Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-08-25
II the Editors of the Enquirer:
CAMP NEAR ORANGE c. L., ]
tupust lG. ISL. (


GESTLEaES:-Seeing in your issue OF yes
,erday o statement, from General Meade, that
Gen. Fitzpatrick had captured the coiorsot the
10Th, 18th and 55th regiments, in the affair OF
Falling Waters, which statement, taken IN
connection with Gen. Lees late svowal, that
| NJ organized body Of troops were captured at
tina, time, would lead To the conclusion that the
brigade, Of which these regiments formed al
most the. whole, were all %stragglers | beg
| leave 10 state the facts of the case, in order
that no such in Justice may be done the brigade
| and its then gallant commander, Col. j. NJ.
| Brockenborough, who is absent and unable TO
defend himself and his brigade.
This brigade is composed fthe three regiments
| already mentioned and the 22d Va. battalion,
| aud having participated in all the battles OF the
Army Of Nor, hern Virginia. without receiv-
| iny a recruit, it took into the battles Of Gettys-
| burg, list and 3dday's fghis,) only oVO mus
! ket. We there los, about 300 men and OH
| cers, killed and wounded, which reduced us On
| arriving az HagerstOwn, 10 au aggregate OF a
| little less than con. As We had ~ leave 100
| men behind as pickets. who left later in the
| night and crossed at Wiliiamsport, we COM
| menced our retreat, On the night OF the 18th
| inst, with about 40 mu.kets.
After telling, from twilight till 10 o'clock on
| the morning Of the l4Ih inst, over one Of the
| toughest and mudiiest roads that was ever
seen, and through a rain which poured
Lin torrents, we arrived sleepy, wet and
| hungry, within a mile and u half Of
! Falling Waters. Here We We're formed into
| line on the right OF the road, facing towards
| the enemy, with our left resting near the road
and were ordered 70 stack our guns and rest.
Weary and exhausted hy q nights march Of
| fourteen hours without sleep, we threw our
selves on the wet ground, and slept as soundly
as if we had been on beds Of down. From
| this sleep we were awakened By the cry Of
"cet 10 your arms the Yankees are Upon U.s."
and before our guns could be taken from the
stacks, q body OF cavalry was within twenty
yards Of our line, and q line OF dismounted
men, extending as skirmishers for half a
mile, had almost encircled our right flank
A number Of our guns were loaded, and hav-
| ing gotten vet On the night before, would not
( 90 of, but rs soon as our men recovered from
| the effects Of the surprise, which was in a few
minutes, they charged the cavalry, both
| mounted men and skirmishers, and drove them
| back some distance, killing, wounding and
| capturing q considerable number. The .4ith
| Virginia also captured the co!ors Of the 9th
| Michigan cavalry.
We then fell back to cur original position,
| having lost one man killed and some five or Elk
wounded.
The enemy now brought up q battery Of ar
| tillery and opened on US; but, as We we're pro-
| tectel by a slightly rising ground in our
| front, they did not do US any damage. While
this was going on, they sent e body Of dis
| mounted men around our right flank, and at
! lacking a brigade which was about 400 yards
off and somewhat in Our rear, they drove 1t
| in, and succeeded in gcttinga position a:least
| half q mile nearer the bridge than we were.
| About half an hour after this the order was
| given TO fall back to the river. The retreat
| was commenced with q fire Of artillery in our
| rear, q hot rifle fire on our flank, and we
| were also charged by several small bod
| les Of cavalry, but our = men would invari-
ably face about and punish these 30
| severely that scarcely one of them escaped
] unhurt. In one instance, about a dozen of these
| men made a charge upon us, and every one Of
| them was shot from his saddle. All these things
| caused us SO much delay. that the enemy, in much
| superior force, succeeded in cutting Us of from
! the bridge, capturing the three colors mentioned
| and about half of The men and officers present.
1t is, indeed, wonderful that any Of us escaped,
for when we got to the river, the bridge was be-
ing taken up. and some Of the men had to be
| carried across In boats.
/ publish these facts in order that the friends
of the Brigade may not suppose it has lost its
! ancient prestige, and that the public may see
| that ne, at least, are not responsible for the dis
graceful affair at Failing Waters.
1t is due to the Brigade to state that it brought
| out of Maryland as many colors as it carried in,
having captured, besides the one. mentioned
above, two flags in the first days fight at Gettys-
burg.
p. S. I should have stated that we were not
| the rear guard, and that when we stacked our
! guns and went to sleep, there was more than a
/ division between US and the enemy.
/ ~0Sr WUo WAS PRperST