The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-03

PRICE TWO CENTS.
mnsket ranee-oar Itnss save h.ek h.t mn.
der orders ffo0 Gen. Bse - ~A
Tns enemy, maintaining their f,re rrv...A
battaIions retired the slaughter for M" , -
ment was deplorabl and has fllled man. w |.
southern home with life long sorrow.
Under this inexorable stress, the rstrcst
resolution Of Gen. Bee, supported by BARROW
and Evansy jast IN rear Of the Robinson
House, and Hampton's Legion which had
been already advanced, and was In possession
Imhodea's battery, which had been han.
died with marked skill, bas whose mo wsra
almost exhausted, and the two pieces OF
Walton's battery under Lieut. Richardson.
oeine tnrea'ened oy the enemy's infantry
fall back. Imboden, leaving disab piece
on the ground, retired I'm III he met ack -, =
brigade, while Richardson joined TIE main
body OF his battery near the Lewis House.
As our infantry retired from tue extreme
front, the two 6-pOanders Of Latham's nat
terry, before mentioned, fell back with excel
lent Judgment 20 suitable posi- ions in The
rear, when an ek-ctive fire was maintaine
npon the still advancing lines of the Fede-
ralists, with uamaking effect, until their
ammunition was nearly exhausted, whe n
they. TOO, were Withdrawn in the near pre-
ssnee OF the enemy, and rejoined their cap.
tsln.
From the point previously indicated, " here
Gen. JOh us Ton and myself had es su uoiis b. ed
our headQ uar.ers, We heard the CONTIGUOUS
roll OF musketry, and the sustain ed din uf the
artillery, which announced the Serious out.
0orSs OF the battle on our left dlnx. anu We
anxiousiy. but confdsn iy, aWar tea sim lar
sounds Of conflict from cur from. al Gen trs-
vile, resulting from the prescribed attack III
A 10Y a. NJ however, this expee ia tioa
was diesi sipatsu, from Briga0ler- GeEs rat Ew.
ell Informing ME, % my prO'ouna dis tppoiat-
meGt, hat my Orde IoE has advance LAD
miscarried, Dut that III Consequence OF 8.
comm unlCatlOn from Gen. d. II. jones he
had just thrown his brigade ACE iss the stream
at Union Mills But, In my judgment. il
was no W too In 70 for the encctlv. execution OF
the cOntemp plated movement, which must
have required quite thre hours ior the
troops to get in.o position for lns attack
therefore, 1t became immediately necessary
u depend on new cOmblA atiOEs and o1hor
dispositions sui ted 10 The now pressing eXi-
gency. The movement of sne night and cen
ire, already begun by Jones ana Lon KS EEL,
was Ut once CO untei manded wi,h the sanc-
ton OF General J onns ON, anu We arranged
10 meet the enemy CA the Neid upoa W hich lie
had chosen To gave US Ddttie. Under these
circumstances our Reserves, not already III
movement, were imm. diately ordere.I up 10
support ouf lett Il fAnx--name,y, Holmes 3 lwu
regiments and battery VI artillery, under
Cuptaln LINDSEY walker, OF SIX gu, 8, and
Eiriey brigade Two regiments from Bon
Aam'S brigade, with keMper's fouT SIX,
FOUNDERS, were also called TOR, and, with the
sanction OF General JoEnstl u, d.uerais
kweii, Jones, ~. L. } Lonsstree., ara Bon
ham, were directed u nuke u demonstration
70 their several trcn,s 10 retain 4nd engros
the enemy resert es al u forces on theII Il AK,
and at and around Cen tIeYlilS. Previously
our respective Chiels OF SLaH-Aajor kIaett
and Colonel JoruaE-iIad been left at my
headquarters ~ nas.eM up, aAd give direC-
tioHs to any troops thar might arrive ~
N anass0s.
rnese orders having been duly dispatched
by staff eficers. Ut li.S0 NJ. Hensral
JON nSton and myself set out for tne iMMe-
0iate field Of actioa, which we reached III
rear Ot the ROD,ason and WiaoW Henry's
hoases, at about IL meridian, and just as tA.
commands OF Bee, bartoW, and Evans, had
taken shelter in u wooded rayine behind the
former, stoutiy held 1t the time by Hampton
with his legion, which bad made u stand
there after having previously been as lar
forward as the turnpike, where Lieutenant
colonel johnson, an Ltficer Ut brilliant
prOmisr, was killed, and other severe lJssee
were sustained.
