The Late Battles In Virginia

j.w.uai 1 navö wití lilíuui 10 SUO' mit i he fullowing brief sketch of the BperaUons of t.his urmy siace the 9th oí' August : I moved f rom Sperryville, Little Washington and Warrenton, with tho crups oí' Banks and Sigo!, and one divisiuñ oí MtDowell's corps, numbeling in ull thirtytwo thousaPd men, to meet thö enerny vvbo had crnssed tiia Kupidan, íiml was advüñuing on Culpepper. Th inovemcnt towiuds Gordonsville had completely uccecded in drawing ott a large lorco íroin Richmond, imd in reliuviog; the Army of tho Fotomae from miich of the dnogtsr which threutuntid ita wi'.hdrawul f'rorn tho PuninBula. The action of August 9th, at Cedar Mountain, wjth ihe forces under Jaek in. vvhioh ccimpelled liis ruireat acrosd ihe Iiiipidiiu, mude necesaary still iurther reinforcennintH of the enemv From Eiuhmond; und by this time, it being npparent thut the Árrny of the Potomic was eyacaating tho Peniusulu, tlio wi;o!o Coree conröiitruted around Richmond was pushed foruard with great rapiditv to crush the Army oí Virginia bffore the forcé evacuating the Península could bo united with n. I rernuined atCedar Mountain, und still threat enea to cross the Kapidan, until the 17, h oí' August, by wtich timo Gen. Robert Lee hud oeserobied ín my troot, : ucl within eight miles, nearly the wholë rebel anny. As snot) as I ageertained this fuct and fenew that the Army of tho Potoinnc was no longer in danger, I drew back my wholu forcé across the Rappahanrioofc, on the ñight of the 17th and day of the 18th, without luss of any kind, and ono dav in advance of Loe'a proposed inovefnent ttgairret me. The enemy ininediuteJy appeaied in my front at Ruppahannock Station, and itlempted to pass the river at this bridge, and the numerous fords atravs and tjow. but without success. Tho litve of the Upper Rappabannock, wbioh I had been orded to hold, that the enemy rnight be delaved long enough ín bis ndvanee upon Washington to enable the forcos frotn the Península to land and effect a junetion with me, was very weak, ds it could be crossed ac almost any point aboye the railroad briaga by good fords. By constant vigilance and activify, and rniiüh severa fighting for thrêe day, lhe enemy was grádualiy foreed around froiïi tho railroad crossing to Waterloo Bridge, west to VV ure-non. -Meantime niy forcu had rnuch dimini.-hed by actual losa in battle, and by fatigue and exposure - so that, althougb I had beun juined by a delaebment undar Gen. Reno and the olher división oi AfcDowcll's oorps, my force barely nntüberud frly thousand men. On tho a heavy rain feil, wlnch fendered the fords impassable for twenty-four hours. As soon as I discovered this, I concentrated rny foroe, and marched rapidly upon Sulphur Springs and Water!, o Jiiidge to drive' bo the torees at tho enerny, which had Hucceeded in crossing at these points. Thia was successfully done, and the bridges destroyed. I passed one daj' - nr ratlier part of one - at Warrenton and beyond. Tho enemy continiied to move slowly around alo;ig (De river, maskmg eve'ry ford with aitiilery aad heavy forces of infantry, so it was imposible for me to atlack him, even with the greatly interior forces under my oornmand, without passing over fords atrongly guarded and in tho lace of superior nunibers. The movement of Jack.son towarc] White Piaiiis and in tho direction of Thoroughlare Gap, whila the inain body of the enemy confronted me at Sulphur Springs and Waterloo Bridge, was wcll knovin to me, but I relied cnhfulen'Jy upon tho foroos which 1 had been aeenred would bo sent frotn Alexandria, and one slray división cf which I had ordered to take po-:t on the wriiks at Manassas Junction, I wat) entirely under the belief that these would be there, and it was not uritil I found my coniiüunication intercepted that I was undeceived. I knew that this movement was no raid, and that it was made by not lesa ihan twenty-five thnusand men, utuler Jackson. Jïy thia timo the army corps of Heintzelman, a})oot ten thousand strong, had i'eached Warrenton Junction; one di visión oí' it, I think, on the very day of the raid; but they camo without urtillerj', with only forty rounds of ammunition to the man, without wagons, and even thi; field and general officers without liorses. Fitz John Porter also ari'ived at B rito w Station, noar Rttppáhannock, with one of hia" divisions, 4,500 strong, whilst bis other din ion Aas still at Barnett's und Ki-I'y's Fords. I directed that corpa, about 8,600 sirong, to concéntrate imme.liately at Warrenton Junction, whera Ueint _" i . . 