Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-05-06
THE BATTLE OF FATRMONT.
Three Hours Desperate Fighting!
300 UEnlonists -Agalnst 5000 Rebels.
FAIRMoxr, Va, May 4, 1863.

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FArRwoxr, Va, May q, $685.
Editors IuteEligenceT
The rebel raid into West Virginia has
come and gone. The smoke of battle has
drifted away, and the thousand rumors
have given place to well determined facts
Ipropose to describe briefly what .I-under-
stand to be the route taken by the raiders
after entering our lines until they escaped
beyond them; and, with as much detail as
time will permit, the engagement at this
place. q sMHTg
1t Itnppears that on Friday and Saturday,
the 24th aud 25th ults., the rebels, having
driven our small forces from Beverly and
PhiliPpi back to Grafton, crossed the rail
road Rtseyeral points between Grafton and
Rowlesburg, and went to Kingwood, in
Preston county, thence to Morgantown,
which place they reached on Monday at 2
P. NJ. Tuesday morning they left Morgan
town and. came up on the east bank of the
river to within seven or eight miles of this
place, where they were met by another
body, which crossed the railroad subse.
quently. The whole force then returned
to Morgantown, crossed the river, spread
out over the country, taking every good
horse they could fod, and concentrated
here on Wednesday, morning. They cross
ed Buffalo Creek-which flows from the
west aud enters the river mile below town
-at BarracksvilIe, and approached town
on the Warrington pike.
The first positive information of their
number and whereabouts was received
from Morgantown on Monday evening"
Their number was estimated by gentle.
man who witnessed their entire, at 5,OOO.-
Before this news came, and whilst all was
vague rumOr and perplexing uncertainty,
many of Onr fighting men whom we relied
| upon as certain to die in "the last ditch" if
die they must, performed tsa grand strate-
gical movement" and "fell back to a new
''base of operations" at Cameron, Mounds
vile, Wheeling, and various other points
in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those whose
| lips retained the crimson hue of natural
life, and whose knees did not quake like
| Caesars with the ague in Spain, remained
and busted themselves in hunting up arms
and in making every effort to defend the
place against the impending assault. A del
eghtion went to Manniuglon aud returned
on Tuesday morning with two compan MES
of militia and as many guns as were fit for
;sc. The whole defensive force consisted
of only 300 men, made up of companies D
and F, l06Ih n. Y. Vols.-I05 men; two
companies of the 10th Virginia mllitia,-
III men; 3s men of company A, 9th Va.
a few of company N, 9th Virginia, and
about 40. citizen soldiers
The rebel army was commanded by Gen.
wm. E. Jones, and consisted, according to
his statement, of Z regiments of cavalry, L
regiment of mounted infantry and SOC
mounted sharp shooters, in all 5000 men,
many of them being of the celebrated
Ashby's cavalry.
"Wednesday morning dawned wet and
foggy; our scouts came dashing in and
reported the enemy approaching only two OF
three miles off. One company of militia
and most of the armed citizens went out
on the hills TO meet him. About eight
O'clock picket firing commenced aud was
kept up briskly for half an hour. The
enemy finding we were posted on the bills
prepared to rake him severely as he came
down the pike along Coal Run, sent heavy
force on the hills to drive us of. In this
they succeeded after several of them had
been summarially endorsed. Themen from
the bills retreated, soma TO the main force,
near the railroad bridge, a mile above town,
and some to the Palatine end of the. Sus-
pension Bridge. The latter made gallant
stand and resisted the crossing for nearly
an hour. They took shelter in a Foundry
and fired from the windows upon the rebel
sharpshooters, who dismounted aud took
positions in vacant houses, behind fences,
stables and whatever else would conceal
their cowsrdly carcass from onr rnerring
aim. Thus was the unequal contest con-
Itinued until one man, named Coffman,
from Bingamon, was fatally wounded, and
all but Eve or six had struggled of. The
remainder ceased firing and each one took
care of himself as best he could. When
the firing ceased the rebels sent over flag
of truce to demand q surrender, but to
ltheir astOnishment they found NO one to
receive 1t. They then hastily replaced the
A plank which had been removed from the
bridge, and crossed over to the number Of
InearIy . thousand and pushed on up to
get in the rear of our men at the Railroad
Bridge.
While the fight at the suspension bridge
+ was goiug on the rebels disposed their main
force for attack at the upper bridge. Our
force in defenGe Of the railroad bridge, now
about 275, had taken,up position half a
4 mile northwest Of the bridge and within
Runshot of the road leading to PruntytOWn.
As the rebel cavalry dashed along this
road in order to reach the river above the
bridge, they were exposed to raking aud
destructive fire, which unhorsed ten or
/ EltveIve of them Having erossefI At the