The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-07-07
F.AIRT 81.
c;onf derate AecaIttts.

dune
lnIessrs: Span ding and Cook have
lust reached here! leaving hi1fppt7l
Monday mornIng. The Federal troops
surprised Colonel Porte feld's com
mani I, opening ire upon the town
win artillery. and drove us ont with
Ia reported loss of about sig killed and
d considerable quantity Of arms bag.
gage and provisions. Much heavier
loss to the enemy in smen. Our forces
retreated to Beverly. The expedition:
under Colonel Heck leaves here Ert-
day for the Northwest. We urge You
will send by express train z, 600 men,
with arms. and ammuniti ion, 10 drive
the yandals out or else give up our
border. These gentlemen were. in the
Engagement; :. say Colonel Porterheld
had but little ammunition of any kind.
send an omcer of experience to COM
nand our forces. with a battery and
1000 arms. II possible.
Same date Major Hartman wrote
letter he had written TO Colonel Por-
terfeld at Beverly:
From all the information i have re
ceived Il am panied to have to express
my convictions that Colonel Porter
[feld Is entirely unequal to the posi-
ton which he occupies The affair at
Philippi was a disgraceful surprise,
occurring about daylight, there being
NO: picket guard, or guard OF any kind,
on. duty. The only wonder is that our
men were not cut to pieces, They
were all asleep, and were only arous-
ed by the firing Of the enemy.
In Harman's letter 10 Porterheld,
referred to in the foregoing, he states
THAT he had received q telegram from
General Lee, saying: ,s
Send messenger to Colonel Port
l5terfe1d to be valiant and maintain his
iground until relief reaches him..
Harmun adds he was despatching to
him at Beverly a field battery and In
fantry, to be joined by other troops
on the way. and that a day later two
or three thousand troops would be
despatched from Richmond by Presi-
Sdent Davis.
Colonel Porterfeld, from Huttons,
vile, June 8, wrote Ad1utant General
t.Garnett regarding the state Of his
command \:
Il have not been able to get even
proper returns made out to send to
your headquarters. and my own repu;
tation has been injured by the charac.
ter OF my command. In fact, Il it had
been intended to sacrifice me could
not have expected less support than
i have had.''
He adds:
IT have been reliably informed that
two companies Of negroes armed and
uniformed, have been seen at Fair
mont. The country TO the northwest
is in a state OF revolution, all law.
abiding citizens being driven OF by
the traitors assisted by northern
troops. The private property of seces-
sfonists, but otherwise inotfensfve
citizens and their cattle, young I'M
broken colts and the clothing Of
women and children, have been seized
and taken OF from citizens OF Phil
1ppi:"
In. agIetter to Ad1utant General Car
NETT, June IL, Colonel Po9erheld says
Col. William l.. Jackson had reported
to him for duty.
Gle had been very active, ana will
become most useful officer. Colo
mel Wiley, who has also been very
jealous and useful. was sick in Phil
tppi. have assurance that he shall
be we'll treated"
Colonel Willey's usefulness con-
sisted in his services in burning tho
bridges between Warrington and
Pennington.
Pt1tIippf Court Of Inquiry.
"A court of inquiry into the respon-
lisibility for the disaster at Philippi,
was constituted at the request Of Col
.one1 Porterfeld. Their report was
Submitted July a. The summary Of
the testimony shows conditions ex-
listing prior to the attack OF Kelley
and Dumont, June 8:
'tThe court reported that the force
at Philfppf had consisted OF 600 effec-
tive infantry and ITS cavalry, Vir-
ginia troops, sufficiently supplied with
announcements and ammunition They
were taken by surprise between day.
break and sunrise on the morning of
June g, no alarm or intimation OF
their approach having been given by
the pickets until the enemy was with
in four or Ave hundred yards. and had
Opened artillery fire.
.The Investigations Of the commits.
sion had developed that a main and
picket guard as strong as was con.
sistent with the effective infantry
force present was regularly detailed
and posted at distances sufficiently