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SCRUTINIZING A PASS AT THE WASHINGTON END OF THE LONG BRIDGE.
M c DOWELL’S ADVANCE TO BULL RUN.
BY JAMES B. FRY . BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL, U. S. A. (AT BULL RUN, CAPTAIN AND ASSISTANTADJUTANT-GENERAL ON MCDOWELL’S STAFF).
S President Buchanan ’s administration was drawing to aclose, he was forced by the action of the South to decidewhether the power of the general Government should heused to coerce into submission States that had attemptedto secede from the Union. His opinion was that the con-tingency was not provided for, that while a State had noright to secede, the Constitution gave no authority tocoerce, and that he had no right to do anything excepthold the property and enforce the laws of the UnitedStates .
Before he went out of office the capital of the nationseemed to be in danger of seizure. For its protection, andin order to consult about holding Southern forts andarsenals, General Scott was in December called to Wash-ington, from which he had been absent since the inaugu-ration of Pierce, who had defeated him for the presidency.Jefferson Davis , Pierce’s Secretary of War, and General Scott had quarreled,and the genius of acrimony controlled the correspondence which took place
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i The battle of Bull Run was notable in a minor by their several States. The Confederate uniformsway for the variety of uniforms worn on both exhibited similar variety; some regiments were insides — a variety greater than was shown in any citizens’ dress, and several of the general officerslater engagement. The Federal blue had not yet who had been in the old service — including, webeen issued, and the troops wore either the uni- are informed, Generals Johnston, Beauregard, andforms of their militia organizations (including vari- Longstreet — still wore the dress of the Unitedous patterns of Zouave dress) or those furnished States Army.— Editors.
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