief of artillery to General Jackson. 
 Colonel Stephen D. Lee, on the dun horse, is Longstreet's chief of artillery. In rear of Lee 
 and staff is seen a field hospital and beyond a body of Confederate cavalry. 
 
 All through the picture will be found very many figures and groups that are in them- 
 selves pictures. Some are painted on the canvas, some are part of the artificial foreground, 
 and some are a combination of both. The whole is truthful and realistic and artistic in the 
 highest degree, representing in the best possible manner a momentous page in the history of 
 our common country. 
 
 All who are familiar with the features of the landscape pronounce that part of the pic- 
 ture to be wonderfully accurate, and so true to nature, that it is difficult for the spectator to 
 realize* that he is not, in fact, standing on Douglass Heights, in Prince William County, 
 Virginia, rather than inside a brick building in Washington. 
 
— 20— 
 
 OPINION'S OF THE PRESS. 
 
 Attention is invited to the following ex- 
 tracts from the newspapers concerning this 
 great work of art : 
 
 [From the Washington " Sunday Herald."] 
 
 Every one who has entered the circular structure 
 at the corner of Ohio avenue and Fifteenth street to 
 see the Bull Run Panorama has come away surprised 
 and delighted. "Wonderful I" "Amazing!" are the 
 kind of adjectives visitors use to express how far the 
 view exceeds their wildest anticipations. No optical 
 illusion most of us have ever experienced approaches 
 that as one steps out on the platform and looks at 
 what does not seem like canvas, but like a real land- 
 scape stretching over meadow, swale, and forest to the 
 distant blue mountains. The sense of immensity' of 
 space is exactly what one gets looking from the crest 
 of a mountain in the open air. The manner in 
 which the battle scenes are grouped and managed is 
 also most striking. The old soldier, it is true, will find 
 at points a little straining for effect— something too 
 theatrical to bo true as representing occurrences in 
 actual war— but he will also find mucn that is wonder- 
 fully and graphically realistic, and which brings back 
 vividly the stirring scenes of twenty-odd years ago. 
 No one who visits this panorama but will want to go 
 again and again, and there can be no doubt it will be- 
 come one of the most popular resorts at the Capital, not 
 alone with touri.sts, nor even with the veterans of the 
 civil war and their families and children, but with all 
 classes and conditions. There is so much in it which 
 appeals to the universal human heart. It not only 
 commemorates one of the memorable battles in his- 
 tory, Ijut the view is intrinsically one of the most 
 magically inspiring which can be presented to human 
 eyes. 
 
 [From the " Washington Post."] 
 THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS. 
 
 A GrapUlc Descriptioix of a Very Realistic 
 Pauorama. 
 
 Thanks to the energy and enterprise of a number 
 of gentlemen, whose action in the matter cannot be 
 too highly commended, the city of Washington has 
 been provided with a scenic representation of the 
 panoramic order that has been equaled in few features 
 by similar exhibitions in other places and excelled in 
 none. , , 
 
 Passing Fifteenth street to D, and then across one 
 of those expansive commons that still mark the era 
 of architectural possibilities in Washington, the build- 
 ing which encloses "The Battle of Manassas, or the 
 Second Bull Hun," is reached. The visitor proceeds 
 along a covered passage and up a winding staircase. 
 The last step up is a long one. It covers many miles 
 and twenty-four years. Banish all things present 
 and, Washingtonian, we are on Douglas Heights! It 
 is no longer to-day; it is the 30th of August, 18G2. 
 Peace was a dream of yesterday; thKs is war and we 
 are in the midst of it. On this reality the sun looks 
 down and smiles through rustling trees and casts long 
 shadows on the yellow fields. Away to the east the 
 blue hills rise and fade into the tender .sky. A white 
 village nestles nearer ; nearer still stands a frightened- 
 looking little school-house; a homestead hero and 
 there, fruitful orchards, and peaceful meadows. 
 The village is Centreville, the hills are the Bull Run 
 range, the homesteads have historic names, and the 
 fruitful orchards and peaceful meadows are obscured 
 by the smoke and strewn with the killed and wounded 
 of the battle of Manassas. Far away lines of Union 
 infantry make steady progress with disciplined pur-** 
 pose in this direction or in that. Nearer squads of 
 Longstreet's artillery come galloping into action. 
 Here a group of gunners in grey, tense and eager, load 
 and fire; there, across a placid brook, wood-grown 
 and stony, ring— or will ring, in a moment— three di.s- 
 tinct reports that mark the duels of as many Federal 
 
 and Confederate officers. Vines climb and nod over 
 the shattered rail fences tliat shelter Confederate 
 gunners; a thin red stream trickles into a lucid brown 
 pool that reflects a lazy cloud. And there is Lee — no 
 chromo Lee, but the hero himself, erect, breathing — 
 talking to the unmistakable Longstreet, and Wilcox 
 sits his horse superbly to the right. Somewhere in 
 this wide horror, if one's glasses ^re strong enough, 
 one could find every gallant boy the newspapers put in 
 the listof" killed and wounded at Manassas" all those 
 years ago. A dead negro lies supinely by the ruins of 
 a supply wagon ; a piteous hand with a stain on it is 
 lifted from a tangle of briers in a fence corner. Stag- 
 gering men, bursting shells, and maddened horses 
 are everywhere. To the lelt is the wild, gallant charge 
 of the brigades of Chapman and Buchanan upon 
 Jackson's lines, entrenched in the railroad cut that 
 stretches sharply across the fields in the middle dis- 
 tance. 
 