1 „_ . _l ._ rui : zeimíin aireaay was. mis was accomilished on [ha evening of the - th As Boon as t bucame known to tno that Jaekson vvii.s on tbc raihoad, it beonrne apparent tliat tho Upper Rappahannock was no longer tenuble. I could not dotnch u siiijioiont forco to meet Jackeon, and at tho samo timo attempi to con (Vont the inain Lody oí the ene tny. I acoordingiy at once evacuated Warrenton and Warrenton Junction, directing McDowall with hia corps and Sigel's and the división of Reynolds, to march rapidly by the turnpika from Gainüsvile, so as to intorcopt iny reioforcem-eota coming to Jackson through ThoroQblace and inètruotieg licno, ivith liis coinmand, and Koarney, wiLh ono división of Jieilitzelnian'd, to march on Greenwich, ko as to support 51;Dovell in case o{ Deceseity. I moved bucle aiong the ratll'oad npon MaiiassiB Junction. Near Kottle Rini llooker carne upon the advance cf Evell's división on the nl'ternoon "f tho i 27ih. Á eevere notion took plaoe, wliirh terminkted at dark, Ewell being driven frain the field with tho joss ! bis camp and three lumdicd killed and wciiudcd. Tho unlortunata ovursight : oí not bi'iogiög rnore than iorty roarrds oí' a:!iinr.n!!iin becaiiiu ut oiicü alarming. At njgtitfsü Hoofeer liad but fivp rounds to Ihü muo lef t. As fioon n? 1 lea; ncd thia 1 sent back orders to Fitz John Porter to march vvith his r.orps at 1 o'olock tbat night, so as to be wirb 1 H' ■ 'ie; at t is ti Ooroiag.- ' The distanee was only nluu miles, and be reeeived the di.-patoh ut9oelook, but did Dot reach theground uritil aftur 10 o'cjosk next moniiiij. hle can probubiy excluía botter tdun I can the reason of hw delnv. Fortunuuly llooker had h;tndled the arriny ko severely the evenmg bofore, and the movement of MeDowell begnn to be so apparent, thut Iha enemy, fêarful of boiri surroanded, liad r'otreated precipitately trota RTanassas JuncUoii, direoting his reiroat tiirough Oentreville, as MoDowoll, Rsno and Kearney had made the road throngh Gainesvülü impracticable. I imraediately pushed forvvüi'd to Jtunuasas, umi theiioe to Oentruville, whiob was octfu.ied by Keurney ttiat night, only a few hours aiïer tho eneroy had leit it. Uuno had reached Manassas Junction, and Pitz John Porter was inimediatoly ordered up froin Brood Eun, uhc-re be had htopped. McDoweil's inovemeiit, conducted wiih vigoi and speed, had been coinpiololy sucüessfn!, the enemy being iutro)ted at Gaiimsville, and part ut hja forcea d ven hack through Thorouohfare Qap. Late in the uvenitigof the - th McDowelI's advance (Gibson's brigade) met the force of Jackson retirrag from Oentreville, and about Bix tnilfa from thut place. A very sharp ekiimi.sh took plaCe, endcd by the durkríesí, in whicti the brigade of Gibson behaved ary l)andso:nelv, and HUflcred heavy loss. Sigel was close at hand with his corps, but did Bot join the action. I Qt.tiiujt.ed Kearnyy to move Forward at e;.rly day dawn tovai-. üamo-ville, closely foliowed by ítoojser and Reno, and angaga the enemy, thus placed bétween McD.-uell and Sigul on the west, and Pita John Porter on the gouth. Í alio insiructed Filz John Potter with hia own corp.s, and Kiuy's división of Mïtcbull's corps, wliulj had lor some reasoo fallen back from the VVarrenton turnpike towards Manassaa Jnnction, to move at dayüght in the rnorning on Gainesville, ulong the Manassas Gap Itaiiroad, until they commumcutcd dosely vvith the tortsea undor Heintzelrauin iind Sigel, cautioning them not to go farther tbaa was necesaary to effect tbie jum.'ti n, as we might ba obüged to reine b,.-hind Buil Run that liigbt ior subsistente, if Qothiog olug. Hemuetiiiao marohcd &nrly Vom Centrevüle tqwarj Qjúnevi% cl.welv fullowed by Rodo. MsanüiUö, tliortlv uíter daylight, Sigel's and Reynolds' división of MuDowuliV; aprps hád bacome eugaged wkh the tmaïny, who was brought to a stand, and he was 8O01) joined by Hüintzeltnan and Kano, whun the wjiulo Ijna boiarnu actively' engaged. Porter marehed as direclcd, ftïllowed by King's divi.