Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-09-24
Editorial correspondence Of the LyDchburg Republican
Letter From General FIoyd's Camp.
TOP OF Bic SEwEII MorsT,ts
Scnte,,h.r ItrE Iacf

Letter From General FIoyd's Camp.
Top OF BIC SEwELL MouSrAIS,
September 18Th, 1851.
| gave you, the other day, from the road
side, a hurried account of the hattle Of ~.
Gauley. fought On the 10Th inst, between n.
Floyd Brigade, and 5000 Yankees, under e.,
RosencranZ. think, perhaps, that . few nd.
ditional reflections upon that event, and u,G,
those subsequently transporting in This com
mand, may not be entirely devoid of intcrcs,
to our readers, or, without significance to III.
Confederate authorities, a. Richmond. shouiJ
these lines accidently fall under their oaso,r,
ton.
Since the battle Of Cross Lanes. in which,
we defeated and dispersed Colonel Tyler's c,u
mand, our Brigade has remained stationary a
Camp Gauley, for want Of provisions nccrs
sary to warrant a forward movement. W.
were distant more than ninety miles .rror
Jackson's river, the depot Of our army stores
while our means Of transportation were entire
2 Inefficient to supply our daily demands
10 move, under such circumstances, E@.r,ii.,
into i country devoid of almost every sol, 81
provision or forage, and particularly hostile L.
our arms, would have been the madrr IS al
folly. But for this unavoidable and ~vex,;i,r.
delay, 1t was our purpose to have ,uov-I
against General Cox, at GauleY BriGc. :,
tacklnS him IN the rear, while General W..
and General Chapman would have take, -,
in front and on tho left. We should TINS ~.
qucstionably have destroyed Cox's comma
OF have forced him to retreat, either Of wh;c},
circumstances would have opened Up to rs N.
fertile valley OF the Kanawhs, and ,pa,ir on.
campaign a most successful one.
While thus necessarily delayed ia ca, %.
ward movements, Gen. Rosencranz cnrc.,v.,
the stragetlc movement which occasiorei ,mr
Withdrawal from the other side If GapLy"
Without the knowledge Ct General l..
RoSencrenz put himself at the head 9, ,nr..
thousand men, innr Thousand Of VII n 49,.
regulars, and by a forced march Il three .r ,,n,
days, precipitaled his superior columns r,nr,
US when We only had : days kaowlcdm oIIi,:.
advance. Though our regiments wsr. c.r.
fully decimated by sickness, and wi.5 o,I,.
l,750 available men 10 their ar,ns, We l.,rr.
mined to give the enemy battle. This We ,hl
for more than four long hours, four times T..
pulsins his assaults, and ~silenciHe lis s,,..
with a loss to him, as We are crrdi5ly info-m.t
by those who have slHcc passed %,!..cnei, as
CAMP. of from 300 TO 600.
Had Gen. Wise reinforced u> Niti. l.Qtj .sr,
or had it been possible Tor The North ca. lis.
and Georgia regiments 10 have cciI. 20 OF: a..i
lance in time, We could doubtless lave whipped
R~osencranz as badly on the mo:rrr:oi tie IN,
as we had done on the evening 0. The lc,h.
indeed, We think it highly prchshie VIZ >1n'i
have whipped him any how; but. ha l"teGt
would have been impossible under ;ic ii.c .:
IN" rl!e:ny. and in thu 20; sibic c:c:.; O. %.iea'
we should all have been slaughtered I'll -.
turc,l, our prudent General thought It Gan..r.
to h:zald SO ,nuc:i upon the Gas. off, r.,-
d!e.
10 retire 20 this side Of the ,;arirs. "..:s-
was the only safe Alternative .r:i IL. aai
and tic wisdom ol this movcinsr!l ~: i,,',, -
on the mex: day b; y ~'::sia;>h :c!.
Gen. Lee, advising us of GU" G:i4v:, at": -
to" sep VIC .:a1 t:Ecr.
Oar Withdrawal was Is hri.:IF;.' ! srf;.~
i. aIIr ,:cf~ncr. W. iG$t II tEi5 ItGv"i!"'.l 20
!nan, a gun ar y wagon, ard w"nid 10 t>y.
lost 4 single article Il vGiric, Tad ~! re -
ln"vaI Of eur arg number cl ':c:i :@,iit.G
ll.u !tsc VI -: a"uSIc! por;ion ut oar r..na''
tr.r.poria,ien. The rose "aa ;-urn.-. --s
wid.. enough only !rr Tic paSsa-c o. iii.
wh;;r the raY"i lri ru::ai Cattle" i,l
To- be crossed cn lwn Il - hosts si.'i . ."n'I",
" inol bridge. just cump!.tei ot ii. rr"'E'a::
If lie fight. The feat w:s a]"ra,.i: ~ir>t:.i a.
than iiTe hours, and in tue Gi,s:rss. .: It's
night.
Our subsequent fiAvrruca.: h.e> Bee, q"
governed by those OF The rnc.n:. II"
risht after the Egh! ~ cncaw.~d Al i~'a&"cci
Gap, Gu the main turnpike, midway IrI".en
the Saturday and Sunday roads, and aouu;'""
miles lroui lamp Haulvy. Ga Thursday, I'll
tel!'gence reached Us that the enemy ~ss CO.,
i:.s Iiasiiey 1T Hughes Ferry, vita $ ";e" (
us Oft by the Wilderness road. ri A.:..""
Bluff sixteen ,uilcs this side vi L.s -ir..
We ut once moved back to THIS pJin., 40 ~ %
place ourselves in striking distance 4: IS:
erelny, snoIlId ne app.ar II that q~nartri, c'"'
a. the same time to mold the strongest tr4
most defsnsihlc position this side 81 Cav
Bridge, on the line Ct UuX'S adranc.. !! 81
are attacked here with as many q; :ca ;l8i.
sand men, | think We ca3 defeat t!:ru. AZ: -"
arc anxinuslr anticipating 4 hgh, il = r."
days.
Now, Cor 4 single suggestion % the ti9v".:-
menr L; Richmond. The enemy Stands npr:.
tl. bank; Of the Gauler river. win Il least
Il, 900 effective ucr, with reirtorrcnru's IA
the rear. TO oppuse this force We have ~ az
nil told, of not more than 4, 300 men. i"
movement, with Suct: nGir aSa;:st a..
is manifesily s huH@u i~mposSihililt a:hH".l'
tarT abSurdl.y. II caunct BIZ GuI:. ~" t.e
most wc can do is To hold the eneiu. ia rlw:k
in these. mountsin gorges, and save ar r-i'.
roads fron his grasp. Bot this is clsa.i: 'c>s
than what duty and patriotism requ're s'"rii
be done. The enemy should b.: tr."e7 "'m
the Kanawha Valley h.. fail, zTat ;Hi ..r..-
rrons arms made 10 rest there d~uEj@.: - We
ter. To do this, not less thai. ., $50 ta': n.y.,
With abundant IEcuns oI trarsro:ia::":. ,hhu'i
10 a. once transferred t. Gen. Flnyi: W..
less force, we shall be all the .im> "a: on '&e
defensive in this quarter. With thu ;s:s. Ne
can and will make a victorious march 70 '"s
banks uf the OHIO before the Scar and yc'ica
!'uf Of autumn rustlss along .heNc m0untaIrs
and valleys. r. nc.
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