Unknown to Governor Curtin, July 21, 1861

Washington, July 21, 1861.

Governor CuRTIN, Harrisburg, Pa. :

Please send the Wisconsin regiment at Harrisburg to report to the general at Baltimore instead of Harper’s Ferry. Send all the regiments at Harrisburg and elsewhere to Baltimore.

JULY 21, 1861. Commander DAHLGREN, Navy- Yard: Send an armed vessel at once to Alexandria, to command as much as possible the approaches to Alexandria. MANSFIELD,

JULY 21, 1861. Brigadier-General MCDOWELL, at Fairfax Court-House:

By General Scott’s orders I send you four regiments, brigaded under Colonel McCunn, to Fairfax Station, to wit: the Thirty-seventh, Colonel McCunn; Fifteenth, Colonel Murphy; Twenty-sixth, Colonel Christian; Twenty-fifth, Colonel Kerrigan.

They should all be at the point above designated by 6 p. m.

They have three days’ supply of rations.

JULY 21, 1861. General Runyon, Alexandria:

Hold my two last regiments at Alexandria and man your lines. McDowell is on the retreat. MANSFIELD,

FAIRFAX, July 21, 1861—7.45 p. m. General Runyon, Alexandria: I reported with the De Kalb regiment at Centreville in person to General McDowell, who is there protecting the retreat of his army on the right flank.

\ . (fire OPERATIONS IN MD., PA., VA., AND W. VA, [Cmap. IX.

The First and Second three-years’ New Jersey are there. The First three-months’ and Third three-years’ New Jersey are at Fairfax Station. General McDowell wishes you to communicate with General Scott whether you will take any of the regiments out of the forts.

BEVERLY, VA., July 22 [?], 1861. General WINFIELD Scott:

Your telegraph of 8 p. m. received. I am much pained at its contents. My three-months’ men are homesick and discontented with their officers, and determined to return at once. When I suggested the Staunton movement I expected these regiments to unite in it. I should be compelled to fight the enemy now ascertained in force at Monterey, and should reach Staunton without men enough to accomplish much. MeDowell’s check would greatly increase my difficulties and render numerous detachments necessary to keep open my communications and protect my flanks. How would it meet your views were I to leave, say, four regiments at Huttonsville and in the strong position of Cheat Mountain, one at Beverly, one at Bulltown, and send two or three and a better general to re-enforce Cox, then move with the rest by railroad to New Creek, on Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and effect a junction with Patterson near Jamesburg, on the road from New Creek to Charlestown ? With this force, in addition to such State troops as Pennsylvania can furnish, we should be able either to defeat Johnston or separate him from Beauregard, and, connecting with McDowell, fight them in detail. Ishall know early to-morrow the exact condition of the three-years’ regiments now in Ohio and Indiana. Depending upon that information, I can join Patterson with probably fifteen thousand men besides such as Pennsylvaniacan furnish. The time required would be about seven days, perhaps six, from the day on which I receive your orders until the junction with Patterson at Jamesburg. This, though not so brilliant a plan as a movement on Staunton, appears to me the sounder and safer one. Whatever your instructions may be, I will do my best to carry them out. I will suspend all further preparations for my projected movement on Kanawha until I hear from you. Please reply by telegraph at once.

GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General, U. S. Army.

. WASHINGTON, July 22, 1861. Maj. Gen. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN, Grafton, Va.:

General A. S. Johnston, of the Confederate Army, is marching with a large force into Northwestern Virginia. The operator at Grafton will

get this message to General McClellan wherever he may be. JNO. 8S. CARLILE.

HEADQUARTERS, July 22, 1861—1 a, m. General MCCLELLAN, Beverly, Va. :

After fairly beating the enemy, and taking three of his batteries, a panic seized McDowell’s army, and it is in full retreat on the Potomac,

‘CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.—UNION. 753

_A most unaccountable transformation into a mob of a finely-appointed and admirably-led army. Five regiments have been ordered to join you from Ohio. Brigadier-General Reynolds has been commissioned and ordered to report to you. Remain in your present command instead of going to the Valley of the Shenandoah. WINFIELD SCOTT.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE, Washington, D. O., July 22, 1861. General GEORGE B, MCCLELLAN, Beverly, Va. :

Circumstances make your presence here necessary. Charge Rosecraus or some other general with your present department and come hither without delay.

L. THOMAS, Adjutant- General.

FAIRFAX STATION, July 22, 1861—12.15 a. m. General ScoTtT:

I have my own regiment, 700; Colonel Taylor’s New Jersey, 825; Colonel Johnson’s New Jersey, 550.

I have heard no firing so far as I can hear. Panic is unabated.

