Today in History:

217 Series I Volume II- Serial 2 - First Manassas

Page 217 Chapter IX. CAMPAIGN IN WEST VIRGINIA.

10 officers, 5 non-commissioned officers, and 54 privates; the descriptive list of which is hereto attached, and marked A.

Colonel Beatty entered the upper camp about the same time, and occupied it, Taking charge of the property, among which were two brass 6-pounders and some eighty tents, four caissons, and one hundred rounds of ammunition. Colonel Sullivan, of the Thirteenth Indiana, came in and occupied the camp on the north side of the road, and took charge of the horses, wagons, tents, tools and implements of the rebels there. The Eighth and Tenth Indiana were left in position on the battle-field, and were charged with the duty of burying the dead. They remained until next morning, the 13th, when the whole force moved forward to their present encampment at Beverly.

Having given the details, I close my report by the following summary of the movement:

With strong detachment from the Nineteenth Ohio, the Eighth, Tenth, and Thirteenth Indiana, and Burdsal's cavalry, amounting to 1,912 rank and file, I set out at 5 a. m. of the 11th, and by a circuitous route, through a trackless mountain forest, reached the Beverly road at the top of Rich Mountain, where I found the enemy advised of my approach and in force, with two 6-pounder field-pieces, and infantry, from various circumstances, judged to have been from 800 to 1,200 strong, though probably not all of them in action. We formed at about 3 o'clock under cover of our skirmishers, guarding well against a flank attack from the direction of the rebels' position, and after a brisk fire, which threw the rebels into confusion, carried their position by a charge, driving them from behind some log breastworks, and pursued them into the thickets on the mountain. We captured twenty-one prisoners, two brass 6-pounders, fifty stand of arms, and some corn and provisions. Our loss was 12 killed and 49 wounded.

The rebels had some 20 wounded on the field. The number of the killed we could not ascertain, but subsequently the number of burials reported to this date is 135 - many found scattered over the mountain. Our troops, informed that there were one or two regiments of rebels towards Beverly, and finding their hour late, bivouacked on their arms amid a cold, drenching rain, to await daylight, when they moved forward on the enemy's entrenched position, which was found abandoned by all except 63 men, who were taken prisoners. We took possession of two brass 6-pounders, four caissons, and one hundred rounds ammunition, two kegs and one barrel powder, 19,000 buck and ball cartridge, two stands of colors, and a large lot of equipments and clothing, consisting of 204 tents, 427 pairs pants, 124 axes, 98 picks, 134 spades and shovels, all their train, consisting of 29 wagons, 75 horses, 4 mules, and 60 pairs harness.

the enemy, finding their position turned, abandoned entrenchments, which, taken by the front, would have cost us a thousand lives, and dispersed through the mountains, some attempting to escape by the way of Laurel Hill and others aiming for Huttonsville. Among the former were the command of Colonel Pegram, which, unable to join the rebels at Laurel Hill, surrendered to the major-general on the 13th.

Our loss in the engagement killed and wounded is shown in the statement hereto appended, marched B. The list of prisoners taken is shown in the paper hereto appended, marched D. The invoice of property captured and turned over to the post quartermaster is hereto annexed, marked E.

In closing this report, I deem it proper to observe that, considering the rawness and inexperience of both officers and men, the fact that one-fourth


Page 217 Chapter IX. CAMPAIGN IN WEST VIRGINIA.