-ion, wli:ch was by Ihis time juined by Rkbett'rt divujiou, whioh had boen i'oicL-d bk irotn Thorouglifaro Sap by thu heavy iyrce.s o! the enomy advauciug to support Jackson. As soon aa I found tliat (he cnemy had been brought to a hult, and was bemg vigorously ,-ttacked along the Wurrenton turnpike, I Bent orders to icDowell to advaoce rapirily on the lei'c, and attack the enerny in his fhnk, extending bit righl tn meet Keynolds' lei't, and to Fita John Purter tu keep bis right weil elosed on Mcüowell's lefr, and to attaiik the ennmy in ilank and rem-, whife he was pushëd in front. This would have ;nadu the iiuo of MeDowell and i'orter at right kuglèa to Uiat of the othur farces eno-aged. The aetion raged furioasly all da, MoDowell, previously in rear of Porter, bringing his whole corps on tha Held in the afteruoon, and tuking a coa.spicuous part in tiiat day's operations. To my surprise and disappoinment, I received, late in the alternoon, from Po.-ter, a note faying that his advance had met the eaeiny vn the flank in sotne iorce, and that he was retiring upon -Manassas Junelion witliout engaging or coiiiing to the assistaiice oí our other farces, akhough they were engaged iü a fuiious actiori only two miles diatant, and in f uil hearing of' him. A portion ol his forcafell baek toward Mauassas, and ho remained, as ho aflerward. infonned me, whero he was, look ng at the enomy during the whule ui' the aikrnoon of Priday and part of Frïduy night, passing oyer in plaia view to fèinfdrce Jackson without au effort to prevent it or assist us. One at leaót of bia brigades under Genera! Grilñu.got round to Oen'ruville, and remaiued thera during the wholo next day's battle, without coming on the ñelri, though in full vtew of the battle wbiub was raging, whilst General Grit tin birasïlf spent tlie day in makiug ill uatured strictiireá upoa the General comtnanding the actiou, n the presence ot.a promiscuotis assemblage. Darkness ch.'sed the action on Fri day, the enemy beiugdVived back irom his posilions by Heintzelman's corps and Keno, eonoloded by a furirius attack along the turnpike by King's división jf McDowell's corpH, laaviiig bis dead and wounded on the fild. I do not hesitate to say that if the fiorns of Porti1!' had :it.t mcL-pH tVi na. my n flank on the afternoon of Frklav, as he liad my written order to do, we shiuild have utierly crushed Jack son before lbo fortes undcr Lee could have reached liiin. Why he did nol do ro I ciinnot tmderstand. Our nion muoh Won) down by hard service and oontinuous fighting lor many prevjqus days, and very short of provisión, ri'sted on their guna. Our horse.-i had had no foragu íor tvvo days I had (ültjlegraphd und writtan urgent !y for iiitions and lorage to bu sent us, but on Satnrdiiy rnorning, before the acüon was ro-umed, I rcciMvcd a letter fVom Gen. Franklin vviitten the day beioro at Alexandria, statingto me thut ho had beon directud by Gen. Moülelhui tfi iiiform ine that rations and fcragü for my coininand vvould be Joaded into cars and uvailable wagons as poon as I woiild íend a cavah-y éseoH to Alexandria to bi ing thorn up. All hopo of beinij; abla to maintain my po.v'üi'iii, wbethei' vLctoriou-s or not, vaüished wilh that letter. My cavalry w;is uiterly broken elown by ung and 'constant servico in thu faoa of the enemy, i and, bad as they vvere, could not be spared fiv.: it, oven if thero had beun time to go back to Alesandvm nnd await tliü Iflading of trains. At the time thi etter was wrijLUo Alayaudria was ewaVming with tnuopi, and rny w!n)le aiii.y fnterposed batween that plajoe and the eflemy; I at once un dèritood that ve mt'st, ii postible, night must nea us böhind Buil Rvn if ' wu wished to auve men atid mimáis irorn staivalion. On Frulny night I sent a peremptory order to General Portel' to bring his command 011 the fiold, and report to tuè within three bours af'ter he received the '■ order. A portion he brought up, but as I before atated, ono of his brigades re uiaiued the whole day at Centrevilla, and was not IQ the engagement. The enemy's heavy reiuforeements havini reached him ou Friday afternoou and night, he began to mass on liis right for the purpote of crushing our left and occupyiug the ruud to Centrovilie 10 our rear. il is lieaviest assault was made about 5 o'clcok ir. the afternooti, when, after overwhelraing Fitz John Porter and driving hia forces back ou the centre and laït, mass after mass of his foroes were puhed agaiust our lett. A terrible contest, with great slaugliter, was earried on for seeral hours, pur men bebaving with firmness aod gaiiantry under the iminediate coQiuiand of Gun. McPjweil. When night closcd, our left had been foicd back about a half a mile, but ülill remuined firih and uubroken, wlitlo cur right held its ground. General Frauklin, with