 It is not real ; it is illusion ; yet the art that produced 
 it is perfect. The movement of these massed men 
 struggling forward in spite of the awful fire of the 
 Confederate gunners into their unprotected flank is 
 marvelously as it must have been. 
 
 The historic inaccuracy of the group of generals to 
 thu left is more than atoned for by the resemblance of 
 the portraits to the originals, dead and living. The ad- 
 rnir.able composition of the groups ; the careful atten- 
 tion to relative values in the disposition of every 
 detail; the remarkable skill, of which the whole is 
 the more remarkable evidence — all this it is impossi- 
 ble to convey in words. Nevertheless there are one 
 or two exceptional features which may be noted. One 
 is the distinctively American type displayed in every 
 soldier face. Executed, as the work was, by artists 
 exclusively French, this is not its least remarkable 
 characteristic. The entire absence of all unneces- 
 sarily repulsive details is also exceptional. The scene 
 is grimly realistic, but we are spared its most revolt- 
 ing aspects. 
 
 This is more than a novel sensation, it is an awful 
 fact, and its impressive educational value to the people 
 of this city can hardly bo overestimated. And it is an 
 achievement in art to which one may bring all one's 
 appreciation brightened for pleasure, all one's critical 
 faculty whetted for use. It is an art exhibition with 
 as many phases as most galleries, without the frames. 
 
 For the sake of those who measure their apprecia- 
 tion in currency, it may be said that it cost $135,000 
 and that twelve men, under the supervision of Mons. 
 Poilpot, made the picture out of innumerable yards 
 of canvas and 7,000 pounds of paint. 
 
 [From the Washington Critic] f 
 THE SECOND BULL RUN. 
 
 A Panorama ot AVoudroiis ImpresBi-veueM 
 au<l Spectacular Effects. 
 
 Could a veteran of Manassas, who had never seen 
 or heard of this great battle picture, be escorted blind- 
 folded to the magnificent panorama building, on the 
 corner of Fifteenth street and Ohio avenue, and upon 
 ascending to the central platform be suddenly re- 
 stored to light, how wondrous and overwhelming the 
 spectacle that, like a supernatural revelation, would 
 burst upon his vision. 
 
 Familiar landscapes would surround him in all 
 directions, from Thoroughfare Gap in the distant west 
 to the cottages of Centreville along the hazy east- 
 meadows, slopes, forests, mountains — as distinct to 
 his gaze as they were upon that eventful day in Au- 
 gust twenty-four years ago, when, out upon the skir- 
 mish line, he stood on Douglas Heights and caught 
 the advancing roar of battle. Here and there, in close 
 proximitv, are friend and foe pressing to the conflict, 
 battalions hurrying to the front, batteries rushing 
 into line, the powder smoke creeping like mist along 
 the earth or inweaving the green foliage with azure; 
 here a shell exploding with deadly crash, there a 
 cannon belching fire ; in all directions the dreadful 
 monitions of impending conflict, and death, already 
 
— 21 
 
 busy with his harvest, crimsoning their common 
 mother earth with blood of Blue and Gray. Within 
 the iound of his voice are Lee and Longstreet ; fur- 
 ther in the distance Fitz John Porter and his staff, 
 Warren's brigade, the divisions of Hood and Wilcox, 
 the reserves of Sigel and Reynolds, and all the awful 
 paraphernalia of war, sternly contrasting with the 
 peaceful quietude and dreamful shadows of the sum- 
 mer fields beyond. 
 
 Such are the scenes in brief and imperfect outline 
 that are presented upon this eloquent and impressive 
 canvas. The spectator doubts for the _ moment 
 whether it is a memory or a dream, imagination or 
 reality— whether it is life abruptly called to a halt by 
 art or art abruptly awakened into life— whether he 
 himself, by some weird spell, is being transported 
 backward through the lapse of years, or whether it is 
 an artistic conjuration of the past which he beholds, 
 with all its salient recollections reproduced. It is 
 enough for him to know that the picture is so lifelike 
 as to be startling; that it is a master-work of genius 
 in its details; that the topography of the field is so 
 natural as to be recognized at once; that the move- 
 ments so graphically projected by the painter are his- 
 torically accurate. Thus does the great panoramic 
 spectacle, with its marvelous optical effects, become 
 not only a fascination, but an instruction — not only a 
 diversion, but a lesson, carrying with it a forceful 
 moral as to the horrors of war and a sublime sense of 
 congratulation that the Union is once more and for- 
 ever made one in the bonds of peace. 
 
