Year: 1861

Fort RIPLEY. August Z, 1861.
To Tie Editor Of tie Pioneer and Democrat


| have seen no mention in your paper of
the part the small battalion of the regular
army took in the affair of Manassas juno
tion, but many things of the others. TO
supply this deficiency, with your permission,
| will furnish your readers with extracts
from couple OF letters which were received
last evening from officers who were present
on the occasion. These letters are private;
and, perhaps, ought not, according to the
rules of conventional honor, to make any
part of them public. But they relate to
matters of general interest, and l will take
the responsibility. The writers of these
letters recently left this post. The one is
Captain and the other Lieutenant, and
both belong to the same company. The
one, however, acted as a Major, and the
other commanded the company during the
action. They are intelligent, modest and
truthful men, and their statements may be
relied upon as far as their observation and
means of information extended. The let
ters were written four days after the battle
from their camp on Arlington Heights.
With these preliminary remarks, proceed
to the main object of this communication.


One of these gentlemen says:


''Ere this is received you will have heard of
our battle at Bull Run, in front of Manassas
junction, and that we were badly defeated. In
few words | will say that we had the field in
our hands till near the close of the action, and
could have retained it but for a panic among
the volunteers. In other words, both sides
were whipped, but the enemy much the worse,
although they found it out first and took advan-
tage of it. Their loss is much the heaviest.
They had large force in reserve. Gen. John
sons command, from west of the mountains,
had joined Gen. Beauregard the day before, or
on the morning of the acton.


Our battalion of only 400 regulars was un-
der hot fire four Or five hours; and was the last
to leave the field, and the only command save
the United States Cavalry, that retired in or
der.


''This battle was political one: and it is to
be hoped the next will be military one. Prep
arations are being made rapidly for a second,
and no doubt decidedly successful one on our
side. Lit. -- was in the hottest of the fire
and did we'll. He received slight wound on
the right cheek from shell.''


The letter of the Lieutenant alluded to
above, will furnish US with more copious
and minute details, and some Of them of
thrilling interest. After mentioning their
march of nearly fifty miles, fighting battle
within thirty -four hours, with nothing to eat,
no sleep for two days, and expressing thank
funess for his safe return to camp, he pro-
ceeds in his graphic description !:


"The battle fought last Sunday, between
Bull Run and Manassas Junction, was one of
the most severe and sanguinary ever fought
on this continent. Both armies were badly
whipped. The Confederate troops happened
to find it out first, and took advantage of the
general stampede commenced on both sides.
The Federal troops beat back the opposing
forces more than mile and half, to their en-
trenchments, and carried several of their posi-
tions with great slaughter; but heavy reinforce
ments being sent up on the opposite side, the
Federal troops were compelled to retire. Our
forces did not exceed 5000, and in my Opin-
ion, not more than eight or nine thousand o.
this number were actually engaged in the fight.
We were under fire during nearly the whole
of the engagement-somef five hours. One hour
and half of this time we were under the fire Of


battery of some eight or ten guns, the shot
and shell falling around us like rain. Three
or four shells passed only few feet over my
head. while one struck directly in front Of me,