his corps, ar rived aftor dark at Ceutreyille, siü. miles iu our rear, while Sutnoer was i'our miles buhmd Frauklio. I eould have brought up theso corps iu the mflruiug in time to have renewod the aotipn, but Btarvation Stared both wen and horaea in the fuee, and brokeu and exhausted as tiiey were, they werj in uo ooudition to ber liunger also. l aooordingly retired to Oöutreville thut night iu perfect order. - Neither 0:1 Suuday nor ou Monduy did the enemy ruake any advauco upon us. - On Monday I SJiit tu thu anny corps comtnaödeM for tbelr iffective streugtb, which, all told, iiic-ludmg tíuiuuer and Frankliu, feil short of sixty thousaud men. Iustead of bringing up ih rty thousand men, Franklm aud Suuiuer uuiled feil short of tweuty thousand, and these, added to the toree I ha"d, alrentiy wearied out, aud much cut up, did uut give me the meauá to do anytinng else than stand 011 thu dfeuce. The enemy during Monday again bo gan to work siowly around to our right for the purposo of possessiug Fairiux Court House, and ihus tui'ning our rear. Couch's división, au! one brigade of Sumners had been left there, aud I sent down Hooker on Mouday aiteruoori to take commaud and post himself at or iu front of (Jennantown, at the same tune dueting MeDowell to take position along the turnpi'-ce froin Ceötrevilla to I Fairfax Court House, about two milts '■ west of the lattcr place, Heintzelmau was direeted to post húnself iu tus rear and support Reno, who was puahed north of the road, at a poiut two aud a half miles eiut of Centreville, and to oover that road, it beiug my parpose, iu the course of tue night, to mass my coinmaud cm the right, in the direation of Grertnántown, wheíe I feit convinced that the nest attaek of the euemy would be made. Late iu the afterr.oon on Monday, the enemy made bis demons rution upou Geruiantown, but was met by Hooker at that placo, and by Reuo, reinforeed by Kearney, further west. Tlie battie wus very suvere, though short, tlie eacrav beii) drivsu back a mile with heavy loss, leavmg uis ucau anu wuuuueu. iu mis short actiou wg lost two of our most valuabla oíR:ers, Generáis Kearucy and Stevens. By moving, the V7I10I0 of my command was massed bebiud a diffioult creek, botwcen Fuut liill and the Warreuton Junction, with the advance, uuder Hooker, in frout of Germautowu. With the cxception of Sumnor, the coimnanders of tlio army corps of the Anny of the Potomac had coutinued to inform me tliat their coinmands vvere and had been demoralized ever sinco they left Harrisou's Landing; that tliey hsd no spirit and no dispositicin to fight. - Tliis lattor statement their conduct in the various actious fully eontrudicted, but the straggling ia those corps was distressiug. The full facts having been reported, on TuesJay afisrnoori, to retire to tha entrenchtnonts near Washington, which was aocordingly done that day and the next, ia good order and without the slightest loss. Banks, who had boen left with the railroad trams, eut off at Uristol bv the burning of the bridge, wis orderod to join me oq Mnnday at Centreville, wliioh he did on the afternoon of that day. L Th is bfiof suramary will explain sufficiently in dutad the whole of the opera tions of the forces uuder uiy eommaud, during slxteen days of' oontinuoua fightmg by cjay and marching by night. To confront a poweríuí entiny with greatly inferior forces, and fight him day by day without losiog your uriny ; to delay and embarrasa h;s n-.oveinents, aud to force him, by persistent resistance, to adopt long and circuitous routes to his destination, aro the dttties which have boon imposcd upon me. They are, of all military operations, the rnost difficult and the most liprasaing, both to the com mander and to bis troops. How far we have been suoecssful I loavo to tho jui'gment of my couutryinuu, The Armies of Virginia and of the Putomac have united in tho presence and against thu efforts of' a wary and vigoioua enemy in greatly superior forco to either, with no loss for whieh they did not exact full retribution. Amou2 the officers whoni I feel bound to Qieution with especial gratitude, fur their most iiaarty, cordial and uutiriDg zoal and energy, aro Generáis McDowell, Uaiiks, lleno, Heintzolman, Hooker, and Kearney, aud many cthors of inferior rank, whom I s'üai: lu!ú; greftt sitisfactio:i in bringing to the notioe of tho government. The troops have exhibitod wonderful patience and courage, and I oannot say too much for them.