The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-30
The Richmond sharp-Shooter.-Their Gal.
liant Conduct i'll AUticn-I erribie Sniff r.
ing Safety Of Capt. Tsmpkins and hi,
Command.
FsAaxLiy, Pendletou County, Va,
I,1tv

Z" ire Edttor, Of Ire pisDctcb Having
just seen in your Saluabie paper Northern
account OF The sngageme Dts al Laurel Hill,
and hnowirs them 10 ne deliberate taisehoods,
| hasten TO correct them, and do Justice, i'll
part, 10 our noble boys who participated in
Them. Fortunately, / was ia The camp, ION
business with the Oommissarys department, }
aud can speak " by the BOOK"
On Sunday morDlLs, 9Th instant, in tAlli-
gsnce was received al headq uarl ers that the
enemy, some 500 strons, were ADVANCING. slow
~, but steadily, On our p!ckets. Gen. Garnet,
who placed the most implicit cOnt1usnce III
the lst Georgia Regiment, ordered Col. KAN
say 10 take his command and occupy the hills
this SIDE Of Beeingtor hlc b order was tai til
fully executed. During he day, rather I'M til
this regiment was relieved Dy the sd Regi-
nent, Col. TalicteIrO, some sIlght firing was
kept up, but with little eject, only ons an
kee having been killed. AT OF about three
o'clock, the Esd Regiment was ordered to re-
iteve The Georgia Regiment tho reg imeIt, as
far as l could ascertain from the members,
We're pCste along the sides OF the hill, be-
hind logs, some live hundred yards from the
enemy. The Rich mona Sharp Shooters, from
your city, were thrown forward as skIrIulSn
ers some 30 yards in advance Of the regi-
msnt, who we've held nE q reserve. From the
time the company was posted until O'Clock,
these sallant ana heroic boys-for boys they
evidently are-kept mp an undated nrS On
the Yankees, who were not over 800 yards
distant, and such was the effect Of their file
that the enemy dare not como from under
cover 10 carry back their dead. heard Uapt
Tompkns say that some OF the membars "
ous OF their p,eG kill 10 less than seven of The
Indians Regiment. The engagement lasted
about four hours, during when time the Ioss
was OF Iankses some thirty eight ,certfin; our
81 lie, ois-a young Sharp Shooter. The conflict
was ably manased by the conp0ny officers ,aro
too much prase cannot be gwen 10 that noo's
yonns man, Capt. Tompkins, for ths so!leI-
tuds and devotion p-id the security OF his
msn. But for the abls manner in which his
command were aeploycd, tksir loss must
have been heavy. HIS II evidently an officer
OF superior abilities, and worthy to hold =
position much higher than his present one
though he has Gauge to oe proud of the boys,
v no seem deSoteniy attached TO him, and as
one OF them was heard to say IN the Com mis-.
.ary's Department., "ihera is not 3 man In tia
company who would not willingly lay down
his life for that boy. he is our all, and should
he quilt the service or be killed, good bye,
SHARE Shooters. There is not dozen nSn
who would not desert or obtain discharges. "
Captains Tompkjns and Sargent, ard
Lieu tenants Lud;nan and Babsr, arrived in
this place Yesterday, havirg been separated
ho,.l the Army in that dissraceful retreat OF
Saturday, 18th From their statements, they
must have suffered terribly. having been from
Thursday until Sunday, 18th, without any
thing to eat except two small crackers each
They got within half a mile of the "Red
House iii Maryland, where were stationed
about 5000 OF the enemy, before they knew it..
They took TO the "lGurei, land laid for too ddys
and nights within ffty yards OF the Yxnkes
pickets, afraid 10 draw a long breath or stir a
limb On Tuesday they took to the noun tain
without guides Or roads, and made their way
to within eight miles OF the Pennsy lvania
liue, where they INST friend, who advised
them to stag day or so At his house, " hich
kind invitation they took advantage Of. After
resting Two or three days, they commenced
their march for Petersburg. Hardy county,
which they reached Tuesday night, having
| teen three days and two nights on the route,
without rest and with little or nothing to sat.
| You can well imagine what they nave endured
! when tell you that they had to chew mil t,
| catnIp, tansey, and berries, to prevent starva-
| ,ion; but hey are now among friends. They
have just left here. pushing for their camp,
| which they expect TO reach ct dark. 1t 10 IT
| nc Dowsli Highland county, distance 90
| miles, which, with the % miles made By them
| yes terday, will be good travelling.
1 Ny sole object in writing this was to cor
| rect the false statements copied into your pa
| per. " hich feared would not DO done al
| to do justice to "those BOYS :" and being on
| the ground had ample opportunities to get
| at ths truth Private Sam1 Brickret, OF the
| X S. ~, passed through here yesterday He
| had been d prisoner, but effected his escape
sGd is ere this with his company. He 10 =
| brave boy, think. JUSTICE.