The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-08-09

the the position at Backburns Ford then
in the possession of the enemy and he already
ing left On sending the officers staff
different they found they reported that
our decision had been anticipated by the troops Of
those who had come in from the front being already
the road to the rear the panic with which they in
still continuing and hurrypg them along.
At o'clock the guard (Benker's brigade moved.
covering t. retreat which effected during the night
and morning troops at Fairfax station leaving
by cars took with them the bulk Of the supplies which
had been sent there &My aidde camp Major Wadsworh
STAYED at Fairfax Court house till late in Jhe mornn 10
that the strgslers and weary and soldiers
were not left behind.
transmit herewith the reports of the several division
and brig de commanders to which refer for the conduct
of particular regiments and corps, and lated
turn of the killed, wounded and missing. From the lat
ter it will be seen that killed amounted to nineteen
officers and four hundred and sixty two commissioned
officers and rrvates and wounded to sixty four Off
and hundred and forty commission
officers and prVates Meny of the wounded will soon he
able to join the ranks, ami will leave total of killed
and disabled from further service under thousand
The return of the missing is inaccurate. the men
supposed to be missing having fallen other regimen
and gone to WaShngton-many of the Iouaves to New
YORK IN one brigade the number originally reported at
six hundred and sixteen yesterday reduced
hundred aud seventy four These reductions being
made.
OF course nothing known of the loss the
An officer Of their forces, coming from them with
a flag of truce, admitted eighteen hundred killed and
wounded, and other information shows this to be much
under the true number,
The officer commanding the 1lth New York zouaves
and Colonel Heintzeman say that the returns of that
regiment cannot be relied on as many of those
among the casualties have absented themselves
return and have gone to New York Among the missing
reported are MANY of our surgeons who in at
tendance wounded and were against the rules
modern warfare, made prisoners
The issue of this hard fought battle which certainly
our troops lost credit in their conflict the field with
an enemy ably commanded, superior in numbers. who
had but short distance march, and who acted his
own ground the defensive, and always under
whilst our men Of necessity out the open fields
should not prevent full credit being given to those
officers and corps whose services mered success if they
| did not attain it.
To avoid repetition, will only mention here the
Of those not embraced in reports division ard
brigade commanders. beg to refer to their reports for
the names OF those serving under their immediate orders,
desiring that this subject they be considered
my own claim credit for the officers of my staff, and
for those acting such during the day. They did
lnS IA lier power exposing themselves freely when
required and doing all that could do comuunica-
ting orders guiding the columns exhortng the troops,
ralying them when brok ken and providing for them the
best the circumstances admitted. They follows:
First lieutenant H. W. Knsbury, Fifth artillery aid
! decamp.
Major Clarence s. Brown, New York Militia voiun-
Major James s wadsworth New York Militia volun-
teers aid de camp The latter who does NE the honor
to be ray personal staff had horse shot under him in
| the hottest of the fight.
Captain james B. Fry, Assistant Adiutant General.
Captain O. II Tiilighast, Assistant Quartermaster. who
discharged alone the important and burdensome dute of
| his department with the army, and who was mortaly
wounded while acting with the artillery, to which he
formerly belonged and in which he deeply interested
| Captain H. F Clark Chief of Subsistence Department
| Mir Meyer, Signal Officer, and Major Malcolm hcDon
nell, who acted as aides
Surgeon W. S. King and Assistant Surgeon Magruder,
Major J g Barnard, Engineer, aad senior of his de
she most aid
Captain A. ". Whppe.
First Lieutenant H L. Abbott and Second Lieutenant
| II s. Putnam, Typographical Engineers
Major W. f. Barry, Fifth Artillery Chief Artillery.
Lieutenant tGeorge c. Strong, Ordnance Officer.
| General.
Second Lieutenant Guy Henry, who Joined me on the
| field, ana was of service aid-de-camp.
The following officers commanded divisions and bri-
gades aud in the several places their duty called
did most effective service and behaved in the most ~allart
Brigader General Tyler Connecticut volunteers
Colonel David Hunter, third cavalry severely wounded
| at the head of his division
Colonel S. P. Heintzelman, Seventeenth infantry
wounded in the arm while leading his division into ac-
Brigadier General schenck Ohio volunteers command
| ing Second brigade
Colonel D. keyes, Eleventh infantry, commanding
| First brigade, First division.
Colonel ". P. franklin, Twelfth infantry, First br
| gade Third division
Colonel W T. Sherman, Thirteenth infantry, command
ing Third brigade, First division.
