Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-10-05


will command the attention of our readers
! both for the il FORMATION it gives of recen
| movements of our troops in the Northwest
and the present position of affairs in thai
| quarter:
| Correspondence of the Richmond s'Enquirer''l
CAMP DEFIANCE,
18th September, 10 P. NJ.
MEssRs. EDITORS. On the 18th of Septem
Der. General Floyd and his forces encamped
| on the summit OF the Big SeJvell and ordered
the Wise Legion, which, to cover his rear.
was drawn up in order of battie at Locust
Lane, to camp East of him at Smales', on
the turnpike.
The troops of the Wise Legion, who were
in no amiable humor at so much retreating,
and, especially, at being obliged to retire
from Dogwood Gap without fighting, were
| much exhausted and annoyed at having been
| kept on the road from six in the morning till
eleven at night, mixed up with an intermins-
bic train of wagons belonging to the Floyd
| Brigade, for the purpose of only proceedin g
| a few miles and withouc being able to obtain
any definite order as to their destination.
On the Eastern slope of the Big Sewell, be-
| tween two small farms called Dixons' and
| Vaughan;s Gen. Wife selected his camping
ground, at the place since called Camp De-
fiance, and which, undoubtedly, is, with Dog
| wood Gap, one of the two strongest positions
| between the Allegnanies and the Ohio river
| Oh the 18th and 10th General Floyd was
| industriously occupied throwing up field
! works to the westward of the summit of Big
| Sewell. The position, however, was not one
| tenable against superior force. and this Gen
eral Floyd seems TO have found out. On the
| night of the 10th to the 18th he made very
| precipitate retreat from the Big Sewell, with
| about 5000 men to Meadow Bluff, destroying
much baggage and abandoning much provis-
ion. His troops were under the impression
hot
| with $4,000 men. After passing the Wise
Legion, he ordered Gen. Wise on the follow
| ing day to prepare to cover his rear and to
follow him to Meadow Bluff, having informa-
ton that the enemy was advancing one col
umn by the wilderness road.
1t was impossible for Gen. Wise to comply
with both orders, even had they been posi-
tive, and in fact one was not executed at all.
1t was only by maintaining its position at all
hazard that the Legion could protect the rear
of the Floyd Brigade. The experience OF
Dogwood Gap, occupied in force, with artll-
lery by the enemy few hours after the
Wise Legion left it, by General Floyd's order
showed clearly, and the event at Camp De
fiance subsequently, confirmed that on the
abandonment of the latter position. the enc
my would Immediately occupy it in force.
Floyd's brigade was much demoraliZed since
his retreat from Camp Gauley and the follow
ing retreat. The Wise Legion, willing enough
to fight, would have been equally democrat
lied by retreating any further. Meadow
Bluff affords no position. No real demon
stration had yet or has since been made on
the wilderness road, nor did there exist any
reason why there should be, since the enemy
could more conveniently, if in force sufficient,
strike the turnpike further eastward, as for
instance at the Little Sewell.
II the Wise Legion had retreated and been
followed up by superior forces, its existence
Il ,I.,t hn ~ fIn
FLOYD brigade left unprotected. But, at all
events that retreat was impossible of execu-
ton without the abandonment of baggage,
because Gen. Floyd had detained many wag-
ons belonging to the already insufficient
TRANSFORMATION of the Wise Legion, and be-
cause the roads had been so much cut up by
the vast train of the Floyd brigade.
The writer counted twenty-eight wagons
belonging to. aud following the last regiment
of Gen. Floyd's brigade, which was just
twenty more than accompanied the regiment
which closed up Wise's column.
Under these circumstances Gen. Wise re-
solved to make stand where he was camp
ed. and where, on the morning after his
reaching the ground, he had began to throw
up entertainments Here it was impossible for
an enemy to bring more than two guns, or g
thousand men to bear on any part OF his posi-
ton, and on every point within few minutes,
and Gen. Wise could bring six of his eight
pieces and two-thirds of his force into play,
besides the advantage of intrenchments. La
addition. most of the officers of the Legion
spoke openly of resiging, if compelled to re-
treat any further.
On the 18Th, General Wise addressed the
troops of bis Legion. stating substantially
that hitherto he had never retreated but in
obedience to superior orders. That here he
was determined to make a stand. That his
force consisted only of LOO infantry and ar
tillery, and that the enemy was alleged to be
10 900 strong. That this he did not believe,
but that his men must be prepared to fight
two or three or several to Que, and even If
the enemy were in the full force stated, the
position admitted of successful defence, and
he was determined to abide the issue. He
warned them that they would, probably, be
attacked front and rear for successive days,
and he called on any officer or soldier who
felt doubtful of the result, or unwilling to
stand by him in this trial. to step forward,
promising that they should be marched at
once to Meadow Bluff. This speech, deliv-
cred successfully to the three regiments OF
infantry and to the artillery, was received
with the widest enthusiasm. Not one soli- |
tary individual in the Legion failed to re-
spond, and the spirits of the corps were |
raised and maintained at the highest fighting |
pitch.
The provisions and baggage wagons were |
withdrawn into safe positions, and the camp |
on all sides strengthened. In this attitude |
the Legion remained till about the goth. |
when strengthened by the arrival of Capt. |
Romer's artillery company with one gun. and |
by that OF one Virginia, one North Carolina. |
and three Georgia companies, which swelled |
the forces of the Wise Legion to over 1000 |
men. About this time Gen. Lee arrived in |
Gen. Floyd's camp at Meadow Bluff, and |
wrote to Gen. Wise, advising him to fall back,
& : 1nIa De-
on this advise, Gen. Wise requested Gen. Lee |
to inspect the position in person. On the
22d Gen. Lee arrived at Camp Defiance, and,
after careful survey of the ground, ordered
Gen. Wise to maintain his position until fur
Their orders.
The enemy had meanwhile advanced to
within three or four miles, and several Skin
mishes had taken place between his outpOsts
and the remaining cavalry of the Legion un-
der Major Bacon, formerly Captain of Mount
ed Rangers in Nicaragua, and afterwards aid
to Gen. Garnett, and wounded by the side of
that General when he fell. The rest of the |
cavalry was still under its gallant Colonel,
J. L. Davis and Lieut.. Col. Clarkson, south |
of the New river. where they had pushed
daring and successful foray up to within II
miles of Charleston.
One night, Gen. Wise with few picked
companies, including the Richmond Blues
and the Mississippi Rangers of the I'd Regi-
ment, under Capt. Imboden, attempted to
feel and ambuscade the enemy and drive in
their outposts, killing three of them, the
General himself lying down for several hours
in a pitiless shower. Notwithstanding. all that
could be ascertained of the enemy was that
he was on the turnpike, probably from 5000
to 5000 strong, On the afternoon of the
23d, whilst the infantry and artillery of the
Legion were rehearsing their part On the
CONTEMPLATED points of attack the enemy |
suddenly appeared, driving in our pickets.
The next morning the summit of the Big Sc
well was whitened with his tents, and skir-
mishing commenced and continued till this
evening. On our side two gun attachments
of the Artillery and three companies of the