Before our arrival upon the scene, Ger eral
Jackson had moved forward with b .s pr4 & gaae
OF hve Virginia regiments from ms posiLic ~
in reserve, ana hau Jaaic.onsiy taken POS
below the brlm OF the piateau, nearly east o,
the Henry House, AID to The lett OF the ravine
and woods OcG upieu by the mingled remnant
u DOC ., O0A Wv - dA1A SS0AS' > cOMla0u,
with lm0oden's battery, and TWO OF SianarA s
pieces placed so as 70 play upon The on -com-
ing enemy, suppor ted Ia Shs Immediate reaf
by Colonel }. Il. Preston and i-lsus .COlonei
Echolls's regiments, on the right by Harper &
and ON the left by Aliens and Cumming s
regiment.
As soon as General Johnston and myself
reached the field, We were occupied with the
reorgan;Z Ation of the heroic troops whose
previous stand, with scarce a paraliei, has
nothing more valiant IN all the pages i his
tory, and whose lcgses htly tell why, u,
length their iiurs had lost their cohesion
It was now that 0ea Johnston impressively
and galiantly charged TO the front with the
l coiors OF the Fourth Alabama regimen: by
his side, all the field officers OF the regimen
having been previously disabled. Shortly
afterwards placed r. Gist, AdJutans an u
Inspector General of South Carolina, q vol
uutssr Aid-de Camp OF General Bse, IN com
mand of this regiment, and who led it again
10 the front Rs became It's prev iOus beh avlor,
and remained with 1t for the rest OF day
As soon rs we mad thus rallied anu 0is posed
oui forces, urged Gen Johnston to leave
the Immediate conduct OF the field 10 me,
| while he, repairing to Poruco-tte Lewis
House-sh0uld urge reinfor rcem-nts for ward
AT frAt he Wa> unwilling, but r eIai adsd Luai
one VI US must do So, and tnat properly il Wa
his place, he reluctantly, but fJrtuuateiy,
| compiled; fortunately, because rom tina
position, by his energy sDd sagac.ty, hls
keen perception and anticipa lion OF nay ueeds
| h. SO directed ths reserves as to ensure The
| success Of the day.
As Gen. Johnston departed for PortIco
Ooi. Barlow rspor ted TO me- with the re.
mains of the 7th Georgia volunteers, tifayt
| rell's.) which Ordered him 10 post OK ths
left of JacKson's line In the edge OF the Del
| of pines bordering the southeastern rim OF
| the plateau, on which the battle was now tG
l rageso long aud so hercsly.
Col. VIM. Smiths battalion OF the 40 Il
| Virginia volun ieeIs, having also come az bl
| my orders, placed II on the lef. OF 8artreii'l
| as my extreme left at the time. Repairin,
then 10 tue right, placed Hampton's Legion
which had suffered greatly, Oh that II ia
| somewhat to The rear of Hlrper's regimrnr
l and also the seven companies Of the Sti
(AuEton's} Virginia regiment, which, de
l tacned from Cookies brjgaoe by my ORDER
and those of Gen. Johns Gon, had opportune
ly reached the ground These, with Harper
] regiment, ,consii led reserve, to project III
rip ht dank from an ad vance OF the enemy II Oh
| the quarter OF the stone Bridge, ana serves
| as q support for the line Of battle, which
| was formed on the right by Bees and Evans
| commands, in the centre by tour regimen: =
OF Jacksons brigade, with Imboden's .ou
six.poundeYs, Walton's five guns, 1.-TWO ri
fied,) two guns (oue piece r.fisd) Of Stanaru'
and TWO six FOUNDERS Of Rogers's batteries
the latter under Lieut.. Heaton; and on th
left ny 4nrt-elPs reduced ranks and Col
Smiths battalion, subsequently reinforce,
FaIkner's Second Eiseisssppi regiment, an
by ano other regiment Of the army OF sheu
andoah, just arrived upOn the field, the Stx.l
(Fisher's) North Carolina. Oonfron.ing IN
enemy at this rime, my forces numbered q
most, net more than 8, SEQ inian try and artil
lertsis, with but thirteen pieces OF srttiiery
and two companies (Oarter's and Hogs's) :
Stusr.'s Cavalry. e. =
The enemy's fcrce, now bearing hctl
and confidently down on our position, reg,
ment af'er regiment OF the best equipped me
that ever took the 6eId-accoTuing 70 thsi
own Oflctal history OF the day-was forme
Of COlonels Hunter's and Heia,zeiman's di
visions, Oolonels Snerman's ana Keyc's bri