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

mcst efficient possible preparations for the
desperate defence Of That position In extre-
b,lity 70 mentioa the nanos Of those patriotic
gentlemen Of Virginia, by the gratuitous la.
bor or whose slaves the entrsnched camp
Manassas had been maiuly constructed, re.
lteving the troops from that laborious SER
vice, and q wing opportunity for their mill
tary instruction -salt,
Lieutenant-Coionel Thorn AZ H. william
son. the engineer Of these works, assisted oy
captain ID. b. Harris, discharged his duties
with un,i.ing energy and devo ton, as we'll
ne satisfactory skill.
Oaptaia W. H Stevens. Engineer Uonfed-
crate Army. served with the advanced forces
the battle he laid out the works there. In
admirable accorda ICE with the purposes for
which they were designed, and yet 80 as to
admit Of ultimate extension and adoption to
more serious uses as means ana part OF n sys-
TEN Of real defence when determined upon.
ae has shown himself TO be an ofiicer Of en-.
ergy and ability.
Major Thomas g. Rbett, after having dis.
ehars cd for several mon hs theta bortous du.
les Of Adjutant. General to the Commanding
officer of Camp Pickens, was detached to
join the army Of the Shenandoah, inst ON
the eve of the advance Of the enemy; but
volunteering his services, was ordered to
assist on the staff OF General Bonham, join
ing that fficer at Cen treviIle on the night Of
the 18th, before the battle of Bull Bun,
where he rendered valuable services, until
the arrival Of General Johnston, on the 10Th
Of July, when he wac called to the place OF
Chief VI staff of that officer.
| IL is also proper to acknt Wedge the sienai
| services rendered by Colonel Is. +. Terry and
r. Lubbock, of tt KAT. VINO had alta ched
| themselves to the stiff OF General Long
| street. These gentlemen made daring and
| sitions, assisted by Captains Goree and
| Chichester. They also Carried orders to the
| Ii. Id, and on the following ia, accompany
| lug Captain Whiteheau's troop to take pos
~ oirfx tn1n nal
| Terry, with his unerring. rifle, severed the
| ballard, and thus lowered the Federal flag
| fund suli floating from the Gu palO OF the
| Court House there. b also secured large
tede mi garrison Il iR designed, il is said, to
b. uuiucied over our ent'enchments at Ma.
| nassas.
In connection with the unfortunate casu.
| alties or The day-tnat is, the miscarriage of
! the orders sent Dy courier to Gems Holmes
| and T. veil to attack the enemy in flank and
| reverse ut Cenrevills, through which the
triumph OF our arms was prevented from
D. ing sti'l more decisive, l regard ii in place
! TO Say, q divisional organization, with Cfi-
| GERS IN command of divisions, with apprO-
pirate rank as in European services, would
greatly reduce ths risk OF such mishaps, and
| would ad.antageousiy simplify the Commu-
nicaL,Ons of = Genel ul l.. Command OF
| field with his troops
! While glorious for our people, and OF crush
iEg effect npOn the morale OF our hitler to con-.
! lidons and Overwhelming adversary, as were
| the eveais OF The battle OF Manassas, the field
| Was only won by stout fghung, and, as be.
tore stated, with much loss, as As precisely
/ exhibited in the pa pers herewith marked + :,
| u, and H, anu being lists OF the killed and
| wounded. he killed outright numbered
| 369-the wounded ,4s3. making an aggregate
Of l,s52
, Tue actual loss of the enemy will never be
known, 1t may now only be cohiectureQ.
Their abandoned dea0, as they were buried
Dy our people where they fell, unfortunal ely,
| were not enumerated, but many parts of the
field were thick with their col pses as but few
I battle fields have ever been. The Official re.
| ports OF The enemy are studiously silent on
| this point, but still afford us dall tor an ap.
| prCXimlte estimate. Lett almost III the dnIk
in respect to the losses OF Hunters and
| Helm .zieman's divisions-nrst, longest and
| most hotly engaged-we ure informed that
| Sherman's brigade-Ty Iers DIVISION suft-r.
