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MCDOWELL’S ADVANCE TO BULL RUN.

intimation he had of offensive operations.He reported, June 4th, that 12,000 infantry,2 batteries, 6 or 8 companies of cavalry,and a reserve of 5000 ready to move fromAlexandria would be required. John-ston, however, gave up Harper’s Ferry to Patterson, and the diversion by Mc-Dowell was not ordered. But the publicdemand for an advance became impera-tive—stimulated perhaps by the success-ful dash of fifty men of the 2d UnitedStates Cavalry, under Lieutenant C. H.Tompkins, through the enemy’s outpostsat Fairfax Court House on the night ofJune 1st, and by the unfortunate result ofthe movement of a regiment under Gen-eral Schenck toward Vienna, June 17th,as well as by a disaster to some of Gen-eral Butler’s troops on the 10th at BigBethel, near Fort Monroe. On the 24thof June, in compliance with verbal in-structions from General Scott , McDowellsubmitted a “plan of operations andthe composition of the force requiredto carry it into effect.” He estimatedthe Confederate force at Manassas Junc-tion and its dependencies at 25,000men, assumed that his movements couldnot be kept secret and that the enemy

him a detachment of his employees and offered his ownand their services to General Scott “ free of charge.”Of course he was not allowed to bear the expense of hiscontingent, but his services were accepted, and hereceived as lieutenant the first appointment to thearmy from civil life during the war. He accepted aposition on General Mansfield’s staff and accompaniedthat officer to Newport News, where, as captain on thestaff, he distinguished himself in several daring adven-tures, sometimes undertaken with the object of gettinginformation of the enemy. In the second Bull Runcampaign he was aide-de-camp to General Pope. After-ward he joined his regiment, the 14th Regulars, andhe was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel forgallant service at the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania.

We are indebted to Mr. Murat Halstead, editor ofthe Cincinnati “Commercial Gazette,” for the “DrakeDe Kay Pass,” here reproduced in fac-simile. Of theuses of a bold signature on the passes, Mr. Halstead writes with a characteristic touch of humor : “A state-ment I have heard, that the famous Drake De Kaypasses were written to be read by torchlight at picketposts, reminds me that I have preserved one among

FAC-SIMILE OF THE BACK OF THE PASS.

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my papers. It is inclosed. My recollectionis that the pass was gotten up in this stylethat it might not be easily imitated. It wasintended to supersede all other passes, anddid so. The effect was to check the promis-cuous running through the lines. It wasregarded at the time as something oracularand formidable, and as likely to convey asalutary impression of the power and majestyof the United States of America . It was saidthat General Winfield Scott was much im-pressed by it.”— Editors.