The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-13
Major Terrills Official Report Of Skin.
mishes near Alexandria.
FAIRFAX STATION, Army OF the Potomac,

August 3lst, 1901.
To Col. 4. P. Nh, Commanding Thirteenth
Regiment Virginia Volunteers:
Colonel i have the honor to submit the
following report of ;tn engagement with the
Federal troops III the vicinity of Bailey's
Gross Roads:
On Sunday morning, August 18th, at 2
o clock, A M, received from brigade head
quarters an order from General "A. Elzey, to
take tour companies of the Thirteenth In
fantI.!, accompanied BY section OF Beck
nam : battery, to be commanded by Captain
Bechnam in person, the entire force to be
under my command, and proceed TO Anon
dale ana there join Col j. l.. Il. Stuart, of
the First Cavalry, who would give me farther
Instructions.
Upon arriving at Anondale Joined Col
Stuart with his cavalry, who conducted my
command, composed and ofhcered as follows:
Company A, Capt. Male: LIST Lieut.. Cullen
Company Il, lst Lieut.. Starke commanding.
Company ID, LIST Lieut. Winston command
ing, "a Lieut.. Byrd, Sd Lieut.. Hibbs.
Company q, Capt. Hill,
And one section OF Beckham's battery, COM
manded by Capt. Beckham in person, to ma
son 5 Hill, an eminence six miles from Alex
andri;t, commanding Il view of the federol
Capitol and all the principal points along the
Potomac.
Almost Immediately upon our arrival, a
c0nstd4ratie force of Federal infantry and cav
airy made their appearance III the road, about
Il quarter OF a mile trcm the base of the hill.
Col. Stuart directed Inc to attack them and if
possible cut Oft their retreat. l Immediately
proceeded with company q, Capt. Hill com
handing. Not being familiar with the topog
raphy OF the country, We unaVoldably allowed
ourselves 10 be discovered when within 4 few
hundred yards OF the enemy; the cavalry I'M
mediately fell bach, the infantry retired to the
woods. Stirling the woods, l ordered the
company under my command 10 charge them
on their right flank, which was promptly
ohayed. ending in the loss of three killed and
one prisoner on the side of the enemy.
About three a. M. the following day my
uickpts were attacked--One horse shot in the
knee being the only damage sustained on our
side. At daylight the enemy opened a heavy
fire upon my front and left flank. l immedi
ateiy caused Captain Hills company to be de-
poved as skirmiShers at the base of the hill -,
with orders not TO fire until the nearer APP
proach of the enemy. few sharp shooters
Dos ted in the woods succeeded in killing sew
eral of the enemy, who, failing 10 ascertain
our strength by drawing out my command,
retired.
About four p. NJ. the same day I attacked,
with company Il, (CuIpeper Minute Mem,
Lieut.. Starke commanding, a company of L e.
:. infantry, who were routed after heavy fir
ing on both sides, with considerable loss on
the part of the Federals. The enemy appear
&c greatly confused and astonished ut the po-
stion we had taken being almost surrounded
by their camps.
On Tuesday morning my entire command
was relieved, and with two additional com
pauies of the LIST Maryland Regiment, COM
manded by Major b. J. Johnson the entire
force commanded by Col. J. f. b. Stuart. adj
vanced on Munson's hill, which was occupied
by Federal troops, the attack on which, rs
we'll as ON Upton's HILL still further in adj
vance, was 4 plete success. The field officer
of the day the Federal side and uln Der
of men were killed-six prisoners were taken
East of Upton $ hill, near the Loudoun and
Hampshire Railroad, whilst patrolling with
a detachment of ten men from company l,
LIST MARYLAND Regiment, commanded by Lit.
Mitchell, l was attacked by about sixty of the
ON my "a
By the first volley delivered, Lieut.. Mitchell
was severely wounded and private Fountaine
killed by my side. l took the dead man 5
piece, and directed the rest of the party IA IL
unon the bank of the road and avail them
selves of the cover # a few stunned bushes,
from which position we returned their
fire with great effect The firing was
kept up until the enemy We're compelled
to in order TO bear OFT their
dead and wounded Nothing except the cool
| ness OF the men under my command pre-
vented the entire detachment from being
killed or captured. Colonel Stuart, coming
up al the close of the action, directed me to
| have the wounded conveyed To Falls Church.
| Ia my absence, he made an attack with our
| entire force upon the enemy. who had been
| largely rein forced routing them after a despe-
rate fight, killing a large number. Colonel
Stuart then ordered the entire command
| back to Munson's hill, where we were
kept active night ana day to hold the
position.
| The killed and wounded of this command
are as follows; Company A.-killed-
Private Robinson wounded-Privatc Sizer,
! thigh amputated. Company G.-CorpOral
| Arnold, mortally wounded; Private Hardi
gan, Sigh tly wounded.
| / cannot close this report without expressing
| to you my extreme qualification at the gallant
and soldier-like conduct of every officer and
private of the command. Constantly ex-
posed to the fire of a superior force, without
rations, lying out i'll Il drenchins rain without
blankets or covering Of any kind, they per-
drl
in a manner that argues well tor the success
| OF our cause.
With great respect, your ob't sery't
j. BARBOUR TERRILL,
Major 18th Infantry Va. Volunteers.
To Col. A. p. HILL, Commanding 18th In
fauIrS