! cd, III kiiied, wounded, aud missing, 609
that is, about Is per cent. OF the bri.
| gaoe. regiment OF Frnnkiin's brigaue-
! doImans-iost Il per cent Griftin's (oat-
| t-ry) loss was thirty per cent, anu that OF
| Reyes brigade, which was so handled
| ny It's commander us 10 be exposed to only
| occasional vOlleys from our troops, was a.
| least 10 per cent. To these facts aua the re-
| peated references III the reports OF the more
| reticen: commanders, to The "murderous'
| fire To which they Were habitualiy exposed
| ihe piston range" voi1eys, and CALLING mus
| kerry, Of which they SPEAK, Us scUurglng their
| Ranks, and we are warranted in placing the
| en- tire loss OF the Fe0eralistS Ut over forty.
| five hundred in killed, wounded and prison.
| ers. TO this may be lesltiInateiy adued as u
| casualty OF ting battle, the thousands OF fugi.
| tives from The ileld who have never reioined
| their regiments aud who are as CHI lost to
| the enemy's service as if slain or disa bied by
| wounds. These may not be included under
| the mead OF missing" because in every in.
1 stance Of such report we took as many yris.
oners Of those brigades or regiments US are
! reported "missing."
A list appended exhibits some 1,4eo of their
wounded and others who fell into our hands
| and we're sent to Richmond. Some were sent
| to other points, so tn It the number of prison
| ers, including wounde: who did not die, may
| be set down US not less than 800. Besides
| these, q considerable mum Der who could not
| be removed from the field died at several farm
houses and field hospitals within ten days
| following the battle.
To serve the future historian OF this war, 1
will note the fact that among the captured
Eederalists are officers and men of forfv screen
| regiments of volunteers, besides from some
nine different regiments of regular troops, de.
| tschments of which were engaged. From
| their Gfficial reports, we learn Of a regiment
of volunteers engaged, six regiments of Miless
division, and the i've regiments of Bupyon's
brigade, from which we have neither sound
or wounded prisoners. Making all al.
lowances for mistakes, we are warranted in
saying that the Federal army consisted OF at
least fifty five regiments of Volunteers eight
companies OF regular infantry. four of ma
riues, nine OF regular cavalry, and twelve
bat ter les, one h0ndred and nineteen guns.
These regime t., at one time, Us will appear
| from q published list appended, marEei"K,"
| mum bered in the aggregate a lao, and ave.
rage a64 each from an cr1er OF the en-.
| emy's com n1ander, however, t1.ed July 9Th
| we learn that one hundred N 81 from each
| regiment were ordered to remain in charge
of respective camps-some allowance must
| further be made for the sick and details
| which would reduce the average to eight
hundI ed-adding the regular cavalry, infan.
| try, and artillery prs sent, an es innate of
| their force may be nude.
| A paper appended, marked a." exhibits.
| in part, the ordnance and supplies captured.
| including some 2s field pieces Of the best
| character of arm, with over 100 rounds of
ammunition for each gun, 81 caissons. 6
| FORCES, battery wagons, "a artillery horses.
| completed y equipped, 500 900 Of small arms
| ANN unition, 4 500 sets rounds OF accoutre
| ments, over 900 m uskets, some regimental
| and garrison flags, with a large number of
| pis tolls, knapsacks, swords, canteers, blank.
cts, IA large store OF axes and entrsnching
| tools, wagons, ambulances, horses, camp and
| garrison equippage, hospital s torres, and some
! Subsistence.
| Added to these results may rightly be no.
! tced here that ny tins battle I'll invading
| army superbly equipped, within 20 miles OF
their base Of operations, has been converted
| into one virtually besieged, and exclusively
| occu pied for mon tbs In the construction of q
| stupsndOus series of Notifications for the prn.
1 lection of its own capital.
beg to cal! attention to the reports of the
| several subordinate commanders for 2s.er.
/ ence to the signal, parts played ny indlvidu.
I AIS o. SAekE ItSpcCtAhC COUjiDhbds C0n ira
dictory statements, found in these reports.
| should not excite surprise.when we renem.
ner how difficult, il not impossible, it is to
| reconcile the narratiops OF hystanders. OF
participants IN even the II css iucon siderable
affair, much less the lifting, thrilling scenes
1 of q battle. field.
! Accompanying are maps showing the no.
l sitjons of the armies on tho r,ci Mug of the
2lst July, and OF three several ages of the
l hattie; also, of the line of Bun ltun north of
Blackburn's Ford. These maps, from &C.
tual surveys made by captain -. Is Harri-
by the latter with rare delicacy worthy of