 [From the " Washington Oritic."] 
 SECOND BUI.Ii RUN. 
 
 Ita Realistic Representatloit at tlie New 
 Cyclorama. 
 
 In the large new brick building just erected on Fif- 
 teenth street, south of Pennsylvania avenue, is a mag- 
 nificent oil painting containing eighteen thousand 
 square feet of canvas. It is a panorama of the battle 
 oif Manassas. The building will be open to the public 
 in about six weeks, and it is safe to say that the pano- 
 rama will be one of the fixtures of Washington curi- 
 osities and a center of attraction to sight-seers. 
 
 The painting is the work of fifteen French artists, 
 who were brought to this country for the purpose, and 
 is a master-piece of artistic execution. The artists 
 spent several weeks in the vicinity of Manassas 
 slcetching the country. The ever-varying light and 
 shade of field and forest of a summer afternoon is 
 perfect; the perspective is magnificent, and the tout 
 ensemble oi the whole picture is so realistic that as one 
 stands in the center of the building he seems to bo in 
 the field, the painted forms alive, and he almost hears 
 the screaming of the shells through the air and in- 
 stinctively dodges a fancied ball. 
 
 The construction of the piece is such that the spec- 
 tator seems to stand in the center of the field ; at his 
 feet is a dark pool of clotted blood, a musket, an old 
 haversack, or a soldier's cap ; over yondera dead man, 
 his glassy eyes looking at you with a ghastly stare. 
 At a glance you take in the battlo-fleld. Far away to 
 the right, over the stubbie fields, nestling in a grove 
 of green trees that seem to rustle in the summer wind, 
 is the village of Groveton, Fitz John Porter's lioad- 
 quarters. That is his command that you see coming 
 over the field there, in solid phalanx, in long battal- 
 ions, in straggling companies, the sun glinting on 
 the points of their bayonets and lightning up the 
 stern faces of the men. On they come, charging up 
 the slight declivity toward the line of Jackson's men, 
 intrenched over there by their railroad. Just as they 
 reach the crest of the hill a volley of grape crashes 
 through their left flank and there are horrible gaps in 
 the line of blue. Colonel Lee's artillery of twenty- 
 four guns is hurrying over the field from the west- 
 ward, and three guns are in position. Again, a crash 
 from the artillery, a rattle of musketry from the Con- 
 federates concealed in the copse, and the lines of blue 
 waver for a moment.' 
 
 But only for a moment; the gaps close up and on 
 over the crest of the hill they come — a company de- 
 ploys to the left, and, kneeling in the grass, begins to 
 pick off the artillerists. At a break-neck speed over 
 the fields come more of Colonel Lee's artillery, and 
 taking position behind the rail fence open fire on the 
 advancmg Federals. The shells go hissing through 
 the air high over the heads of the first rank of the 
 foe and drop in the middle of the phalanx moving on 
 through " Peach Orchard Farm." Great bare spots 
 
 on the side of the hill mark where the shells fall. To 
 the right of Colonel Lee's battery is Longstreet's 
 command coming through the woods and over the 
 rail fence. They emerge from the cover of the woods 
 just in time to meet a body of Federals on the hill. 
 The Blues drop upon one knee, a quick command, 
 the carbines flash out their messages of death, and 
 the Confederates waver. The sun is glistening 
 brightly on something in the bushes behind the rail 
 fence. It is the rifles of the Confederate sharp- 
 shooters; there is a rattle of musketry and the front 
 rank of the Blues dissolves. Then a hand-to-hand 
 conflict ensues. 
 
 [From the "National Republican."] 
 THE BATTLE PANORAMA. 
 
 A Private Vle>v by Grand Army Men of tlie 
 nianassas Field— A ^IVouderful Optical Illu- 
 sion. 
 
 The panorama of the Battle of Manassas, or the 
 Second Battle of Bull Run, as it is more generally 
 called, was completed by the Manassas Panorama 
 Company yesterday afternoon, and several hundred 
 invited guests inspected it in the evening. The big 
 rotunda at the corner of Ohio avenue and Fifteenth 
 street was thronged all the evening, and every person 
 wlio came out expressed wonder and pleasure at what 
 they had seen. A long passage is traversed in reach- 
 ing the platform from which the panorama is observed, 
 which is gained by ascending the winding flight of 
 steps. When the top is reached the visitor is be- 
 wildered at the .scene before him. Following the 
 contour of the circular walls is the canvas upon which 
 the scene is depicted, and a more realistic or thrilling 
 sight has never been witnessed in this city. The 
 spectators' platform, from which the panorama is 
 looked upon, is situated in the center of the building, 
 and a few steps will bring to view the several features 
 of the battle. Looking from the east are the hills 
 beyond Centreville and to the west is seen the Bull 
 Run mountains. Tho scene between the two points 
 covers a distance of twenty-five miles, and one would 
 hardly believe that the canvas is so small, so vividly 
 do the various features stand out. Many thousands 
 of figures are seen, and the average is not in actual 
 size more than three inches in dimensions. So real- 
 istic is the painting, and the illusion made by the 
 placing of the lights, that the bodies of soldiers lying 
 on the ground and those of men in the charging and 
 defensive lines seem several times larger, and it ap- 
 pears impossible, from the view, that the figures are 
 so small. Both armies are shown advancing upon 
 each other's lines at the railroad cut, lying between 
 Centreville turnpike and the Viase of the mountains, 
 and the lines of iDattle are plain and accurate. 
 
