Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-02-04

TO Col Thomas Jordan. my efficient and zesious g
I sistant acknowledgement, much credit is aEe iot - -
assistance IN the Organization Of the forces uliei =
command, and for the intelligence and promPthess -
which ho has discharged si the la5ouoes ana imports
duties of his Office. ~
Valuable assistance was given to me by MAJ. CaDel
I chief qfEser Of the martermasters department. N 10
sphere Of his duIa-lufes e~nVirpned by 1F more lu4
the ordinary ditlculties and moafTaaleuts 49,
ing ihe operations Of along Organizes resU~ N
DCol r Lee chief Of subsistence department, Ia
fbat iust entered upon his duties, but his e1poIsagt! a.
long and varied services in his department. maao H~ d
ea5f " II Fovie. whom Col Lee had relieved hs
Z nrsviouslv oxerted himself to the utmost 70 carry ou
| or5er. from fiese headqusrters TO render ms dePar
msnt equal 70 the demands Of the service tnst II va
not entirety 50. it ds due 10 justice 20 say, was eefiaiai
not his fault
Derived blythe sudden severe Illness Of the medic7
djrecior surgeon Thos II Nihians, his duties were ~
CHARGED by Surgeon r. J.. Brodie, 20 my entire saislae
ton and il Is proper 70 say, that the eElre meelca
CONS Of the army At present. embracing gtnueheh g
distinction IN the profession, VINO had quit lucrative pil
Yate practice, by their services in the held aud sapse
qsently, did high honor 20 to their profession.
The vital duties Of the ordnance department were enee'
lively discharged under the administration OF my cIe
Of artillery AID ordnance, Col s. Jones
At one time, when reports Of evil omen ana dhas1e
reached Camp Pickens, with such ercumAtauiiaity = Z
give reasonable grounds for anxiety is comnhan0eI, VI
Terrett the commander Of the iutrenehed batteries, SAgt
Sterrett, Of the COnf5derate States navy and them ON
cerz, made the most efficient possible preparations iorlh'
4anrN4E-E AEA VI AaAA kAaaNANa
this connection, Ireglet my inability 70 nentloh ~
names Of those patriotic gentlemen in Virginia oy t'
graiuitous labor Of whose slaves the intfenehsd eahip q
Manassas had been mainly constructed renewing ~
troops from that laborious service, and giving oPpOfla
-niy for their military instruction.
Lieut. Col Thomas Il. Williamson, the engineer o.
these works. assisted by Capt d. b Harris discharge
his duties with untring energy and devotion a. wei a.
satisfactory skill
Captain w. H Stevens, engineer Confederate State
army, served with the advanced forces a. Fairfax Courl
House for some time blfore the battle he laid out th'
works there, in admirable accordance with the purposes
for which they were designed, and yet ss as to admit Of
ultimate extension and ado lion to more serioas uses a.
means and part Of a system OF real defense when deter
mined upon. He has shown himself omcer OF energy
and ability.
eFal months the aborIOus duties of acknowledgement td
the commanding officer Of Camp Pcksns was detached
10 ioiu the army Of he Shenandoah just on II eve OF
the advance Of the enemy, but volunteering his services
was ordered % assist on the STAFF Of Gen. Bonham, joining
that officer at Centervine on the nightof the i3th- before
the battle Of Bull Run, where be rendered valuable ser
vices, until ne arrival Of Gen. Johnston, on the 10Th Of
July, when he was called 10 the pace Of chief Of stat Of
that officer.
il Is also proper 10 acknowledge the signal services
rendered by Col. B. F. Terry aud I. Lubbock, OF Texas,
who had attached Themselves to the stan Of Gen Long
street. These gent men made daring and valuable r.
eonn0jssaHces 81 the enemys positions assisted by Capts
Goree and Chichester they also carried orders 70 the
held, and On the following day, accompany Capt White
heads troops to take possession Of Fairfax Court House,
Col Terry, with his unerTing rife, severed the billiard
and thus lowered the Fedora fagfound still floating from
The cupOla of the court house there. he also secured a
large Federal garrison flag. designed il is said to be IN
over our Entertainments at Manassas.
In connection W It'll info tunate casualties Of the day
that 4. the miscarriage Of the ord-r- sent by courier 10
Gems. Holmes aud Ewen 10 attack the enemyin flank and
reverse al Centervile. through which the triumph Of our
arms was prevent q from being still more decisive, ] re-
it in place 10 say, . divisional organization, with
1fieers 10 command Of divisions. with appropriate rank,
rs in European services, would greatly reduce the risk Of
much mishaps, and would advsntageorsly simplify the
Communications Of a general in command Of a field with
bis troops
While glorious for our people, and Of crushing effect
upon the u0raIe Of our hitherto confident and Oyerween-
-ug adversary. a. were the events Of the battle Of Ma
nsssaE. the field was only won by st0ut fighting, sud, as
before stated, with much loss, as IL precisely exhibited in
he papers herewith markedF G and II, and being lists
Of the killed and wounded The killed outright num-
osred 369-the wounded 1883, making an aggregate Of
lS52.
