Gen. Eppa Hunton at Ball Run. 143
GENERAL EPPA HUNTON AT THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN, JULY 21, 1861.
Statement That he Saved the Confederate army From
Defeat.
A writer signing himself "C" contributed to the Prince William Times of July, 1904, the following interesting story of the first bat- tle of Manassas:
The writer of this has read and heard so many conflicting ac- counts of the first battle of Manassas, and commented publicly on some of these as to make it impossible to conceal his name if he tried to do so. Recently he has been pursuaded to write a plain account of what he saw and knows to be true in relation to this battle.
The Confederate forces had for a week been fortifying at the stone bridge against a front attack. I was engaged in cutting a heavy body of timber out of the way on the bottom land leading to the bridge, so as to enable our artillery to sweep the turnpike and adjacent low land, for over a mile in the direction of Centreville, and had just finished this work when the enemy attacked at Black- burn's and Mitchell's fords. There was so little blood shed, and the Federal forces were so easily repulsed, that I began to look upon the whole movement as a feint, and believe it is now generally so regarded.
On Saturday, July 2Oth, I had occasion to ride over into Prince William, and met the 8th Virginia, commanded by Colonel Eppa Hunton, who had been ordered to the next day's battlefield. We were then old friends, and are such still. He had the Loudon Cav- alry with him. In a brief interview I told him I believed the attack would not be made at the stone bridge, but by way of the Braddock Road, and the " Big Woods" (all upper Fairfaxians will know what I mean by Big Woods), and also that our people were not picket- ing north of the stone house, and suggested that a squad of the cavalry be left at my house on the Sudley Road to prevent a sur- prise. Colonel Hunton replied: " Your suggestion is a good one,