 The canvas stretches from the dome of the building 
 to tlie ground, and the space between the walls and 
 the central platform is filled in by earth and sand, 
 with the vegetation of the country. Saddles, guns, 
 bodies, and the equipments of the soldiers are scat- 
 tered around, and represent the munitions used dur- 
 ing the war. The perspective is good, and the various 
 topographical features of the country for the twenty- 
 five miles covered are brought out in bold relief, and 
 form an excellent background for the operations of 
 the two armies. 
 
 The panorama was opened about 5 o'clock, and was 
 being viewed by people all the evening. The specta- 
 tors included Senators, Representatives, Government 
 officials, and Grand Army men. The largest attend- 
 ance was about 8 o'clock, and several addresses were 
 made. The lecturer described the picture, and then 
 Capt. Andreas, the secretary of the company, described 
 the work. Gen. Mussey, on behalf of the Loyal Legion, 
 thanked the company for their excellent painting, 
 and said it was very acceptable. Gen. S. S. Burdett, 
 the commander-in-chief of the G. A. R., followed, and 
 pronounced the picture a most excellent one, and 
 that it would instruct the younger generation as to 
 the manner in which their fathers fought their bat- 
 tles. 
 
 Gen. Burdett was asked by a "Republican" re- 
 porter if the picture was in any way objectionable to 
 the G. A. R., and he said : " Certainly not ; it is a fair 
 painting and a good one." 
 
 Maj. Poore, on behalf of the press, thought that the 
 picture was a good one, and Gen. Bragg, who was 
 present at the battle, gave a very instructive descrip- 
 tion of the picture. 
 
 Commissioner of Pensions Black, who was present, 
 was called on, but said that he knew nothing about 
 
— 22 — 
 
 the merits of the battle yet, and would prefer to look 
 rather than speak. 
 
 Seen through a rift in the smoke are the writhing 
 forms of men upon the ground, little streams of crim- 
 son trickling through the tender grass, great furrows 
 turning up the red clay, showing where the minnie 
 balls have plowed through. Over tow.'\rd the railroad 
 where the Confederates are intrenched is the thickest 
 of the fight. A bursting shell lights up the smoky 
 scene for an instant; dead men cover the ground; 
 guns and accoutrements scattered around ; a rider- 
 less horse with a great clot of human blood upon his 
 shoulder dashes past, dragging the dead form of his 
 master, wliose foot is caught in the stirrup. Flashes 
 of fire in front show the position of the 'Confederates. 
 A' sudden pufi'of wind dispels the smoke for an instant 
 and the whole scene is clear. It is a beautiful August 
 afternoon ; tlie long shadows of the trees on the 
 grass show ilie sun is going down ; away in the distant 
 west, covered with a blue mist, are the mountains. A 
 magnificent panorama of rolling upland, yellow field, 
 and shady wood intervene. Above, the blue sky 
 filled with fleecy cloiuls piled up in lazy confusion. 
 To the eastward", over the stublile fields, are the farm 
 houses of Groveton, the quaint old gaVjled houses 
 nestling in the grove, the rooks and swallows circling 
 above. The wind gently sways the branches of the 
 trees in the wood and the sunshine drifts through the 
 leaves, tenderly bathing the' brow of a prostrate man 
 lying in the cool moss; a mocking bird on a swinging 
 bough singing sadly for its mate. The soft glow of a 
 souttiern summer day evelopes the scene. In harsh 
 contrast is this little spot of hell on the crest of the 
 hill, this aVjyss of dead belching forth flame, this 
 chaos into which have fallen so many brave men 
 to day. 
 
 [From the "Washington Evening Star."] 
 THE MANASSAS BATTLE-FIELD. 
 
 The Battle Scene 'Now on. View In the Pano- 
 rama Building. 
 
