Henry A. Wise to E.D. Townsend, July 19, 1861

Cox checked on the Kanawha. Has fought something between a victory and a defeat. A wounded colonel of ours taken prisoner, and a possibility of having lost two colonels and a lieutenant-colonel, who amused themselves by a reconnaissance beyond the pickets. Have ordered him to remain where he is, and will start as soon as possible to cat Wise’s rear and relieve our credit. In Heaven’s name give me some general officers who understand their profession. I give orders and find some who cannot execute them unless I stand by them. Unless I command every picket and lead every column I cannot be sure of success. Give me such men as Marcy, Stevenson, Sacket, Lander, &c. and I will answer for it with my life that I meet with no disaster. Had my orders been executed from beginning, our success would have been

brief and final. GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General.

Reports of Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise, O. S. Army, of skirmish July 16, and of action at Scarey Oreek.

CHARLESTON, W. V. A., July 19, 1861. GENERAL: This will be handed to you by Maj. 0. B. Duffield, who takes to you the official reportsof_a .fight.with the enemy and six pris- oners, including two colonels and one lieutenant-colonel and two eaptains, and a member of the late Wheeling Convention, charged with treason. Major Duffield will personally give you details. This extraordinary war, in which the odds here are multiplied against us immensely by domestic enemies, requires absolutely an officer of high intelligence and responsibility to attend to prisoners. Rigid and harsh discipline of traitors in the Kanawha Valley and adjacent counties would fill all the , jails of the trans-Alleghany. Dismissing all we can, from policy as well as necessity, still the cases are very numerous, and would require the greater portion of my time, which is all now hard pressed upon by the enemy’sarmy. The traitors, their most efficient allies, spies, and soldiers, too, I have turned over to Major Duffield, who, since early after my arrival, has been examining them and applying the law to their cases. This he has been assiduously and laboriously doing, without any known mode of compensating him whatever. He is not of military education, and I therefore could not promise him a staff or line appointment, which might be detailed for this duty. Indeed, we require double the number of officers we have for military duty proper, and I therefore gave Mr. Duffield a special acting appointment, which he most devotedly accepted. I beg that you will authorize his appointment, fix his pay, and give him a proper rank on my staff. And there are two other descriptions of officers doing absolutely necessary service for whom there is no provision of pay—first, the engineers to locate the sites and plan the construction of works for defense, and the scientific explorers of mountains, gorges, rivers, passes, roads, &c. Yor the first I have employed Colonel A dler— a Hungarian—a man of consummate ability, science, and bravery, and for the last Prof. Thomas I. L. Snead, of William and Mary, and Lieut. J. B. Harvie, of the Provisional Army. The latter has commission in the Proyisional Army and the former are treated as mere employés. They have two parties, Adler chief of both, one headed by Snead and the other by Harvie, performing very arduous and hazardous duties. I ask authority to allow them rank, pay, and forage for horses, with pay for a limited number of assistants, say six to each party. They have strengthened us far more than all the militia called out. Another unpaid corps is that of drill officers, without whom we could not make a stand or a good run from the enemy. ‘The companies elect their officers, the drill officers train them, and then stand off to see them paid and win honors, © Thope, whilst they are fed only and transported. Lastly, Major Dufiield will tell you how much we need artillery. Do send us two rifled sixes, two 12-pounder howitzers, and allow us four small 4-pounders, which Major Duffield can select at Gosport navy-yard. The enemy knocked over one of our little iron guns, as you will see, in the late fight. We now have in all eight pieces—three brass and five superior iron guns. The enemy’s artillery (rifled cannon) outfired us, doing double our exeeution. Welch lost his life spiking our disabled gun, thinking, poor fellow, it was to fall into the hands of the enemy,/and not surviving to joy in victory. Supply us more ammunition. The force I sent to attack the enemy returned yesterday evening, having chased him to his intrenchments at Pocotaligo Mouth. He is now there, about three thousand three hundred strong, awaiting re-enforcements. Weare threatened by that number in the valley, by about one thousand five hundred from Ripley to Sissonville, and by forces from Weston, Glenville, and Sutton, via Summersville. IfI go toward Point Pleasant they rush on Coal, on Two-Mile, and the Elk and Gauley, and if I move out of the valley in any direction with anything like an effective force, they rush in and take the valley, and if I stand still they move from all sides and shut me

in. By all means, then, hasten on re-enforcements, arms, and ammunition.

To-day I send a flag of truce to obtain baggage of prisoners, at their request. Colonel Patton is doing as well as having done nobly well deserves. His arm I hope will not have to be amputated. We are throwing up breastworks and defenses at every pass, and mean never to be taken. Haste to prepare every means now shortens this report.

Most

respectfully,