The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-01

OFFICIAL REFoRrs.
THE FATTLE OF MANASSAS.
JAY d, 1851.
REPORT OF JOS. f.. JOHNSTON,
0sxRlAL ConxAxDIxs.

REPORT OF JOS. f.. JOHNS TON,
GENIAL CoxxAxDIxs.
@~s - &.
n HrADo'as Anmr OF rns PoroxAc,
T8lffAx q. H., October u, 1854. )
To- A4issess esA dsspsasr 0sssrsl. Contsde'as'
Sir: nave tie honor to submit 70 the hon
maels Secretary OF war report Of theope
rations Of the troops under my command
which terminated In the battle Of Aanassas.
assunsd command at HarpeSs Forty on
the sd Of May. The force At that pom. .n ~
consisted OF nine regiments ana swo - TH.s
with SIX teen pieces without caissons. naIness
or bore. and about three hundred cavaify
They were, Of course, undisctpiinee, E
regiments without nccoutremen.s 1nu MI
an entirely inadequate supply % =" N"
i los. NO time In making .. complete recon
uoisauce Of the place and Its envlf0nS, In
which the Ohisf Eneinesr; Ms'o. .s EU~d Tne
results confirmed my preconceiveo ieoss.
The position IL nm ,enable BY any force not
strong enough to take the deld against an In
FADING army ana 70 nois t two SIDE: icing
forrned BY the Potomac and the Shenandoah /,
aud the third by Furnace Ridge. The pla-
teau tnus enclosed, and the end OF Furnace
Ridge itself, the only defensieie position.
HI
oocupa ton dou BILE our numbers, was exposed
70 eniilade and reverse fires of artillery from
heights ON tho MARI land side OF tho river.
Within that line the ground was more favor
able to an attacking than to defending force.
The Potomac can be easily crossed at many
poin Is above and below, 80 that 1t is easily
turned. It IL twenty miles from the great
route into the Valley of Virginia from Penn.
sylvauta ard MARY land, by which General
Pat,erson's approach was expected. Its gar
rison was thus out OF position to defend that
Valley, or TO prevent 0enerai McOiel!an's
junction with General Patterson. THESE
were the obvious and important obJecte to be
kept in view. Besides being in position Tor
mem, it was necessary to be able, on emer-
eency, to join General Beauregard.
The occupation Of Harp er's Ferry by our
army perfectly suited the enemy's views
we were bound to q fixed point. His move
ments were unressricted. These views were
submitted TO the military authorities. The
continued &C :upation OF the place was, how
ever, -eemed BY them indispensable. de-
termined to hold it untii the great objects OF
the Government required its abandonment.
Tho practicable roads from the w est and
Northwest Us we'll az from Manassas meet the
route from Pennsylvania and Maryland At
Winchester. That point was, therefore, in
my opinion, our b<st position.
The distinguished commander Of the ar my
of the Potomac was convinced, like myself, OF
missed 10 co.opsrate with me In case of need.
To guard Againstsurprise, and 70 impose upon
the enemy, Major " hitting was directed 10
mount alfeW1hen W guns upon Furnace Ridge,
and otherwise strengthen the position.
was employ ed, until the 18Th Uf j nne, in
continuing what had been beg un by my pre-.
decessor, Col. (now Major General) jackson,
the Organization n, Instr uction, and 90 nj pment
Of the troops, and providing means OF trans
pOrtation and artillery horses. The river
wRs observed from the Point Of Rocks 10 tn.
western part Of the county Of Berksiey-the
most distant portions by the interchangeable
Stuart, with his cavalry: Gen. Patterson's
troops were within q few hours Of Williams.
port and Gen. McClellan's, in Western Var.
GINA. were supposed to De approaching to
effect junction with Patterson. whose force
was reported, By weIl-iAformed persons. 70
be Is, 600 men. -...
On the morni M of the 18th of June infor.
nation Was received from Winchester, shat
homney was occupied by 1000 Federal troops,
supposed TO bs the Vanguard " mcclellan 8
army. =
Uvionel A. p. Hill with his own (i3th) and
Colonel Gibbons (l0th) Virginia Regimen Is
Was dispatched by railway to Winchester.
dc was directed to move thence towards
kOmney to take the best position ana Deet
measures to check the advance OF the snemy.
He was TO add to his command the Third
Tennessee regiment, which mad jass arrived
ut Winchester.
Dnrine that day and ths next the heavy bag.
to Winchester by the railway, ana the bridges
ON the Potomac destroyed. Ga the morning
OF the 18th, the army left Hnrper's Ferry for
Winchester, (the force had been increased b.
these regiments since the LIST Of June and
biyouacked four miles beyCnd Charlestown.
on the morning of the 10th intelligence was
received that General Patterson's army had
crossed the Potomac at WllliamSport, also
that the United States force at Romney had
fallen back A courier from Richmond
brought dispatch authorizing mo to evacu-
ate Harper's Ferry at my discretion.
The armDwas ordered to gain the MARITIME
burg Turnpike ~ flank movement to
Bunker's Hill In order to place itself be.
of Patterson. UE hearing OF this the enemy
re crossed the river precipftately. Res"mtng
nv first direction and plan, proceeded 70
winchester. There the army was In post
tion TO oppose either Mcclellan from the
west or Peterson from the northeast, and
to form a junction with General Beauregard
Vie Iisutensnt.6olone George Stewart, with
Ferry to bring OF some public property said
to have been left. As Mcclellan was moving
southwestward from Grafton, Colonel Hill's
command was Withdrawn from Romney The
ed to Colonel McDonald's regiment of caval.
~. Intelligence from Maryland indicating
another movement by Patterson, Colonel
jackson, with his brigade, Was sent to tho
Colonel Stuart The latter officer had been
placed In observation on the line of the Poto.
mac with his cavalry. His INT raising vigilance
and acti vity was relied on to repress small
of invasion by them, and to watch, harass,
and circumscribe their every movement.
Colonel Jackson was instructed to destroy
such Of the rolling stock OF the Baltimore
on. ana to have 80 much Of it as could be
made available to our service brought to
Winchester. -- .~.-t
Major whiting was ordered to plan defen-
~ Ia
navy carriages mounted. About twen ty five
hundred militia, under BTigadier. General
Carson, were called out from Frederick and
the neigh boring coun ties to man them.
crossed the Potomac. Col. Jackson, pursu.
ant to instructions, fell back before him. In
retiring he gave him severe lesson In the
AFFAIR at Falling Waters. With q battalion
Pendleton's Battery CT field Artillery, he
engaged the enemy's advance, skillfully TAX.
Ing q position where the snallnses Of his
force was concealed, he engaged them for q
considerable time. inflicted heavy loss and
losing man, bat bringing on forty Ave pri-
soners.
Upon this intelligence the army, strength.
sned by the arrival Of General Nee and Col.
onel Eizsy, and the 9th Georgia regiment
was ordered forward to the support Of Jack.
SOP. 1t met him at Da.tsville, six miles from
Martinsburg, where it took mp q position for
action, as QeneraI Patterson, 1t was sup.
posed was closely following Colonel Jack
son. We waited for him in this position
four days, hoping to be attacked BY an
adversary nt least double orr number,
bat unwilling to attack him In. . own 20
dcfensible as Mnytinsburg, with Its solid
buildings and enclosures OF masonry. Con.
WINGED ut length that he wonld not approach
us. returned to Winchester, much to the
disappointment Of our troops, who were
eager for battle with the invaders. Colonel
stuart, with his cavalry, az usual, remained
noar the enemy.
Before the 18th Of July, the enemy's force,
according to the best Intelligence to be OBJ