 An acre of canvas and 7,000 pounds of paint is what 
 the visitor to the huge panorama building, corner of 
 Fifteenth street and Ohio avenue, will see. Those 
 raw materials, however, have been touched by the 
 genius of the artist until they have combined in one 
 of the most vivid and marvelous battle scenes that art 
 has produced. The scene represented is the main 
 incident of the battle of Manassas, or the Second Bull 
 Run, August 30, 1SG2. The spectator, from his ele- 
 vated position, has before him, spreading out on all 
 sides apparently for many miles, the perspective is so 
 deep and fine, a beautiful landscape view. It is a 
 Virginia scene. Far in the distance, eight miles 
 away, can be seen, glistening in the light of the after- 
 noon sun, the white fiouses of Centerville, and on the 
 surrounding heights the view discloses other well 
 known points of the famous battle-field. The corps of 
 artists, under the direction of Theodore Poilpot, of 
 I'aris, spent two months on the field making studies 
 and sketches of the landscape and of the atmospheric 
 efiects. Judged merely as a landscape view, the 
 panorama is magnificent. Its thrilling interest, 
 though, lies in the vivid depiction of the fearful ac- 
 tivity of a desperate battle. In the foreground, almost 
 at the feet of tlic spectator. Porter's troops are making 
 a desperate charge on the railroad embankment de- 
 fended so strongly by Stonewall Jackson. In other 
 directions are seen artillery in battery or going into 
 action and troops hastening to the front. Every de- 
 tail and every figure is worth studying — groups of 
 gunners about their guns, disordered lines of soldiers 
 scrambling on under destructive fire, all well drawn 
 and painted in a most realistic manner. Out of the 
 huge canvas a thousand small pictures might be cut, 
 and each wouUl l)e filled with the terrible intensity of 
 a battle. Aside from the historical truthfulness of the 
 picture and the value which it has on account of por- 
 traits of famous soldiers included in it, it has a curi- 
 ous interest as an illusion. The foregroun<i is not 
 painted, but made artificially of soil, sand, trees, vines, 
 and grasses. A Virginia rail fence begins as a reality 
 in the foreground and blends with a painted fence on 
 the canvas. There are trees partly real and partly 
 painted. Bodies of soldiers appear partly as effigies 
 and partly painted on the canvas. With such art lias 
 the real and the unreal been blended that the eye is 
 wholly deceived. Hundreds of people are daily visit- 
 ing the i)anoramft, which fs open to the public from 
 9 a. m. to 11 p. m. 
 
 [The Washington "Sunday Gazette."] 
 
 THE CYCLORAMA. • 
 
 On Monday of last week there was opened to the 
 press and invited guests a panorama of the battle of 
 Manassas, or as it is more popularly termed the 
 Second Bull Run Fight. The panorama, or cyclo- 
 rama, as the exhibitors call it, is contained in a beauti- 
 ful substantial brick structure of octagonal form, 
 which stands at the southeast corner of Fifteenth 
 street and Ohio avenue northwest. All of the appoint- 
 ments of the premises are in the best possible taste, 
 and the convenience of their patrons seems to have 
 been the thought uppermost in the minds of the pro- 
 jectors. 
 
 At any rate they have provided a noble building in 
 which to place their great picture, and made it ex- 
 tremely comfortable for all who go there to view the 
 same. The picture is viewed from a central platform, 
 which is placed under an immense canopy of brown 
 stuff, and is furnished with luxuriously-cushioned 
 seats and carpeted floor. There is a rostrum on the 
 platform for the accommodation of the lecturer, who 
 IS in constant attendance to point out persons por- 
 trayed, points of special interest, to explain the plan 
 of battle, and to locate features ';f the landscape, all 
 of which he does in a most graphic and enjoyable 
 manner. 
 
 As to the picture itself there have been many inef- 
 fectual attempts to convey some idea of its force and 
 beauty. It is too vast a scene to be painted with 
 words. If it were not then there had been no need to 
 go to the great expense for artistic talentand material. 
 The events of that great day have been described 
 over and over again, but no words can possibly con- 
 vey the vivid impression to the mind that this vast 
 circle of woods, villages, mountains, as well as suffer- 
 ing and death, make a real thing through the pano- 
 rama of the battle of Manassas. The place is thronged 
 all through the day and evening. 
 
 [The National Republican of Washington.] 
 THE MANASSAS PANORAMA. 
 
 Some Account of the "Wonderful Picture of 
 tlic Second Bull R»in Fight. 
 
 The panorama of the battle of Manassas, or Second 
 Bull Run, recently erected at the corner of Fifteenth 
 street and Ohio avenue, has attracted hundreds of 
 spectators during the last week. It is not only a 
 credit and attraction to Washington, hut reflects 
 honor on its originators. 
 
 This famous battle — called by us the "Second Bat- 
 tle of Bull Run," and by the Confederates the " Battle 
 of Manassas"— was fought on the 3oth day of August, 
 18G2, on ground already rendered historic as the 
 scene of the first great struggle in the civil war— the 
 "First Battle of Bull Run," July 21, isni. 
 
 A sanguinary fight on the night of the 2Sth and 
 several severe engagements dming the 29th, termi- 
 nating with a furious assault made on the enemy at 
 dark at Groveton, were in themselves battles, and, al- 
 though measured by the events of the day to follow, 
 were but combats, yet in a military sense formed an 
 integral part of the second battle of Bull Run. 
 
