The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-06-07
The Battle at Fairfax.

The following coherent and probably re-
liable account of the cavalry fight at Fairfax
Court House, Virginia, is from the n. Y.
Tribune Of Sunday:
The account of the Fairfax Court House
affair, which was sent you this morning,
was necessarily less complete and accurate
than the following statement which is de-
rived from Lieut.. Col. Burger, of the New
York Fifth, and confirmed in all essential
particulars by two of the dragons who
were in the fray, and who brought the pris-
oners to town this noon.
Lieut.. Tompkins and Second Lieut.. Cor
don had with them dragons, ffty-two in
number, of company B, I'd U. S. Cavalry,
two men OF the New York Fifth, and
three officers, Adjutant Frank, Quartermas-
ter Fearing, and Assistant Quartermaster
Cary, making fifty-nine men. These men,
bers of the staff were attracted by the prob
ability of accommodating little further than
usual, with view of seeing the number of
the enemy at Fairfax
The party left camp at IL J o'clock, sur
prised the picket guard four miles this side,
shot one, and the other gall0ped toward the
village firing and giving the alarm. At
daybreak they reached the town, sounded a
charge and galloped through the principal
street under a heavy fire from the City Hall,
Post Office, private houses, behind fences,
from the sidewalk and street-not from cit
i0UU, sdJtno fuOurTuTG.
On this charge five mounted men were
taken prisOners-One with Prince William
County Cavalry on his cap. They were seized
by the neck and swept on with the troops.
One man cried Halt" +" Wait Bit" re-
marked Lieut.. Tompkins, and shot him.
The dawn had hardly broken, so the aim
was not sure, but whenever they saw a
flash from a window, five or six answered
it. Most of the rebels that were killed
were in the street. Some ran in front,
turning to fire on the Dragons, and others
closed in behind after their passing.
At the end of the street Lieut.. Tompiins
turned, and the troops holding their prison.
erS in an iron grasp, charged again through
the whole length of the village, wheeled a
third time and charged from end to end,
but observing a piece of artillery coming
from side alley in front of the City Hall,
they judged it prudent not to try a fourth
time, and so rode on, making a detour of
ten miles, and reached the camp by eight
o'clock, having ridden forty four miles.
Besides the five prisoners, they brought
five or six horses. Three Dragons were
-Four are wounded, one having a sabre-cut
in the face and a ball in the stomach. As
sistant Quartermaster Cary of the 5th,
slightly wounded in the foot The wound
ed are now under the care of Drs. Hasse and
Roosa of the 9Th.
The number of the eEemy killed is IN
certain; estimates vary from twenty to fifty.
The wounded are very numerous. Lieut.
TOmpkins is sure be killed two. The trum-
peter, only fifteen years old, killed two, and
one dragon thinks he finished four or five
one "a prisoner trying to get away was
shot through the belt. Lieut.. Tompkins
had two horses shot under him, and Gordon
one. Before fresh horse could be found.
they cut right and left on foot
The force in the town is estimated at
from 1000 to 1900. There is certainly
battalion of infantry. a squadron Il caval-
ry, and some artillery; Out they were
afraid TO form aud meet in tie 90 men-
They evidently prefer the Baltimore method.
The dragons returned to camp looking
as if they had been through four weeks
campaign. Some had their clothes half
torn off, and all were covered deep with
dust.
Two companies of the New York 18th
could have supported the dragons, had
they had wagons. They are full in the be-
lief that by deploying and driving the
soldiers from the houses they might have
taken the town.
Tompkins is the same ma IL hose exploit
int he capture Of Sc, sStou .,lck,s was at
ed the other day. He never returns tiom a
nights scouting without two o. three pris-
oners
The FIVE prisoners arrested LIST night were
taken to the Navy Yard this afternoon, and
placed on board the Powhatan, where, in
company with Capt. Bates disconsolate cav
airy, they will have an opportunity of ru-
minating upon political questions. With
one exception, they are miserable looking
squad, their uniforms being of horse-blanket
material, their cheeks hollow and their eyes
sunken.