Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-22
The Closing Scenes Of First Manassas
Again.
LETTER FROM GEN. MuNfohD
He Replies to Captain """"o
The southern "Battie No"e'
General Gordon-Tactics
aud strategy on Paper

1vnchburg. Va, Decemoer H.
~. ,,o EDITOR Of the Dispatch
- last Sundays paper coh'"i"eu
-, communication from Coiohei 'o'"
sco,t Of Faucuier. enclosing 'o"s .od
~. latter from "W. +. X" ua'e.
.'cuso,,,,,,s August, 1895" This letter u
- soons 10 be in reply TO one
,ror Colonel Scott. soliciting W.
.n,n,on Of my official report OF .ne -
.'c,na,,on OF my command at INC
battle of Manassas. colonel
W. T. begins his reply TO Soio"''
Scott as follows s., co,o-
..,rns extract which you give from Ooio
-, ,unford's report (see for the i.PC
- nocs 5si. Official Records Oh NV
-, Ia Confederate Armies, series =
Vol ID is so ent'IeN e,-
nd at variance with all my o""
.or,arce that think it better 10 supp.
.,ont vour own narrative py eE'"7
-, o'.ooont OF my observation Oh So So
" H. incidents Of that meHlot az ,so,
a,d NOT at that time, as pc - - oon,-
- aware. belong TO any orsa.' r,ith a
,nand. but had been, III Ooi'Ps In 'front.'
.ey choice companions, scou''aSS he first
Wv - arrov and on the day oil u'e IA
- 80, 90 Manassas acted as so 49,.
w go taking in the battle lIo"' -,
- standpoints which gave 'ne w.
,,.a,,isa of interest and inclueHe. co,onel
viii here pause TO say that en-
ccott IN his brief commuiil0ar,,tt3, p
Closing said letter, introduces .cantain
20 the readers OF your pap ., Green
WILLIAM F1tzhugh Kaluo'P"'
.ille. Miss" and adds. -, . Gallant
.Cantain Randolph, himssi a s 1,nboo
,orSaSsrate officer, IS brother 10 Dis" '1i
pondolnh. of Virginia, anu u -, I'm
' stoclx of the distinguished cap ,aui
ssnckner McGin Randolph, OF tlS -,
,ederate infantry, as Wen as cnso-
20 the courageous and accohAp,Is" ,,,alrv
mel Robert Randolph OF ulr n-orths.rn
corps attached to the Army
Virginia. - 10 confessed that
..sree lance critic is introduces WV Wv.
a nedigree that is not sulpasseu I've
P,he Arabian GOdolphin; whlle 'ne
sxnloits of the daring and dashnis -
Lance" on the sanguinary plains y. 80
passas we're not surpassed pS any sa,-,,
an the Arabian Nights W ~" 80,
~ ereater part Of the letter OF Co,o'lNi
.he ..sraeiIance'' correspondent | have
- concern. IL is devoted to narIalis ',
nS his daredevil exploits on that ia'ciu,
1s,d co thrilling as TO curdle the "-oVu
.ven AT this distant day. Ing w,
Guiding paragraph is the Only POI 49, -
that needs any notice at my haNuS' - -
..yvith reference to the capture OF me
artillery and spoil at Cub-Kun oriuss' w
assertion that any command eNeeps ~
Albemarle Troop, led by Captain i 'tS
Rad ANYTHING TO do with II i mi'i0u -
,onndation. No other cavalry Was -
.teht or hearing at the time, ana n'-u Al
80 heen for the headlong. FURIOUS chaIse
Of these sixty men, all these guns u 1i,
admittedly. would have crossed the y. 'uS'
In safety and been on their way 10 WASH
ineton long before any o'heI toi"
rnand had reached the scene 10 S"p
cain Scott. therefore, and 10 nm aiOnc
.ha sole credit OF the capture is due. I'M
orIv mart In the affair performed py Ool
onel Nunford and his command was -
manual labor. required IN haul.ue 49,
cannon out Of the wreck. securing w
horses. etc. Had the other cavalry ieau
era exhibited the same enefsN' CAIRNS
and enterprise which charaeteil~sl ~
ta,o scott II is not at all improbable lila
the cavalry arm Of the service "io-
might have ridden 20 Washington ina
nioht But satisfied with what had Deei
dome the army remained qu.escent
A reference to my report az PAGE %
NJ Series / Volume IL. Of The war o
the Rebellion Official Records, VIII sho'
that | therein state that Il aoNaice
md found that Major Scott, comnahuiii
Captain Davls's Company. had pioeeeO
81 to the bridge on Cub creek. Iher
xas no more gallant soldier or officer ina
colonel Scott: and neither ther
nor anywhere else during the war iouh
any occasion TO criticise INN. bll' q
touching the contention raised by W. J
n that no command. except the Alo'
marie Troop led by Captain Scott. ma
ANYTHING 10 90 with the capture OF III
artillery and spoil al cub Run bridge,
am enabled 20 avoid the necessity at a
times unpleasant. Of a iaudatofy mehtio
NJ my own deeds. by introducing n
foliou,ine d,sinterested wltnesses-nam M
". Colonel X. G. w Radford, OF "
Thlrtieth Virginia Cavalry. who on TIA
day commanded the First Brigade, an
Colonel John Il. Kershaw, commandin
the Second Regiment. South caroli
Volunteers Colonel i.sdford's report WI
BE- found on page bS2 OF The san
volume OF "The War OF the Rebello
OficiaI Records" to which | above II
Serred In that report he says:
Il have no hesitation In saying IN;
ths charge made by my own coDman
in connection with that made by n
command under Lieutenant Colonel Mui
Bali Langhorne, and Hale. caused u
fam at Cub creek bridge. which resnlt'
In the capture OF fourteen pieces
cannon their ammunition and wagon
Owe forges. thirty wagons. and amb
iances. and some forty or fifty horse
] base this opinion on the fact that '
were In advance OF all our forces, al
By our charge the enemy were throw
into wild confusion before US their V
hIcles of all sorts going of at full spec
and In the greatest disorder"
Colonel Kershaw In his report. at pag
t2i-522. OF the same volume, says:
y Arrived at the house on the hi
which was occupied by the enemy as
hospital. having made many prisone
by the way. We found that a portion
our cavalry Captains Wickham's al
Radfords. and Powclrs and Pitzer's). HI
had an engagement there with a bate
OF the enemy. which they had take
but had retired after being fired ON
the heavy reserve corps, which int
yened between them and my commar
This cavalry had come into the road
I<ewiss ford. below the stone bridge. a.
neither OF W knew. Of the position
the other until some time after"