 Our forces, known as the "Army of Virginia," com- 
 posed of the previously independent commands ot 
 Generals McDowell, Banks, and Fremont, were com- 
 manded by Major General John Pope; those of the 
 enemy— tlie "Army of Northern Virginia"— were led 
 by General Robert E. Lee. Numerically these forces 
 were quite evenly balanced, the armies each com- 
 prising about .'55,000 men of all arms. 
 
 The panorama contains 20,i)oo square feet of canvas, 
 and represents the battle-field ot Manassas and the 
 surrounding country. In the center of the building 
 in which it is located is a raised platform, upon which 
 the spectator stands. Below the platform is the nat- 
 ural ground, upon which short pine trees and bushes 
 are growing. Stones, old muskets, canteens, and 
 equipments are strewn about,rfvnd an army ambulance 
 overturned and shattered. An old Virginia rail fence 
 extends a short way and joins one painted in the pic- 
 ture. The painting is so realistic that it is difficult to 
 distinguish where the real foreground ceases and the 
 painting begins. Several figures of soldiers are 
 stretched upon the ground, with little streams of 
 blood trickling along in the sand. These are partly 
 painted and partly artificial forms, and the delusion 
 is so perfect that'll is impossible to distinguish be- 
 tween the painted and artificial. 
 
— 23- 
 
 All through the picture will be found very many 
 figures and groups tliat are in themselves pictures. 
 Some are painted on the canvas, some are part of the 
 artificial foreground, and some are a combination of 
 both. The whole is truthful and realistic and artistic 
 in the highest degree, representing in the best possi- 
 ble manner a momentous page in the history of our 
 common country. 
 
 As a work of art the picture demands more than 
 passing attention. It was executed under the direc- 
 tion of M. Theodore Poilpot, of Paris, a famous French 
 artist, assisted by nine or ten talented and well-known 
 French artists, all of wliom have boon admitted to 
 the French Salon. In order to gain a correct idea of 
 the battle-field, two months were spent by the artists 
 in the neighborhood of Manassas painting studies of 
 the landscape, and four months were consumed in 
 e.xecuting this picture. All the figures in the fore- 
 ground are lifelike. The lights and shadows intro- 
 duced are excellent in the vividness of their por- 
 trayal. As a study of history the eyelorama is excel- 
 lent, as no better idea of the famous battle and those 
 who fought it can be gained than by half an hour 
 spent in looking at the picture. The building is well 
 wanned, and lighted at night by 3U0 Edison electric 
 lights. The platform and passages are carpeted, and 
 comfortable seats provided. An elegantly furnished 
 ladies' parlor, with toilet room and wardrobe attached, 
 adjoins the entrance. A large amount of money has 
 been spent in erecting the building, and it is a per- 
 manent affair. It is open from 9 a. m. to 11 p. m., an 
 explanatory lecture being delivered frequently. 
 
 The lapse of years serves only to increase public 
 interest in the events of our great civil war. Accounts 
 of the principal battles are read with greater interest 
 than any other literary products of the time. This 
 panorama is admirably adapted to meet this growing 
 demand. It has come in good time, in good shape, 
 and it will stay. 
 
 [From Washington Critic] 
 A VIVID SCENE. 
 
 A Visit to the Gyclorama Representing the 
 Battle of Manassas. 
 
 The eyelorama of the battle of Manassas, or Second 
 Bull Run, is attracting considerable attention, and, 
 for the benefit of those who have not seen it, it may 
 be said that it is a circular picture containing 20,000 
 square feet of canvas, and represents the battle-field 
 of Manassas and the surrounding country. In the 
 center of the building in which it is located is a raised 
 platform, upon which the spectator stands. Below the 
 platform is the natural ground, upon which short pine 
 trees and bushes are growing. Stones, old muskets, 
 canteens, and equipments are strewn about, and an 
 army ambulance overturned and shattered. An old 
 Virginia rail fence extends a short way and joins one 
 painted in the picture. The painting is so realistic 
 that it is difficult to distinguish where the real fore 
 ground ceases and the painting begins. Several fig- 
 ures of soldiers are stretched upon the ground, with 
 little streams of blood trickling along in the sand. 
 These are partly painted and partly artificial forms, 
 and the illusion is so perfect that it is absolutely im- 
 possible to distinguish between the painted and arti- 
 ficial. 
 
 As a work of art the picture demands more than 
 passing attention. It was executed under the direc- 
 tion of M. Theodore Poilpot, of Paris, a famous French 
 artist, assisted by nine or ten talented and well-known 
 French artists, all of whom have been admitted to the 
 French Salon. In order to gain a correct idea of the 
 battle-field two months were spent by the artists in 
 the neighborhood of Manassas painting studies of the 
 landscape, and four months were consumed in exe- 
 cuting this picture. All the figures in the foreground 
 are lifeliUe. The lights and shadows introduced are 
 excellent in the vividness of their portrayal. Asa 
 study of history the eyelorama is excellent, as no bet- 
 ter idea of the famous battle and those who fought it 
 can be gained than by half an hour spent in looking 
 at the picture. The building is well warmed and 
 lighted at night by 300 Edison electric lights. The 
 platform and passages are carpeted and comfortable 
 seats provided. An elegantly-furnished ladies' parlor 
 with toilet-room and wardrobe attached adjoins the 
 entrance. The eyelorama is here to stay. A large 
 amount of money has been spent in erecting the 
 building, and it is a permanent affair. It is open from 
 9 a. m. to 11 p. m., an explanatory lecture being deliv- 
 ered frequently. 
 
