The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-06-14

Il
HrAbouARrrss, DkrARr. OF viso,.rA, I
! FORrBkss ho,koH, June 10, 1861.
To LsuTRSANr GENERAL Soovr;-
| GkAKRAL-Hsving learned that tie oneny
bad sstsbhsssd An sutoost Of some strnrgth a
a place called L,tus Dethsl, = smsil church
sbOu. eisht miles from Newport N,~r, and tn,
sip,e e,e,an,o from 1spp on, from when.
Ls"y were &C uotomed ophtly to s1vsucs 10Th
On N'wport Ness and the picket guards Of
h'np1On 10 annoy them, ana sso IA ~,sncs
thy had como doSa in smsl ,guads Of oav-
| al and taken uumser " Uni u man = ma
| ot vhor1 bsa lie sht-,uari and pfo,sctien Of
'ho Troops Of Tho Unu,d States, and fore u
thso. Lio the feNsl ranks sud that they wNs
| also Rathtrrg up tho slaves ot citizens who
| bad noyeI nwFy 'n0 left their farms Ia cJar n,
Ct ibe,r negroes carrying tneIn To rr'k in GA.
trench a snls AZ W ihau,SGurg and Yorkipws,
bud deter .nnot 20 seIc up force 10 DR. yc
tHom bstk and i6.tioy thor camp thu hs H.
| gu,ttc'B Of which was this small churc cb.
had al'c iesruoj that A. a Il,Js . hort dis
tar Go further on, on tho road to YGktosn,
| was an UutS0Ik f tho rebels, on tho II lamp
ton siGs cf pace cAiisd Big Bs,hel lar, q
, chnreb, near tho head Of the north branch "
Back river, and that hre was = very consid-
| eIabis 2 ndszvous, win 40 Is af NOR " less
| ,u.rE h III piog,ss of eIec tion, and from this
| point the whole coantry vas lalt unlsr con-
| rbution.
! Accordingly, l ordered General Ptxau 3, VII,
ia ~ conmnnd of Ciup Hamilton, At hsrip.
ton, t. send puHNHA's keg,usnt Of Zouay's to
| he feriied over llsmp,"n Creek AT ma o'clock
this mcrn,rg, aHd 70 march by ths tnat up to
| Ns~Tatket Dridge thon cfos,iug the brii,re,
| to 20 tyahy road, ana mus put tns regiment
| ,n the rVsr Of IN, enssay, snd bet. een Big
B,tbsi ami Little Bethel. IN part for thu put
| poss OF cutting him off; aut t1en ~ mlks IN
attack upon Lltle Bethel. d,roc'ed GenetL
| PIrRcE to support hia fram Hunpior ,ith
Colonel To~rssrn's regiment, with two
mOuntsd howl zsfa, and 10 mar h shout an
| kosr ls'er. At tie neme time, directed
| Ci'rel PHKLrs, COMMANDING at Ne~pst
| News 10 snc out u battalion, comp sed OF
| such cu,ppsnies OF he regin,eny uudet bs com
nniid A. hs Thought host, under command Of
1 Lieutenant Coh1ei NAssRurs. in time TO
| MIKE q demonstration rpcn L,tile Bethel IN
| trout. and 10 hsN. him supported b. Cnl0nel
BEsDix's regiment, ~i'h Two field pieces.
| BSeDIx's ana IowHstnDs rsniu enia should
| elect junction NJ = fork Of tho road lead ,us
fIon flau pton TO Nav port Mass. Homsrlipg
like ui'e and a halt from Littir Bfhal | ii
rected tho msrch 20 he 40 tia ot thai the attack
thould b. made Just At d.yb'eak, ami that s't.s
l the alta, was made upon L'L,s Brthsl, DuEr
WAS regiment and oLs from Nespcrs New
should falloy Immediately upon the heos Of
the fDgitives, IL they were enabled to cut them
of, and attack the battery on the
road to Great Bethel while covered by
tho fogitives or, 1t was thJught
.xpedieat by General PIErcE. failins, TO
| surprise tee camp at Littis Bsthsl
they should attempt to taks the work near
Big Bethel. To prevent the possibility Of mis- +.
| take IN tho darkI esq, ] directed that NJ at =
| tack should BE- mads until the watch word
should b ihoutsd by the alta king regiment,
and, In csss that by any mistake ia The march
| the res imspts that were ~ make tho juac iiOn
ua~ss, .A-Nf- ...N-
| each othor, also erected that the members Of
Col. TOwssssD's regiment should b. known,
| II In day light by something white worn on tho
arm. 1hs troops wers accordingly put In mo
tioD, ~ orde,ed. ans this march was % timed
that Colonel DuRyxx hsd go. Ia the pcsiro,
noted uGon the accompanying sketch, and L ou-
tenant Colonel WAssBUas, In command u the
regiment from Ee.pct News, had got into
the posi- ion indicated u30n the sketch, and
| Colonel DsSrIA's regiment had been posted
and ordered TO Ia the fork Of the road, with
| two pieces a artillery, and ColoIel To xrs.
