Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-06-11
The skirmish ut Fairfax tVa.) COurt-hOuse.
The Washington Star of Thursday evening
DubIishes the foIlowino.

The skIrmIsh ut Fairfax Eva Courthouse.
The Washington Star of Thursday evening
publishes the following:
We have absolute confirmation, from the
lips of a reliable citizen, who was at Fairfax
Courthouse on Thursday night last. when
Lieutenant Tompkins's command entered
that village, of the account of the killed
brought by his command to this city. Our
informant himself saw ten dead disunionists,
and also saw a trooper in the course of the
engagement ride up into q low porch and cut
down two d~isunionists, whom he did not
count among the ten dead seen by himself,
not knowing whether they were killed out
right, The dead bodies were hurried into a
hole dug near the Court house building, as
soon on the following day as the terror of
the people there enabled them to attend to
the matter. It was freely said, directly after
the light in the hearing of our informant, by
persons in the village, that their dead NUM-
bered about thirty. And ere leaving the
place be heard dire threats made against any
citizen who should report the fact that more
than one man was killed on their side. We
have been assured of this last fact by no less
than three distinct persons, who visited Fair
tax bur house in the course of Saturday
and Sunday last.
The disunion troops engaged in the affair
firmly believed themselves q match for FIVE
times their number of United States troops.
The result proved that engaging one third
their own number of United States troops.
and having the advantage of fighting from
behind walls and fences, against cavalry
only, too, they lost ten for every one they
killed. We fancy they must now compre-
bend that any one of them is not equal in
the held to hive OF those who now fight for
the stars and stripes.
The following is from the National Repu5-
hcGn of Thursday;
The fight at Fairfax Court-hou has not
yet been half told. We were informed, and
all the Secession papers, the Sun included,
confirmed the story, that only two of the
enemy were killed. But we are assured by
a coOl-blooded trooper, one of the United
States regulars, who is as truthful as be Is
cool, that be himself saw ten Secession
dead men,
Three were killed separately, but seven
others lay in one spot, whom he counted as
the cavalry, rode over and among them in
their evolutions. at is of no consequence
as Mr.. Toots would say, how many of our
misguided enemiesfell; but, nevertheless. for
the truth of history we record this tact, since
our Secession journalists are seeking to I'M
derrate the bravery of the United States
cavalry, ~(regularsl who were engaged in the
ShHmlsn. FROM one OF the SecesSiOnistS
who was in the fight, we learn that Lieuten-
ant T%ompkins, who was in command of the
cavalry company, wheeled his horse in and
about the enemy, right and left, and cracked
away at them every time he wheeled. They
gave him a wide berth as soon as they un-
derstood, which they speedily did, the nature
of his tactics.
Mr.. Mason, of Virginia, formerly of the
United States Navy, not the Senator, but a
brother of that parsonage, was partly in the
fight. BE was one of the killed. He ran
early. Sir Roger de Coverly, as recorded
by Addison, mentioned q battle on the
continent in which he said 'he should
infallibly have been slain, had he not pru-
IDENTIFY left the field the night before the ac-
ton"
Douglas Forrest, son of Commodore For
rest, one of the deserving officers in our
navy, was also a participant in this battle,
on the Secession side. The only achieve
ment he performed was to lose his horse,
which Lieutenant T~ompkins took away from
him after his own was shot. We want to
see the Mason and Forrest report of this en-
gagement in the Richmond papers,