Colonel Andrew Porter, Sixteenth infantry, command
| ing First brigade, Second division
Colonel A. f. Burnside, Rhode Island volunteers com
| mandng Second brigade. Second division
Colonel O. B. Wilcox, Michigan volunteers command
| ing Second brigade, Third division, who wounded
and taken prisoner while the hill in the hottest of the
| fight
Colonel o 0, Howard, Maine volunteers, commanding
| Third brigade Third division.
| CoIonelJ. b. Richardson, Michigan Volunteers COM
mandng Fourth brigade, First division
Colonel BIenker, New York volunteers commanding
Colonel Davies. New York volunteers commanding
| Second brigade. First division
As my position may warrant even if it does not call
for some explanation of the causes far they be
which led to the results ierein stated trust
may not be of place if refer in words to the
immediate antecedents of the battle When submitted
to the General n-Chef. in compliance with his verbal
required the time was to pro ceed to it into effect
fixed for the Sth July, Monday. Every facility nos.
sble was given me by the Generain Chief and heads
the administrative parments in making necessary
preparations. But the regiments, owing, was told, to
want of transportation, slowly. Many of them
did not come across till eight nine days after the time
| fixed uron and went forward without my seeing
them, and without having been together before in a
| brigade
The sending renforcements General Patterson by
drawing off the wagons was further and unavoidable
of delay. Notwithstanding the hercuean effort
of the QuartermasterG General and his favorng me in
every way, the wagons for ammunition. subsistence &c.
and the horses the trains and the artillery did not
arrive for than week after the appointed to
move was not even prepared late the 18th ult.
and the desire should move became great and it was
wished should not if possible delay longer Thurs
day. the 18th u When set out the 10th still
deficient in for subsistence. But went forward
trusting to their being procured in time to follow me-
The trains thus huriedly gathered together with horses
wagons drivers and wagon managers all AMI unused
to each other moved with difficulty and disorder aud
the of days delay in getting provisions
forward, making necessary TO make Sunday
tack should have made Saturday.
could not with every cxertion get forward with the
troops earlier than did wished to 90 to Centreve
the second day, which would have taken there
l7h and enabled ms, so far they concerned
go the action the 10th instead of the 2lst
when went forward from Fairfax Court House beyond
Germantown, to urge them forward was told it i'm
possible for the to march further They had only
come from Vienna. about six miles, and 1t
than six and half miles farther to Centrevile-in all
march of twelve and half miles, but the
weary. not much, told, by the distance marched,
by the time they had been foot caused by the
structons in the road and the slow pace had
to avoid ambuscades The were moreover,
toned marching their bodies in condition for that
kind of work and not used to carrying the load of
light marching order.
We crossed Bull Run with about IS roo men of all arms
division
left at Biackburn's Ford to Centreville and Schencks
brigade Tyers division on the left of the road
the Stone Bridge not participating in the main action.
The numbers opposed TO us have been vaous!y estma
ted may safely say, and avoid even the appearance OF
eXaggeration that the enemy brought up ali he could
which not kept engaged elsewhere He had notice
coming the nth and had from that time up iii
the 2lst to bring up whatever he had 1t is known
that in estimating the force to go against
!, Manassas, l engaged not to have to do with the
enemy's forces under Johnston. then kept in check
the valley by Major General Patterson, those kept
engaged by Major General Butler, and know every effort
made by the Genera-in Chief that this should
be done, and that if Johnston Joined Beauregard
would not be because he could be followed by General
Patterson but from causes not necessary for me to refer
to, if knew them ALL This not done, and the
my free to assemble from every direction in numbers
only limited by the amount of his railroad rolling stock
and his supply of provisions To the forces, therefore
drove in from Fairfax Courthouse Fairfax Station
Germantown and Centreviile and those under Beaure
gard at Manassas must be added those Johnston
from Winchester and those brought up by Davis from
Richmond to other places at the South which is to be
added the levy ordered by the Richmond auho
rites which ordered to assemble Manassas What
all this amounted to- cannot say-certanly much
:. than attacked them with.
could not. have said more early push on faster
could delay large and the best part nv forces
three months volunteers, whose of servic
about to expire but who sent forward having
loug enough to for the purpose of the expedition
On the eve of the battle 4th Pennsylvania regimen
of volunteers ana the battery of volunteer artillery thu
New York Sh militia whose term of service expired
sisted their discharge. wrote to the regiment,
pressing request for them to remain short time
the Hon Secretary of War, who at the time th
gound tried to induce the battery to remain at least
days But in vain They insisted their discharge tina
night It granted, and the next morning, when
army moved forward into battle, these troops moved
the to the sound of the enemy's cannon.
: In the next few days day by day, should los
ten thousand of the hest armed drilled ocered and dis
IS cpined troops in the In other words da
s which added to the strength of the enemy made u
e | weaker.
In conclusion desire to say in reference TO the event
It of the 2ls ut that the general order for the battle
y which referred was with slight notifications literal,
conormed to- that the corps brought Bull Ru
in the manner proposed and put into action before
ranged and that TO late in the afternoon
ment ordered carrying successfully to the ohec
had proposed before starting that of getting to tn
railroad leading from Manassas to the valley of Virginia
and going on it far enough to break and destroy tn
communication and interviews the unde
Beaaregard and those under Johnston. And could
have day few hours sooner, there every
thing show how could have continued successful
Of even against the Odds with which we contended.
r have the honor to be- very respectfully, your mos
,e | obedient servant IRWIN Mcdowell.
n- Brigadier General, Commanding.
y The Ineficiency of the Blockade.
i The English and French Ministers are CONSTANT
in receipt off intelligence from their agents at se'
eral of the bockaded ports the effect that shiE
Id of various kinds are known to pass in and out
Il the blockaded ports without any apparent oppos
ton, and therefore, 1t is asserted that the blockae
d. ia not effective. Unless the Government is mel