 [From the Indianapolis Journal.] 
 THE BULL-RUN PANORAMA. 
 
 Exciting Scenes Between Ex-Federals and 
 Ex-Confederates Who Vlc%v the Painting. 
 
 Special to the Indianapolis Journal. 
 
 Washinqton, March 12.— Some very stormy scenes 
 are reported to have taken place at the panorama of 
 the second battle of Bull Run, or the battle of Manas.sas, 
 recently constructed here. The men who fought for 
 the Confederacy and those who struggled for the 
 Union on that memorable field get together hero very 
 often and have friendly chats and pass mutual criti- 
 cisms, but a few times they have grown excited and 
 hot words have passed between them. These conten- 
 tions have almost invariably grown out of a dispute 
 as to which side deserved the most credit in the fight. 
 Hero, more than at any other point in the country, 
 perhaps, do the ex-Confederates and ex-Fedorals meet 
 in about equal numbers. Maryland and tho Virgin- 
 ias and the contiguous Carolinas, that turned out so 
 many men in the Southern army, now flood Washing- 
 ton with those who fought under the stars and bars. 
 In socia' intercourse these old veterans are pretty 
 uniformly courteous, but so near their homes they do 
 not like to hear their actions criticised or unfair esti- 
 mates placed upon their efforts by the fractious ones 
 who fought in the Union army. 
 
 Not unfrequently does one see a one-armed ex-Con- 
 federate, or a one-legged ex Confederate, standing 
 beside a man with but one arm or leg who fought for 
 the preservation of tho Union, and together tliey re- 
 count their struggles, and point out on the vast canvas, 
 which looks so nearly like the natural landscape that 
 one loses the beginning of the illusion and tho ending 
 of the real, tho courses they followed on that bloody 
 field. 
 
 The other day two of these mained soldiers who 
 fought at Manassas in opposing armies were moving 
 around the railing on the lookout inside of the pano- 
 rama, pointing to the different divisions and naming 
 them and their officers as each came in view, when a 
 fence was encountered. The natural and actual rails 
 were laid on the solid ground before them, and ex- 
 tending down to the canvas were joined to the paint- 
 ing so perfectly that the real and artificial could not 
 be distinguished one from the other. Just over the 
 fence, which divided the two armies, and not, seem- 
 ingly, more than ten rods distant from the Federals, 
 who were in a terrific conflict with another wing oi 
 the Confederate army, sat upon a horse a Confederate 
 general and his staff. A pistol, according to the range 
 of the painting, in the hands of a Federal would have 
 been sufficient to have dispatched the general or any 
 member of his staff. 
 
 "There's a lie!" exclaimed the one-legged ex- 
 Federal, pointing to the close proximity of the Con- 
 federate general. " I was right over there in that 
 bunch of men, and had your fellows been so close I'd 
 have popped one of them off their horses I " 
 
 " It is you that lie, sir I" flashed back the one-armed 
 ex-Confederate. " I was right over there in that com- 
 pany by them, and they were in the heart of the fight, 
 tho-e officers were." 
 
 The men had to be separated. Their friendly remi- 
 niscences were at an end. 
 
 [From the "Washington Traveller."] 
 
 BATTLE OP MANASSAS. 
 
 The panorama of the " Battle of Manassas," or "Sec- 
 ond Bull Run," now being exhibited at the corner of 
 Fifteenth street and Ohio avenue is worthy of especial 
 attention as being the first appearance in Washington 
 of these war representations which have become chief 
 and permanent attractions in other cities. Only the 
 first glance at this panorama is needed to explain the 
 wonderful popularity of similar exhibitions elsewhere, 
 and the fascination which this particular representa- 
 tion has already gained for the Washington public. 
 It is even more than a representation of a battle, seem- 
 ing as it does to the beholder's eye, a battle itself. Not 
 only as a delight to the senses, but as hn education of 
 the taste, such an exposition of art deserves to be seen 
 by every citizen of Washington, old or young. An old 
 soldier who had fought and lost an arm at Manassas, 
 standing before the vast scene, during the present 
 week, gave, perhaps, the best possible tribute to its 
 merit in speaking of it to his friends : " I forgot every- 
 thing," he said, "the minute I entered. I did not 
 think of (he picture. I thought I was out there in the 
 Bull Run fight again." 
 
LlERftRV Ot- v,uno^ 
 
 -24 — 
 
 [Prom the " Washinfiion Journal," Oerman.] 
 
