Walking upon the grounds, surrounded by like minded individuals, the atmosphere was palpable. A stone bridge laid ahead with a squad of colorful chaps that awaited our arrival. The march was quick and anticipatory. The Washingtonians were nipping at our heals. Civic leaders were carried upon wagons adorned with baskets and blankets for feasting, sitting, and taking in the sites. It was as if they were almost driving us into battle to feast on the carnage that would soon be awaiting. Matthew warned that the vultures would gather around the dead (24: 28). The 90-day warrior commissioned by President Lincoln had just arrived at a cross road, called Bull Run.
July 16, 1861 deemed fit and ready for action General McDowell led his men west of the District of Columbia. The strides were organized but not sharp or crisp in step and discipline. The prevailing thoughts of the Washingtonians were that of an easy correction. The disenfranchised of the South would be made to comply by Christmas time. The commitment was a half hearted venture and belief in something that wasn’t fully understood; the reality would set in within a week’s time… Suddenly the gospel comes to life: that which has been hidden, will be brought to the light (Luke 12:2).
The first battle of Bull Run or Manassas, could’ve been over on the first day. Yet the actions of a man and his company heeding a call to reinforce, provided a rebel cry and rallying point as he stood upon Henry’s Hill as a stonewall. The foe was about and encroaching upon the hill top. The enemy from within had surfaced and now Job’s words were ringing true: “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone (19:10 ESV)…”
Battlefield garb was anything but consistent throughout the sides. It was independent militia brought together from states to support the Presidents call, both Lincoln and Davis. Most of the main Union army had been deployed west to leave a vulnerability for the unaware northerners. The request for the militia and 90-day soldier proved to be a short term remedy for what became a multi year campaign fought from the fields of Pennsylvania to the shores of South Carolina, Georgia, and the banks of the Mississippi.
Colors and flags were a myriad of sorts. The tour-guide for the battlefield said up to a dozen different uniforms were on display and often the colors and flags were hard to decipher in the midst of battle. Charges were thwarted and others were rallied upon to overcome. In the end many men laid dead at the onslaught of this several day battle. The price paid was high for those involved. They would now understand that their efforts would be tested beyond the 90-day commitment.
Back in Washington, the troops had retreated from the defeat of Bull Run. In the echoes of his chamber, President Lincoln could hear the words of Jeremiah spring forth in time: though they fight against me the LORD will not let them prevail (1: 19)...
Times of testing often call out each generation whether willingly or reluctantly. The skirmishes would carry on to Gettysburg and end in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Psalms could be heard on the lips of the warriors and those who pressed in. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (23: 4 ESV)…” And let it not be said, that the unknown sergeant didn’t count his blessings after the battle, “a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but it will not come near you (Psalm 91: 7 ESV).”
Often hidden in the muck and mire are the greatest of treasures. Out of it a great injustice would be undone. The emancipation proclamation would be delivered. What was spoken of in the chambers had now been brought to rooftops for all to hear (Luke 12: 3 ESV). President Lincoln unfurled the tributes of freedom to the enslaved of the rebellious states and grossly mistreated servants of plantations, quarries, and other laborious jobs. The word spoken would not fall short.
In the following years, another entanglement would happen at Bull Run with similar outcomes in the defeat of the Union and withdrawal to the Capitol. The tide mark had been extended by the Rebels and would eventually venture to the fields and streets of Gettysburg, PA. It is there a final turning point occurred and the President of the United States would behold the carnage and tales of the battle then address a simple yet profound speech on the hill top.
Godspeed, The Journeyman
PS. Just a take on a piece of American history. We find the past is never to far behind us at any given moment.
Luke 12: 2-3 ESV “Nothing covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”
Matthew 24: 28 ESV “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Jeremiah 1: 19 ESV “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.”
Job 19:10 ESV “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.”
Psalm 23: 4 ESV “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me...”
Psalm 91: 7 ESV “a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but it will not come near you.”
Some sites to visit for further inquiries:
o Battle of Bull Run or Manassas #1: https://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm
o A take on the uniforms: http://www.firstbullrun.co.uk/About/index.html
o The Emancipation Proclamation: https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation/transcript.html
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