[correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.]
But let me assure you the regret of the citizens and native troops was not more profound than that of the Legion itself and of its commander at being obliged to turn our back upon a foe whom we had once defeated already, and against whom, though largely our superior in numbers, we entertained no doubt of victory in the final conflict. But we yielded to the pressure of a stern military necessity, and to prevent our being cut off at Gauley Bridge by a large detachment or McClellan's army, rapidly advancing from Weston, by Bulltown, Birch Mountain, Sutton and Summersville, to Gauley. The disastrous defeat of the Northwestern army and the death, or General Garnett left the enemy free to move upon our rear, and we could not reject the alternative of retreat. General Wise had information as to the well-matured plan of locking him up in the narrow valley from Gauley to Charleston and cutting off his communication with the East, which was accessible to no one but himself and those immediately around him, and he acted upon it with promptness and success.
After our departure from Charleston, the fact that we were to have been ‘"trapped." ’ between two large armies, each outnumbering our own, soon became patent among our enemies, as is disclosed by the correspondence and editorials of the Cincinnati papers, as well as by the private letters which we found in the mail captured, between Sutton and Summersville, by Colonel Croghan, of the Legion. For instance, the Cincinnati Gazette uses the following ‘"official"’ language:
‘ "We have official advices this morning that Gen. Cox has taken possession of Gauley Bridge, Wise having retreated in haste, leaving behind him one thousand muskets, and other traps. We had supposed that the force marched to Bulltown from Beverly was intended to out off the retreat of Wise; but if so, this piece of 'strategy' has proved a failure."
’ How thoroughly their army itself was imbued with this idea of trapping, and capturing, or annihilating Wise and his rebels, will appear from the following extract from the letter of a common soldier:
‘ "Sutton, the county seat of Braxton county, is pleasantly situated on Elk river. There is a wire suspension bridge spanning the river at this place. Col. Tyler here received a message that Wise and his force were headed off by Gen. Cox; he therefore made preparations for an attack from Wise," &c., &c.
’ From the same mail, captured between Summersville and Sutton by a cavalry force, which, by mountain paths, was thrown in rear of the former place, I send you a letter written to the Portage county (Ohio) Democrat. Its information is no longer important. You would be amused at the singular devices on their envelopes, gotten up by Yankee stationers, by way of speculating on the low taste of the vulgar populace now making war upon us. One of these envelopes, particularly vulgar, had, extending its full breadth, a succession of gallows reaching to the capital, and upon each of them a corpse suspended with the name of some distinguished Southern patriot inscribed above, as ‘"Davis,"’ ‘"Stephens, "’ ‘"Hunter,"’ &c. Many of the letters were in German.
Indeed, I am convinced from the prisoners taken and the reports of those who have been in their camp, that fully one-half, and perhaps a larger proportion, are Germans — hirelings, who are sacrificed by their Yankee masters to get rid of them, and by ourselves, to prevent the desecration of our firesides by such a set of rude and plundering vulgarians.--There are at this moment groaning in my hearing two wounded prisoners taken yesterday evening by the Henrico Light Dragoons, both Germans. One, a captain, I do not think can survive, from the character of the wound through his lungs. They moaned piteously all night, and Gen. Wise himself rose once to give them water. They are receiving every attention from Dr. Graham, of Lexington, Virginia.
This fact, that their army is composed to a large extent of foreigners, accounts for the further fact of a great disparity of killed and wounded in our favor whenever our skirmishers meet.
Since we turned westward from White Sulphur — whither we had gone to recruit after the most arduous and fatiguing campaign — scarcely a day has elapsed that our cavalry, under Col. J. Lucius Davis, has not killed, wounded or captured some of the enemy, without the loss of a man, until yesterday evening. In the Sutton expedition before alluded to, Lt. Col. Croghan killed two and captured three, with their whole mail. On the 16th ult., Col. Davis, and Col. Heth, of the Floyd Brigade, attacked from ambush some 300 in advance, killed eight and threw the whole of them into the wildest confusion and rout.--On yesterday, in three separate skirmishes, our cavalry took six prisoners and killed five.
The first skirmish occurred on the turnpike, some three or four miles below here, and resulted in our killing two and taking two prisoners--both Germans. After this little affair, Col. Croghan ventured too far in pursuit, and, near the Hawk's Nest, fell into an ambush, and had four of Capt. Buchanan's Company (Floyd Brigade) severely wounded--one supposed mortally. The enemy's shooting was extremely bad. We picked up rifled-cannon ball enough from the field of Scary to fire thirty rounds; when occasion presents, we will return them with our compliments.
A word in regard to the accounts of Northern correspondents, reproduced in Southern papers, as to the losses in military stores and ‘"traps"’ incurred on our retreat. They were considerable, owing to two unfortunate accidents, to which I merely refer, without taking time to explain. The steamboat Julia Maffitt, owing to the too great eagerness of Col. Patton's command to engage the enemy, and their consequent delay, was detained until her passage up the river was exposed to the enemy's cannon, and she had to be abandoned and destroyed to prevent her falling into the hands of the enemy. With her were consumed the baggage of several companies, and some commissary supplies for our army.
A similar untoward occurrence, for which no blame could attach to those in command, occasioned a smaller loss, owing to a mutiny on board the Kanawha Valley, which has since very properly been the subject of a court-martial investigation. As to the ‘"traps"’ and ‘"official correspondence of the rebels"’ said to have been captured, I assure you there is no other foundation than the imagination of a Yankee newspaper correspondent. So, also, in reference to the ‘"thousand muskets"’ at Gauley, which have been multiplied by the same ingenious, but mendacious animal.
As a general rule in regard to their statements, you will find they have a small nucleus of truth, around which is crystalized a coruscation of lies to give color and brilliancy to the whole account. We did not, on the retreat, lose a single man except by desertion; and many who deserted have returned to us.
In conclusion of this unsatisfactory letter, written under sundry disadvantages, we are now on the return march to Kanawha, and the enemy, as many as have crossed the Gauley, are in full retreat. Gen. Floyd is to-day immediately in advance of us, though the Legion is in short supporting distance. A fight of more or less importance may occur during the day. The enemy will doubtless make a stand at Gauley, but indications strongly point towards an evacuation of Kanawha Valley as far as Charleston.
Our army is just passing by. Col. Davis in advance with the cavalry, and Col. Heningsen commanding the infantry. We feel every confidence that the conflict, come when it may, will find us equal to the emergency.
L.
