The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-03-12

On t0oWynMee vorIy ~ - =
mov916ent ~ nearly sxeeussd bsfoYs vas
aware Of II. As tho enemy wss prseelDs
upon the trenches, deeDed tnss sne exs
ecution Of this last order was al that w.s
Cd in Occupying An angle Of the trsncAse
on the extreme right Of Bxifndisr. Senerai
Buekner's com "a and and - tho ifoen forces
Of ths enemy had began already 20 move %
held in the morning. ana ~ we had no force
adequate TO oppose their yrcgtss We had TO
subinit to tbs mort hcaticn OF seeing the
ground which we had won By eucn severc
or emy before midnighs. The enemy had
been landing reinforce msnts throughout tho
day. His numbers had been augmented 70
eighty three regiments.
Our troops were completely exhausted BY
four days and nights Of continued COZ dict -
To renew It with any hopa Of suCc ssssal re-
suit Yves obs iopsly vain, and such 1 uader-
stood TO be tho unanimous opinion OF OIL the
ofJe.rs present at the couEc lacalied to con-
slider whstwas best 10 be done. thou sht,
and 90 announced, that desserate onset
uron tho r. sht Of the eneny's forces On tho
ground whsrs We had at.ac ked them IN the
morning, might ras ult IN the extTication OF .
considerable proportion Of the command
from the position we were In. and this opip
lon Understood to be concurrsd In BY all
who were rreeent. But 1t was hkewise
agreed, with the samS Enautmtty, that u
would result in ihs slaughter OF nearly all
who did not succeed ia sffectirg their es-
pe The qaes:ion then arose, whether,
OK in point OF hananiiy ana soono NH.
from " hfcn the probabilities were that the
larger portion OF the comm and would be
cut 70 Iiscss Ia An nnavoh1s nSht
STOOD tn general sentiment 10 be adverse to
the proposition. felt that In shis eontin-
ser CIV, whilst IL might be question ed whether
1 should, rs commander of the army, lead II
fo~ GAL Ia nGRynilin0 GCnf
vet had b right Individually to deter inc
that / would not survive q surrender there.
To satisfy both prop. sitions. I agreed to
hand over the command to Br1gadier General
Buckner through Brigadier General PHI.
low, and to make an effort for my own
extrication BY any and every means that
Nigh present themselves to me.
therefore direc'ed Dol. Forrest. a daring
and determined clncer, At the head Of An EN-
cis1t regiment OF cavalry, to b. present for
the purpose Of accompanying me In what
Supposed would be an effort to pass through
the epemy's lines. announced the fact upon
turning the command over 10 Brisadier Gen.
Backncr that would bring away with me,
by any means / Coul1, my own particular
brigade. the propristy of which was acqul-
eecsd i'll on all hands. This BY vaEiols modes
l succeeded In accomplishing to q great
exteaf, and would have brought or my
whole command In ono way or another
II had had the assistance Of the nsld
Cf1cers, who were absent from several Of
the regiments. The command was turned
over to Brigadier. General Buokner, who Mt
once opened negotiations with the enemy,
which resulted in the surrender Of the plsc s
Thus ended tn con fct running through four
days and four ntghts; large portion Of
which time 1t was IN ain tanned with the great.
est 6srceness and obstinecy, In which we,
with a force not exceeding II, coo, IA large pOr.
ton Of whom were lilly srmed j succeeded In
resisting aud driving back with discontinue
an army OF more than 30, COO men. have no
means Of . cen rately ossim attDg the loss Of the
enemy. From what law spon the battle.
the whole period Of tbs nniot, from
what l was able to learn from soul 70
OF Information deemed by me worthy OF
credit, / have no doubt that the c1emy's
loss In killed and wounded reached Q
number beyond 10 900 FOE Aossand. Our own
exact returns am una0ia to state precise
numbers. I think they Will not he far from
1900 killed and wounded. Nothing could
exceed the GOODNESS and determined spirit Of
resistance which amin ated tho men In this
long aud ferocious conflict nothing coul
exceed the determined age which char.
Acterlzed them throughout this terrible strug
gle, and nothing could be more admirable
than the steadiness which they exhibited
nntl aa<s,e itself WIS Exhausted In what
they knew to be a desperate fight against
q foo very many times their superior In n um-
bers. I canno! particu,arjzs in this report
to you the mum bsriess instances OF heroic
daring perfor med by both ON GERS and men,
but mast content myself for the present BY
saying, In my judgment, they oil deserve well
of the country.
have the honor TO be, very respectfully,
yocr obsdieEt servant,
lSigned,) JoRH Il. FLoYp&
Brigadier-G General Comm andina.
Official: joan Huses, a. a General.
L. e. /. q. u, March lC, 1852.