| nsD's regime mt had got to the place indicated
| Just bohind, and were nbout TO fOrm juno lion
a. this day dswred.
| Up to this point tho plan had besn vigoroas
ly, accura ely Anu succ. sstully carrie out; but
| Lsre, by 8, me s,ianRs fa,uity, and 81 yet an
| explained bluudsr, without ~ word or no'i" >,
| While G. TowSsrS var Ia coluBr en rR'ie
| and hon the bead Of tho c'Bn was within
ono hundred ya,ds Col. BEap.NJ rgment
| Cpen,o fra nifh both attiIl,iy and uiusk1s
| upon Col Iow,sEsD's column which IN tho
hurry and coLtusion, ~Sa irregularIy returned
by some Nf CUl. iuw ,sEsD men, WHO fenoi
that thy hal fallen into an smbus ado.
Col TowssESI's column imro oliats'y retrontsd
20 ths 'lniI orcc near by. and w.ro not pu-su' d
by CJCnl DasDrN's an. By Ihis ii . ost
criminal blunrr- two M n OF Col. TowSsErDs b
regiment were kili.d, and eight more or less
woant ed.
I,arrg this caunorsdinY and firing in his
rear Lieut.. COlUn NAshBukr. not koowipS
but that hi- C oo'muticstion might be cut of
imm' diaioly reversed his mArIh, as dii CJi
Dun, aE and marched back to form a junction
with hs isserves.
General Pm6CG, Who was with Colonel
TOwhsRrD's fcl insa', fearing that rho anouy
had got nolice Of our approach, aGd had pls' ii
bimsslt 10 force on tho line Of msrch, ald MT
eet'ing auy communicated from Colonel DUR-
YEE sent back 10 m. Tor reinforc sm-nSs aud
imn dlstcly ordered e lcnal ALLEs's r"gtm ,nt
30 he put in m0ti0n, aud 'hsy r. ,chsd llanp on
abont seven o'clock, IN the uissn' inns lne true
| state tf a'ta having bson ascot'a.nad by Geu-
| eral PmG'~, tho resiman,s sGscted jIsc'i0n
! aud resum e<i tho li1o Of march. A. tho moment
| Of ths firing OF ColOasl BsSDIN. C,ionnl Dur
TIRE had surprised part Of al ounsyihg guard
| of the enemy, consisting OF thirty persJus, who
have been brought IN " ne.
or course by this firing all hopa5 Of surpI iss
/ above the camp at Little B,thol was lost aGd,
l upon Ii arcblng upon It, II wa, found to hsyo
been vaca'ed. and the cavalry had pressed 0u
toward Big Bethel. lionel DURYEs, how
ever, destroyed tls carp at Little B,thsl and
/ acvtr csd. Gsnersl PiEbCE than, as he ioforms
| me, with tie advice Of his Colone's, thought
/ bss' to attempt to carry tho works OF The enemy
! at big B tbel, and made dispositions to that
'ffset. Thu attack con 'neel, a. am in,orp-
/ sd-iOr bsve not yatrceivtd any official re-
/ pori - about slf past nirs O'Clock.
| Az about 10 O'Clock General PIERor sent
| EOte 30 ms, saying that there WA sharp en-
! gSgsmert with the enemy, and that hs thought
he should be able to maintain his ysition until
/ r,iLfOTct ments could como up. Acting upon
this information, Colonsl Cams regiment,
| which had been ordered In the morning N pro-
| coed a. far As Nswm 'ket Briige, was allowed
| TO 20 forward. received this information, for
| which had sent special Ine sengsr about IL
| o'clock. Immediately made disposition from
Newport News to have Colonel PHELPs, from
the four regiments there, forward al IL neces-
| sary. Al soon a. thste orders could be sent
forward repaired to Hampton, for the pur.
poss of having proper ambuianc.s and wagons
Tor the sck and wouudsd intending to 20 tor
ward and Join the command. While the wag-
ors were going forward 4 messenger c1ms,
announcing tnat tho engagsInsnt had ter
minated, snd that tho trOops Ysrs ie'ir,
Ing in good order to camp. y rsmsiAsd
upon tho ground At Hampton, personally
seeing the wounded put In beats and TO sed
round to tbs hospital, ard ordering forward
Lieutenant Mos RIs, with two boat howi'z,'s,
cue II should bo attacked. Having been In
formed that the an muniSion o. TIE sruAory
bad been expanded. and seeing tho head OF ths
/ c,uma approach Hamptou IN good orinr,