The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-05-25
1HE CAMPAIGN IN eOUrMwEsexRN
VIRGINIA..
TcoRs ssf ON pssos or rsn Rtc1n osp n,.e.r


l FcoRAssfoN psScs or fnn Rtc8A oSD plsr ArCn.I
sourBwssfsRs. Va May so. lse2.
Having sseu frequent misrepresen.at of
! Col. Jsnnifer's conduct, sef " absud,a,n~ "
Mercer couaty recently to the er 9 ny. and for
''alsrmsss" the commuuiiy In this section, az
well ~ the Confederate Goysrnmsnt It has
! occurred to mo tha: simple aud brief narra.
ton OF facts might not prove a, accspte bic to
a rewspaper having that reputation for
fGf'aess which, even its enemies confess. has
al sys chsT acteriaed the Dispasss -:
Co'. JehAffer had iadiciousiy chosen Recfy
daf-a point few miles this side Of Mercer
Court houss-for the main body Of hts caval.
~ regiment. a,d had placed the remainder
under Lisct .Coi. Henry Fl zhugh, at the lat.
ter place. Taua Eaattsrs stood when q" plain
Euiev. trusty scout, comm sndiBg q sma1l
part cen res, and a brave and noble fellow.
bfonght int tlisence to Lt Dol EitzaIah
that the er envy was adva. ctn in large force.
At. Col. FitzauSh corn Il nnicatsd this infor-
NATION TO Cc.. JehIifer, and ip reply was in.
struoted by the latter to kesp II constant watch
upon the enemy, and to exercise his die ,re-
ton la hsrasStE6 hsa advance. II oppuTtu-
nifty shoul occur. .rndsr these ctroo IN tauces
Lt.-1ls Fitch ngh moved fJrwRrh with all
MS avail blS fJIcs in tbs direction of the
eaeiny. In tae msah;i,os The meat active and
zig Tous eH,r-7 rere df5aGtetito yanaoying our
sto.as ri every description fun Mercec Court.
House AID IS /: Is upoU .his subject III It
such false rApoits have beea circulated. IN
ciudisg among Othe. ataments ore shat
Col. Jsnniser left B: hind or burne', besides
i'm nenss Qnirtsm .sssC ana eommfssary
stores, several hundred tn..n arms, 10. me-
lay that there Is rot VOID Of trath in tlem
sos - gun. not q pistol, not once OF pow.
der or Iced, was left or destroyed AH were
saved. Indeed, every thing of every deacrip.
tlOn was safely renewed, exl pt few bushels
of oats and a faw pou DDS of bacon. and these,
the merest tt. fts In quantiiy, were destroyed
Unt ynfp IN Nnun tLvpt
Col Fl Zoueh DartI q his march. this gal
liant eff ;sr leavnad from his scouts that the
ADVANCE guard OF tbs enemy Lat encamped
for the nigh: e. idr Flrshmaa'@, a point
about sixteen miics the other side of Mercer
II He determined at ouce to stack them,
hoping to surprise them but at oil events, bJ
bold and offensive movement upon the ad
vance uard, 10 !ntimidate the main body and
ratard Its movement to 30 as 10 secure time for
the complete removal Of our stores at Mercer
q. H., and enable the Government to assem-.
Bile a force On the railroad, upon which II
was manifest the enemy was marching by way
Of a1ercer q II,
The attack was made abont daylight by
Lieut. Col F.tzhugh, his force bsipg divided
torcs attacked the enemy on tho right "A ,nk,
another on the taft while Fitxhugh had the
third party in pelS6n Immediately along the
road, to draw the enemy's fire, and thus en-
able toe other two parties to get rs close as
possible without resistance.
The enemy, though sarprised, made q, gal
Ian. resistance. They poured their fitst %
upon our men In the load, killing TWO and
Wounding several others, among WnOm was
'he former Quartermaster Of the regiment,
James Yard. No batter man ever yielded up
his life In behalf Of his coantry. Our men
resu rned tbs fire; the two parties on the right
and left did the same thing, and all rushed
upon the Yankees with yell. For q lime
complies success seemed certain. Many Kan.
kees were killed Outright many others fell
wounded, wk;Ie q few escaped by taking TO
! their heels; but the greater portion Of them
TOOK refuge In large two-etory log house near
bys and barricaded the doors The removal
Of the chinking between the huge logs fur
ntshed them with admirable loop holes; from
these they maip iptained the. fight vigoro ussy.-
Lieut.. Col. Fit1hugn attempted to storm the
house. but though our mec made heroic ef-
foris, II was found to he Impractical It
was in one OF these charges that the brave
Capt. Foley fell mortally wounded. The now
lmpregr able position of the enemy rendering
q farther attack nnavaiiing, and the main
the relief Of their advance guard, our tile
force had no option but to Withdraw. 1t re.
luires great tact to do this successfully
but /: was done mos: cOlsummately. A
few Of our most active sharpsh io.ers were
stationed at various points, who kept up
e vigorous fee at the loop holes OF tho
house. while our main body Withdrew with
their dead and wounded, IN each E. manner
as ID make the enemy mtesake the mQyamens
for . new disposition of our troops for re
Eewel of the fight. Our sharpshooters did
q
Of the Y ankees arrived, and then ztoinsd our
CetrsAtlng column. The enemy pushsd on in
pursuit with his main body, preceded by a
large cavalry force. These made desperate
efforts throughout. shs day TO attack our little
force, now numbered with the conveyance OF
the dead and dying; but r snecesslons of am.
buscades into Whic0 the Yankee knights fell
taught them to be wary. Thus~cur forces
reached Mercer U. Il. beg yoLa which the enc.
my did not pursue. Dol. Jonuifee then met
L,eut .Ool. Fitzhugh, aad, taking command,
directed opera ions from that point. Pene.,
trating the intentioTe OF the enemy 10 ma1ch
upon the Virginia aud Tslnessee Railroad.
and kn ow!r z his treng th DOL Jennifer at once
apprised our Gorsrnnent OF the necessity OF
immediate reinforcem- -nts. For this he was
1 censured an .'cLarnis. He was also grave
ly censuIed for NOT remaining at Mercsr q
II +, and thereby p:sTeatilg tns farther ad.
vance Of thi. "s2nad' cf Yankees Everybody
insisting that II Wes On y y hundred = hun
dfed and fifty Of tbs creamy GA maraudtng
excursio /. The very newspapers Ut Richmono
have teeMed with such eensures upon Colonel
J.nnifer Now, let the }Gets, rs they have SUB.
.eq uently transpired, come TO his vindication
Tie Government fortunately did hee1 Col
Jenniter's "aIcrms," and sent Gen Hsth, with
several thousand men, to his nssis,ance. Did
rhey fiad there was nothing for them to do
Whea they Gamer The enemy had already
penetrated to Giles H, aud Gen Hsth's
forces Q me rot an hour too soon They drove
,hr Yankee advanced guard from that poinI
i've or SIX IutIes. and since that time have
found themselves con froated oya force OF the
Supposed to be but half this force With which
toe enemy marched upon Mercer u Fl the
rsm.inder being a. the latter place So much
for Coi Jslnlier's "alarme," and the cen.
sures upon him for not keeping back this force
with one regiment Of cav llry e.