The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-01
SOUTHERN HISTORY.


SOUTHERN HISTORY.
THE CONFEDERATE ADVANCE ON WASHINGTON
JULY, 1864.
Gen. Jubal A. Early has addressed the 70
lowing letter to the Baltimore Gazette:
LYNCHBURG, Va, Dec. IA, 1874.
find in your paper of the 18th inst. an az
count of the refinement of the Confederat
soldiers who fell in front of the fortifcation
of Washington in July, 1864, taken from
Washington paper, in which occurs this pas
sage:
"Near Silver Springs, on Monday and Tues
day, July II and IL, 1864, an attack was mad
upon Fort Stevens, on the north side of Wash
ington, by column of Confederate troops O
Gen. EarIy's corps, under the command o
Gen. Gordon, now Senator from Georgia"
As the account in which this paragraph
occurs seems to be going the rounds Of tn,
papers, and as very many people receive theil
knowledge Of historical events connected
with the late war solely from what they read
in the newspapers l desire to correct the
said statement.
No attack was made by my troops, either
upon Fort Stevens or upon any other portion
of the Notifications of Washington, nor did
Gen. Gordon's division get under fire at all at
the time stated. My command, moving from
its camp, four miles northwest of Rockville,
arrived in front Of the Notifications on the
Seventh street road on Sunday, the 18th Of
July. My infantry column was preceded by
Imbodens cavalry. then reduced to 800 men,
under the command of Col. George H. Smith,
of the cd Virginia Regiment. This COM
mand of cavalry drove a small body of Fed
eral cavalry into the works near Fort Stevens,
and, dismounting, advanced to within skir-
mishing distance of the works.
While my infantry column was moving up,
about 30 p. NJ, what appeared to be a full
regiment OF Federal troops Stated by Gen.
Bernard, in his report on the defenses of
Washington, to be 600 dismounted cavalry
from the army Of the Potomac), moved out of
the works, deploying as skirmishers as they
advanced, and Smiths command retired be-
fore them. This body of Federal troops
burned number of houses in front of the
works, and then retired as skjrmishers from
the advance OF my infantry, now thrown for
ward. Rodes's division constituted the adj
vance Of my infantry column, and ordered
him to move his division upas rapidly as pos
sible, and endeavor to carry the works.
While the brigades Of his division were
moving up, he threw a heavy skirmish line
20 within a short distance Of the works, and
after accommodating them in person, reported
that they were too strongly manned to be
carried by assault l then proceeded, in
company with Generals Breckenridge and
Gordon, to reconnoiter the works further to
our left, too see if they were practicable there,
but without any satisfactory result. On the
morning Of Tuesday, the 18th, it was very
manifest that the works were so heavily
manned that it would have been madness to
attempt an assault, and therefore deter
mined to remain inactive in front Of them
until night, and then retire.
1t has since developed in the Report on the
Defenses Of Washington, by Gen. Barnard,
Of the United States Engineers, that there
were over 10000 Federal troops within the
defenses of Washington on Sunday morning,
the 10th of July, the day after the fight at
Monocacy, besides 5000 employees of the
Quartermaster's Department, who were armed
and brigaded; and that two divisions of the
Sixth Corps, from the Army Of the Potomac,
md the advance of the Nineteenth Corps. ar
rived at 2 p. NJ, on Monday, the 18th, which |
vas simultaneous with the arrival of the |
1ead Of my infantry column in front Of Fort |
stevens. Gen. Barnard also shows that q |
'ery considerable portion of the troops that |
we're within the defenses had been concen-
rated on the front on which advanced dur
ng Sunday, and the force so concentrated
must have greatly outnumbered my entire
orce, though Federal officers appear very in
redulous when informed Of my real strength.
N assault by me at any time on Monday or
tuesday, must have been disastrous to my
and none was made.
just before night on the 18th, heavy re-
force was thrown out from the
'orks, and Rodes moved up one or two of
is brigades to the assistance of his skirmish
ne, when quite brisk engagement ensued.
portion of my troops had then commenced
ne movement to the rear, and no part of them
ecame engaged, except the portion of Rodes'
vision mentioned. It was in that affair ,
nat nearly my whole loss in front Of Wash
agton was sustained, and Gen. Rodes re-
orted his loss at about eighty killed and
rounded. The number Of bodies reinterred /,
'ould correspond with his report, as the pro- (
ortion of killed to wounded was not infre-
uently as one to four, that is, one-ffth of the
ntire loss being killed, and We brought Off
one of the killed
The member Of the CID Virginia regiment
those body was found, was doubtless killed
'hen his command was deployed as skirmish- !.
rs N front Of the works. Gen. Grant reports
ne Federal loss at two hundred and eighty.
Will add that Gen. Lee did not expect that
would be able to capture Washington with
az small force; his orders were simply to !
hreaten that city, and my only chance OF cap
lring 1t depended upon its being found !.
ithout garrison. The object was to cause :
withdrawal of large part of Grants army
ON the vicinity of Richmond, and the even $
'al abandonment of the siege. Gen. Lee,
ave no doubt would have been gratitied if )
aould have taken Washington, but when !
suggested to him that l would take it if | /
Guild, he remarked that it would hardly be
ossible to do so,
Respectfully, j.. A. EARLY.
10 to NaYra,s al "a, &C :