The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-28 00:00:00

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PRICE 4D. STAMPED, 51)

In these Confederate States we observe those rela-

tions which have been poetica.ll;-aseribed to the
United States, but whieh there never had the
...

same reality—States so distinct that each existed
as a sovereign, yet so united that each was
wound with the other to constitute a whole, or,
as more beautifully expressed, distinct as the
billows, yet one as the sea. (Applause.) Upon
every hill which now overlooks Richmond
you have had, and will continue to have, camps
containing soldiers from every State in the Con-
federacy; and to its remotest limits every proud
heart beats high with indignation at the thought
that the foot of the invader has been set on the soil
of Old Virginia. (Great cheering.) There is not one
true son of the Ssouth who is not ready to shoulder
his musket, to bleed, to die, or to conquer in the
cause of liberty here. (Cheers.) Beginning under
many embarrassments, the result of 70 years of
taxation being in the hands of our enemies, we must
at first move cautiously. It may be that we shall
have to encounter sacrifices ; but, my friends, under
the smiles of the God of the just, and filled with the
same spirit that animated our fathers, success shall
perch on our banners. lam sure you do not expect
me to go into any argument upon those questions
which for 25 years have agitated the country. We
have now reached the point where arguments being
exhausted, it only remains for us to stand by our
weapons. (Cheers and cries of We will.') When
the time and occasion serve, we shall smite the
smiter with manly arms, as did our fathers before
us, and as become their sons. To the enemy we

leave the base acts of the assassin and incendiary, to

them we leave it to insult helpless women ; to us
belongs vengeance upon man. (Tremendous ap-
plause.) Now, my friends, I thank you again for
this gratifying manifestation. •(A Voice—Tell us
something about Buena Vista.) 'Well, my friendg; I
can only say we will make the battlefields of Vir-

ginia another Buena Vista, and drench them with

blood more precious than that which flowed there.
We will make a history for ourselves. We do not

ask that the past shall shed any lustre upon us,
bright as our past has been, for we can achieve our
own destiny. We may point to many a field over
which has floated the flag of our country when we
were of the United States, upon which Southern

soldiers and Southern officers reflected their brave

spirits in their deeds of daring, and, without in-
tending to cast a shadow upon the courage of any
portion of the United States, let me call it to your
remembrance that no man who went from any of
these Confederate States has ever yet, as a general
officer, surrendered to an enemy. Pardon me if I do
not g. into matters of history, and permit me again
to thank you for this kind manifestation of your
regard, to express to you my hearty wishes for the
individual prosperity of you all, with the hope that
you will all pray to God to crown our cause and
our country with success."
General Pierce, the officer who commanded the
Federal troops at Great Bethel, is freely abused in
the New York papers, the disaster being attributed
entirely to his inefficiency.

Advices from Canada mention that Mr. Rose had
resigned his office of Chief Commissioner of Public

Works, and his seat in the Cabinet.
New York papers to the 15th inst. have arrived.
The principal points of the news—the abandonment
of Harper's Ferry by the Confederate troops, and
the battle at Big Bethel, in Virginia—have been

announced by telegraph. The following is General
Butler's official report of the latter affair :

TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL SCOTT.
Fortress Monroe, June 10, 1861.
General,—having learned that the enemy had
established an outpost of some strength at a place
called Little Bethel, a small church about eight
miles from Newport News, and the same distance
from Hampton, from whence they were accustomed
nightly to advance, both on Newport News and the
picket guards of Hampton, to annoy them, and also
from whence they had come down in small squads
of cavalry and taken a number of Union men, some
of whom had the safeguard and protection of the
troops of the United States, and forced them into
the rebel ranks, and that they were also gathering
up the slaves of citizens who had moved away and
left their farms in charge of their negroes, carrying
them to work in entrenchments at Williamsburgh
and Yorktown, [ had determined to send up a force
to drive them back and destroy their camp, the
head-quarters of which was this small church. I
had also learned that at a place a little further on,
on the road to Yorktown, was an out work of the re-
bels, on the Hampton side of a place called Big
Bethel, a large church near the head of the north
branch of the Back River, and that here was a very
considerable rendezvous, with works of more or less
strength in process of erection, and from this point
the whole country was laid under contribution.
Accordingly I ordered General Pierce, who is in
command of Camp Hamilton, at Hampton, to send
Duryee's regiment of Zouaves to be ferried over
Hampton Creek at one o'clock this morning, and to
march by the road up to Newmarket-bridge, then
crossing the bridge, to go by the road, and thus put
the regiment in the rear of the enemy, and between
Big Bethel and Little Bethel, in part for the pur-
pose of cutting him off, and then to make an attack
upon Little Bethel. Directed General Pierce to
support him from Hampton with Col. Townsend's
regiment, with two mounted howitzers, and to
march about an hour later. At the same time I
directed Colonel Phelps, commanding at Newport
News, to send out a battalion, composed of such
companies of the regiments under his command as
he thought best, under command of Lieut.-Colonel
Washburn, in time to make a demonstration upon
Little Bethel in front, and to have him supported
by Colonel Bendix's regiment;with two field-pieces.
Bendix's and Townsend's regiments should effect a
junction at a fork of the road leading from Hamp-
ton to Newport News, something like a mile and a
half from Little Bethel. I directed the march to be
so timed that the attack should be made just at day-
break, and that, after the attack was made upon
Little Bethel, Duryee's regiment and a regiment
from Newport News should follow immediately
upon the heels of the fugitives, if they were enabled
to cut them off, and attack the battery on the road
to Big Bethel, while covered by the fugitives ;
or if it was thought expedient by General
Pierce, failing to surprise the camp at Little
Bethel, they should attempt to take the work
near Big Bethel. To prevent the possibility of
mistake in the darkness, I directed that no attempt
should be made until the watchword should be
shouted by the attacking regiment, and, in case
that by any mistake in the march the regiments
that were to make the junction should unex-
pectedly meet and be unknown to each other, also di-
rected that the members of Colonel Townsend's re-
giment should be known, if in daylight, by some-
thing white worn on the arm. The troops were
accordingly put in motion as ordered, and the march
was so timed that Colonel Duryee had got in the
position noted upon the accompanying sketch, and.
Lieut.-Colonel Washburn, in command of the regi-
ment from Newport News, had got into the position
indicated upon the sketch, and Colonel Bendix's
regiment had been posted and ordered to hold the
fork of the road, with two pieces of artillery, and
Colonel Townsend's regiment had got to the place
indicated just behind, and were about to form a
junction as the day dawned.
Up to this point the plan had been vigorously,
accurately, and successfully carried out ; but here,
by some strange fatuity, and as yet unexplained
blunder, without any word or notice, while Colonel
Townsend was in column en route, and when the
head of the column was within 100 yards, Colonel
Bendix's regiment opened fire with both artillery
and musketry upon Colonel Townsend's column,
which, in the hurry and confusion, was irregularly
returned by some of Colonel Tom nsend's men, who
feared that they had fallen into an ambuscade.
Colonel Townsend's column immediately retreated
to the eminence near by, and were not pursued by
Colonel Bendix's men. By this almost
rwerecriminal
blunder, two of Colonel Townsend's regimen
killed, and eight more or less wounded.
Hearing this cannonading and firing
Lieut.-Colonel Washburn, not knowingime but that his
in his rear,
communication might be cut off,
re-
versed his march, as did Colonel mdiately
Duryee, and
marched back to form a junction with his reserve.
General Pierce, who was with Colonel Towns-
end's regiment, fearing that the enemy had notice
of our approach, and had posted himself in force
on the line of march, and not getting any com-
munication from Colonel Duryee, sent back to me
for reinforcements, and I immediately ordered
Colonel Ailen's regiment to be put in motion, and
they reached Hampton about seven o'clock. In
the meantime the true state of facts having been
ascertained by General Pierce, the regiments
effected a junction, and resumed the line of march.
At the moment of the firing of Colonel Bendix,
Colonel Duryee had surprised a part of an outlying
guard of the enemy, consisting of 30 persons, who
have been brought in to me.
Of course by this firing all hope of a surprise above
the camp at Little Bethel was lost, and upon march-
ing upon it, it was found to have been vacated, and
the cavalry had passed on towards Big Bethel. Col.

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