 Dfl«5)rtttornntaberjtt)cftcn©(t)Iac^t 
 Don S u 11 dlnn, tDcIc^c^ fcicie 2Doc^e Scfe ber 
 15. ©trngc unb Dl)io 2I»cinte eroffnet wurbc, crre^t 
 bifr bcfonfccri? ?luf|'et)cu unb crfrcutc ft^ ber ganjcn 
 SBodje iibcr cinc^ ja^lretcbcn 23efuc^e^. iDai 23ilb 
 an unb fiir \i^ bilbct eincn 3trfcl, njeld^er 20,000 
 Qunbrntfu§ bcbccf t, unb btc 2Btcbergabt bcr ©dfjlaci^t 
 tft ctnc fo naturgctrcue unb unpaxtiii^il^t, fohJte bie 
 fiinftlerifcbc 2lns?ftattung cine fo iioKcnbcte, brt§ felbft 
 bcr fdjarfftc Sritifcr unb ©ac^funbige barilber cnt- 
 giicft [ein mug. Dai? ©ilb tft fein 5)robuft ober» 
 flad)licl)cr 3cicl)nung, fonbcrn crft nac^ langcm ©tU' 
 bium auf bcin ©cljlnd)tfctbe [elbft, mi^ii bcr bc= 
 ru()mte (2cl)Iacl)tcnnialcr Sl^cobore ^otlpot »on ^a= 
 rt£!, untcrftit^t von 9 bt^ 10 anbcrcn franjofif(|)en 
 itiinftlcrn bcfud)t i}cit, ;(ur 5Bollcnbung gcfommen. 
 "Die giguren finb fo natiirlii^ wicbcr gcgcben unb 
 ber 3{cf(cr burc^ 300 cleftrtf{|e ?t^tcr fo oortbei(t)aft 
 ^crgc[tellt, ba§ man fi^) bcinal^e ucrfud^t fiitjlt ju 
 glauben, Icbenbe ilorpcr uor fi(^ ju babcn. gitr bie 
 SequemUcf)fcit bcr Scfuc|)cr tft ebcnfatl^ geforgt unb 
 befonberg fiir bie Dameu tft ein elcgantcr |)arIor 
 uebfl 3;oiIettcnjiminer eingcrii^tet. DavJ ^Panorama 
 ift con 9 Ut)r UJorinitiagd big 11 Ut)r 5Ibenbg offen 
 unb bie (S(|la(|t wirb in angeincffcncn 3wif4)en» 
 rd'unien bur(| augfiit)rlic()e SrHarungett noc^ mel)r 
 »erbeutlid)t. 
 
 [From the "Hatchet."] 
 
 the; bvl.1. run panorama. 
 
 The panorama of the second battle of Bull Run is 
 now on exhibition in this city. It is vivid and realistic 
 and worth a visit. The general effect is most admi- 
 rable and has l)een generally admired during the weeU 
 by thousands who liave been attracted to the exhibi- 
 tion. The managers have succeeded in getting a great 
 deal of free advertising, and, as tlie panorama can 
 stand the test of close examination, it has been of 
 value. 
 
 [From"! 'Y Q\2 701 482 8^ 
 BATTI x^^ssAS. 
 
 To those who have not visited the Panorama of the 
 Second Battle (tf Bull Run or Manassss, a great pleas- 
 ure is in store, and those who have once seen this 
 marvelous work of art, find at each successive visit 
 som'ething new to startle or to please. It is undoubt- 
 edly one of the most strikingly effective works of art 
 ever conceived or executed by man. It is beyond the 
 power of description; to be understood and appreciated 
 it must be seen. The optical illusion is so perfect that 
 one gazing upon the scene can with difficulty under- 
 stand that the participants in the battle are not flesh 
 and blood; and that the hills, fields, forest, and very 
 atmosphere is not real. 
 
 [From " The Sunday Herald and Weekly National Intel- 
 ligencer."] 
 
 THE PANORAMA. 
 
 Visitors to the Manassas Panorama have been nume- 
 rous all the week, and it is not too much to say that 
 they have been unstinting in their praise of it. This 
 wonderful view is one which every person will wish 
 to see again and again. No one in a single visit can 
 see half that is to be found in this wonderful life-like 
 picture. It is equally interesting to veterans of the 
 Civil War and to those who are ignorant of the reality 
 of battles. 
 
 [From the Washinrjton " Republic."] 
 
 BATTLE OF MANASSAS. 
 
 This fine panorama continues to attract large crowds, 
 and deservedly, too, for it is, aside from its value as a 
 historical painting, a work of art that any artist might 
 feel proud of. It is very touching to see the vpteran, 
 ai-companied by his children, stand and gaze at this 
 picture with openedeyed wonder at the accuracy of 
 the details, while he points out to his children wliere 
 his command was and tells with ill-concealed enthu- 
 si.ism of the part he took in that memorable battle. 
 The gentlemen who have given us this grand picture 
 have added another to the many interesting places in 
 this city. 
 
 '"ALONE." 
 
Illli III! I 
 
 
 
\ 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 013 701 4828