The SEXUAL loss of the enemy will never be known; it
may now only Be conjectured Their abandoned dead,
as they were buried By our people where they fell, un-
fortunately, were not enumerated, but many parts Of the
field were thick with their corpsss, as but few battle
fields have ever been The official reports Of the enemy
are studiousy silent on this point, but still afford Is data
for an approximate estimate. Lett almost lR the dark in
resDecl 10 the loss Of Hunters and Heintzienans divi
ions-drst longest and most holly engaged-we are IN
formed that Shermaus ~brigsds-Tylers dyissn-sufer
ed, IN killed, wounded and missing, 609-tha is about Is
per cent. Of the brigade. AreEiment Of Franklins brig
ade-Gormsus-lost 81 per cent. Grifin's (battery) loss
% per cent, and that Of keyes brigade, which was
50 handled by its commander as 10 be exposed to only
occasional voleys from our troops, was a least TO pei
cent To these facts add the repeated references in tbs
reports Of the mere Teticeut commanders, to the "mwr
derous FIRE to which they were h~abitually exposed-the
:" pistol range v0leys, and CALLING m~usketry, Of which
they speak, as ~scourgiug their ranks, and we are war
rauted 10 placing the entire loss of the Federa5sts, al
over furtv-hve hundred IN killed wounded and prisoners
To this may be legiimateiy added as a casualty Of tha
battle, the thousands Of fugitves from the held, who
lave never rejOned their regiments and who are a
much iostto the Enemy service Is if skin or disabled by
wounds These may not be included under the head o.
mlstFg, because, IN every instance Of such report, we
took ~ many prisoners Of these bHgsdcs or regiments as
are reported missing
Ais uppon8od ozai5its some 1860 Of their wounded
aud Othe Z, who feli into our hands, and were sem to
Richmond some were sent 70 other points, SO that the
number Of prisoners, including wounded who did net
these, a considerable number who could not be removed
from the fed, died 81 several farm houses and field hos
ptals within ten days following the battle.
To serve the future historian OF this war 1 viii note the
fact thai am51g the captured Federalsts are officers aud
men OF J0Tty-sc1s7 regiments Of volunteers, besides from
some nine different regiments Of regular troops, detach,
Ineuts OF which were engaged From official reports we
learn Of q regiment If volunteers engaged, six regiments
of Mixes division, and the i've regiments of BunyOns brig
enera Making ell allowances for mistakes We are war
rsuted a saying that the f derai army consisted Of at
least dfty-ive regiments Of volunteers, eight COMPANIES Of
regular Iafanuy four Of marines nine Of regular cavalry,
ana twelve batteries, one hundred aud nineteen guns.
These regiments at one time. as VIII appear from a pub
iisbed isl appended marked K, numbered in the aggre-
gafe aH.LlB and average An4 each from au order Of the
enemys commander, however, dated July 18th, We arm
one hundred men 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 70 eight Misunderstanding tie
regular cavalry, infantry ana artillery present, an esti-
mate Of their force may be made.
A paper appended marked AZ exhibits, in part, the
ordnance and supplies eaptured-including some twenty
eight field pieces Of the best character OF arm, with over
hundred rounds Of ammunition for each gun, thirty
seven eahs0ns. six fOrges, four battery wagons, s~ixtyfour
artillery horses, completely equipped, five hundred thou
sand OF small arms, ammunition, four thousand i've hum
ired sets rounds Of acc9utrsments, over five hundred
mBsket2 some zine regimental and garrison fags. with
taege number Of pistols, knapsacks, swords, c%anteens,
BLANKETS q large store of axes and intrenchiug tools,
wagons ambalances, horses, eampand garrison eqnipage,
hospital stones snd some subsistence.
Added 70 these results may rightly be noticed here that
by this battle an invading army suPerbly equipped, with
u twenty miles Of their base of o. CREATIONS, has been con
verted INTO one irtualiy beseged, and exclusively oclu-
pied for months in tie construction Of a stupend9Us
ID z to call attention to the reports Of the several
subordinate commanders for reference 20 the signal parts
played by individuals o. their respective commands
Contradictory statements found in these reports should
not excite surprise when we remember how difficult, If
not impossible, II is 70 reconcile the most ~inconAdorable
affair, much less the shifting thrilling scenes Of q battle
field
Accompanying are maps showing the positions Of The
armies on the morning Of the 2lst Of July, and Of hTee
several stages Of the battle; also, OF the line Of Bull Run
uorth Of Blackburn'a Ford. These maps. from aetna
surveys made by Captain D. B. Harrison, assisted by
Nr. John Grant, were drawn By the latter with a rare
d=lcacy worthy Of high commentator.
In conclusion it is proper, and doubtless expected, thai
through this report my eountymen should be made &C
quainfed with some Of the sufficient causes that prevent
cd the advance Of our forces and prolonged, vigorous pur
spit Of the enemy to and beyond the Potomac. The WA
Department has beeufuly advised long since Of all thosl
causes. some Of which only are proper TO be here eoni
muuieated IN army which had fought as ours on tha
day against odds under a July suns most o
the time without water and withoutfoOd. except ahas.fJ
snatched meal at dawn. was not IN co diion fer the toi
Of an eager, effective pursuit Of an enemy nmmediately
after tie battle,
o. the following day 40 unusually heavy and nuiuter
mitting fa1 Of rain interviewed 10 Obstluet our advance
With reasonable prospect Of fruitful results Added 4
.this tie nant Of q cavalry force Of sufficient Humher
made an Efficient pursuit . military impossibiiity.
Your obedieut servant
G.. 7. BEAUREGARD,
General Commanding.
BATTLE OF MANASSAS PLAINS.
REPORT or Jos. e. JOHNSTON