Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-09-06

Brigadier-General Longsrreet, while ind-
ing on all sides elaerity, ardour and iotelli-
gence. mentions his special obligations to
Coils. Moore, Garland and Corse, command
ing, severally, regiments of his brigade, and
to their field officers, Lieut.. Coils. Fry, Fun
stem and Munford, and Majors Brent and
Skinner of whom he says: "they displayed
more GOODNESS and energy thanis usual among
veterans of the old service" General Long
street also mentions the condnct of Captain
Marye, of the 18th Virginia Volunteers, as
especially gallant On one occasion, in ad-
vance of the Ford.
The Regiments of Early's Brigade were
commanded by Colonel Harry Hays. and
Lieutenant Colonies Williams and Hairston,
who handled their commands in action with
satisfactory GOODNESS aud skill, supported by
their field officers, Lieutenant Colonel De
Choiseul and Major Penn, of the 7th LOUISE
ana aud d aJor Patton, of the 7th Virginia
Volunteers.
The skill, the conduct aud the soldierly
qualities of the Washington Artillery engaged
were all that could be desired. The officers
and men attached to the seven pieces al
ready specified, won for their Battalion a dis.
tinction which, l feel assured, will never be
furnished. and which will ever serve to urge
them and their corps to high endeavour. =
Lieutenant Squires worthily commanded the
pieces in action. The commander of the
Battalion was necessarily absent from the
immediate field, under orders in the sphere
of his duties, but the fruits OF his discipline,
zeal, instruction aud capacity as an Artil-
lery Commander, were present, and must re-
dound to his reputation.
On the left of MitchelPs Ford, while no
serious engagement occurred, the conduct OF
all was eminently satisfactory to the gen eral
officer in command.
1t is due, however, to j. l.. Kemper, Vir-
ginia forces, to express my sense OF the value
of his services in the preparation fer. and ex-
ecution of, the retreat from Fairfax Court
House on Bull Run. Called from the head
Of his Regiment. by what appeared to me an
imperative need OF the service. to take charge
of the superior duties of the Quartermaster's
Department, with the advance at that critical
Juncture, be accepted the responsibilities in-
yolyed. and was eminently efficient
For further Information, touching officers
and individuale of the lst Brigade, and the
details of the retrograde movement, | have
to refer particularly to the report OF Brig.
Gen. BOnham herewith.
Il is proper here to state, that while from
the outset it had been determined, on the
approach of the enemy in force, to fall back
aud fight him on the line of Bull Run Yet
the position occupied by General EwelI's
Brigade, ii necessary, cOu Id have been MAIN
tanned against a largely superior force.
This was especially the Case with the posi-
tion OF the Fifth Alabama Volunteers, Col
ROdes, which that excellent officer had
made capable of resulute protracted de-
ience against heavy odds. Accordingly, on
the morning of the 18th ultimo, when the
enemy appeared before the position. they
were checked and held at bay, with some
confessed loss, in skirmish in advance of
the works in which Major Morgan and Capt.
Shelly, Fifth Regiment Alabama VOlun-
teers, acted with intelligent gallantry, and
the post was only abandoned under general,
but specific, imperative orders, in confor-
nifty with a long conceived, established
plan of &C ion and battle.
Capt. E. P. Alexander, Confederate States
Engineers, fortunately joined my headquar
tiers in time to introduce the system OF new
field signals, which, under his skillful man.
agement, rendered me the most important
service preceding and during the engage
ment.
The medical officers serving with the regi-
ments engaged were at their proper posts
and discharged their duties with satisfactory
skill and zeal, and, on one occasion at least,
under an annoying fire, when Surgeon Gull
len, First Regiment Virginia Volunteers,
was obliged to remove our wounded from
the hospital, which had become the special
target OF the enemy's rifle guns, notwi h.
it was surmounted by the usual
yellow hospital flag, but which, however, |
hope, for the sake OF past associations, was
ignOrantly mistaken for Confederate fa..
The name OF each individual medical officer
[ cannot mention.
On the day of the engagement, / was
attended by my personal Staff. Lieut.. S. w.
Ferguson, A. D. c., and my volunteer
Co.'s. Preston. Manning,
Chestnut, Miles, Chisholm and Hayward, of
South Carolina, to all of whom l am greatly
indebted for manifold essential services in
the transmission of orders on the field, and in
the preliminary arrangements for the occu-
patton and malntainance of the line of Bull
Run.
Col. Thomas Jordan, AssistaIt-Adjutant
General; Capt. G. n. Smith, Assistant-Adju-
taut General; Col. S. G. Jones, Chief OF Ar
liilery and Ordnance; Major Cabell, Chief
Quartermaeter; Capt. W. ii. Fowle, Chief of
Subsistence Department; Sugeon Thomas III.
Williams, Medical Director, and Assistant
Surgeon, Brodie, Medical Purveyor, of the
General Staff, attached to the army of the
Potomac, were necessarily engaged. several
~, with their responsible duties at my head
quarters at Camp Pickins, which they dis
charged with an energy>and intelligence, for
which have to tender my sincere thanks.
Messrs. Mclean, Wilcox, Kincheloe aud
Brawner, citizens of this immediate vicinity,
it is their due to say, have placed me and the
under great obligation for the infor-
nation relative to this region, which has en-
abIed me to avail myself of its defensive fea-
lures and resources. They were found ever
ready to give me their time, without stint or
reward.
Our casualties, in all, 63 killed and wound.
ID, were fifteen" killed and fifty-three wound
I'd, several of whom have since died. The
loss of the enemy can only be conjectured;
t was unquestionably heavy. In the curso-
y examination which was made by details
rom Longstreet's and Early's Brigades, on
he 18th July, of that part of the field imme
iiately contested and near Blackburn's Ford, |
some si4ty-four corpses were found and bu-
led. and at least twenty prisoners were also |
picked up, besides us stands of arms, large |
quantity of accoutrements and blankets, and |
quite one hundred and fifty hats.
The effect of this days conflict was to sat- |
sly the enemy he could not force passage |
lcross Bull Run in the face of our troops,
md led him into the flank movement OF the |
list July aud the Battle of Manassa. the de- |
ails of which will be related in another pa
Der.
Herewith have the honor to transmit the |
eports of the several brigade commanders |
IN gagged, and of the artillery. Also, map
If the field of battle.
The rendition of this report, it is proper to |
ay in conclusion, has been unavoidably de- ]
aged by the constantly engrossing admins |
rative duties of the commander of an army |
,orps composed wholly of volunteers-du-
lies vitality essential to its well-being and fu- |
ure efficiency, and which L could not set
sside or postpone on any account.
have the honor to be, General,
Your ebedient servant.
G. T. BEAUREGARD,
General Commanding.
70 General S. COOPER,
AdJt and Inspector General, c. S. A.