I have sent an aide to General McDowell two hours and a half since; he has not returned.

I will dispatch another, and inform you at once.

One has returned.

ALEXANDRIA, July 22, 1861. Hon. S. CAMERON:

Str: There are about seven thousand men here without officers. Nothing but confusion. Please tell me what I shall do with my regiment.

J. E. KERRIGAN, Colonel Twenty-fifth New York Volunteers.

Monpay, July 22, 1861—a. m. General RuNyON, Alexandria, Va. :

Consult engineers, and strengthen the garrisons of Forts Ellsworth, Runyon, and Albany. Similar instructions are given* in respect to Fort Corcoran. Some regiments besides the garrisons will be halted on that side of the river; the number to be determined by General Mansfield or General McDowell, when the troops arrive from the interior.

JULY 22, 1861. Captain Mort, Chain Bridge : Send out a man to Richardson and require him to march in in order. We may want rations.

* To Col. Andrew Porter. 48 R R—VOL I:

Order the Sixth Maine to keep these demoralized troops out of his camp. Order Richardson not to let his men leave camp. MANSFIELD, Brigadier-General.

JULY 22, 1861. General Runyon, Alexandria :

Why do the regiments I sent to you yesterday return so precipitately. to Alexandria without a shot ? Stop this stampede. MANSFIELD, Brigadier- General.

JULY 22, 1861. General Runyon, Alexandria: Put an officer in charge and sentinels at the wharf, and forbid the volunteers leaving the city. pete are two hundred pounds of boiled pork in the commissary there. MANSFIELD, Brigadier-Generat.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY, July 22, 1861. Colonel McCunn, Thirty-seventh New York, Fairfax Station : Come in with the regiments with you and Colonel Woodbury to your

camps in Washington, WINFIELD SCOTT.

ALEXANDRIA, July 22, 1861. Col. T. A. Scott: General Scott’s last instructions to me last night, before I retreated, was to retire to our camps in Washington. Is this order to be respected? McCUNN.

He evidently meant to the lines of the Potomac, to cover retreat, protected by the forts, of the straggling army of McDowell, which is now coming in.

General MANSFIELD, Arlington, Chain Bridge, or Alexandria: McDowell is sending his retreating army to the Potomac. Allow me — to suggest that you man all the forts and prevent soldiers from passing

€ ORRESPONDENCE, ETC.—UNION.

over to the city; their arrival here would produce a panic on this side and cause more trouble.

The enemy is still pressing McDowell, and you need every man in the forts to save the city.

Now is your time for effectual service. THOMAS A. SCOTT.

Fort Corcoran, July 22, 1861—10.11. ADJUTANT-GENERAL :

I have this moment ridden in [with], I hope, the rear men of my brigade, which, in common with our whole Army, has sustained a terrible defeat and ‘has degenerated into an armed mob.

I know not if I command, but at this moment I will act as sueh, and shall consider as addressed to me the dispatch of the Secretary of this date.

I propose to strengthen the garrisons of Fort Corcoran, Fort Bennett, the redoubt on Arlington road, and the block-houses; and to aid me in stopping the flight, I ask you to order the ferry to transport no one across without my orders or those of some superior.

Tam, &€ ng te W. T. SHERMAN, Colonel, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS OF sb ARMY, Washington, July 22, 1861—9.30 p.m. Major-General MCCLELLAN, U.S. A., Beverly, Va.: Bring no troops with you. The pneeonkor in the Ohio Department may need them all in Western Virginia, including the five new regiments

from Ohio in addition, and others probably from Indiana. WINFIELD SCOTT.

HEADQUARTERS ARmy, July 22, 1861. _Brigadier-General MCDowWELL, U.S. A, Arlington, Va.:

Captain Wright, Engineers, is detached from your department. Send another engineer in his place.

For the garrison of the forts and their support, fifteen regiments and such field batteries as you deem necessary will be retained in your department. The General-in-Chief desires you to send over to this side all the remaining troops and all the wagons and teams not absolutely needed for your purposes.

Send in the wagons all the camp equipage not required by your fifteen

regiments. E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General.

et HeEapguagrers Army, July 22, 1861. General McDowEL1, U. S. A., Arlington: General Scott says it is eke intended you should reduce your com

mand to the minimum number of regiments mentioned by him (fifteen) to-day, but if the enemy will permit, you can take to-morrow or even the next day for the purpose.

‘ HEADQUARTERS ARMY, July 23, 1861. Colonel McCunn, Alexandria:

The officers and non-commissioned officers of companies and regiments should collect their men and keep them together as well as they can. A few of each regiment will soon form a body for all to rally on, and the place where provisions are issued to a regiment will be the best point. to collect its men if issue is made there to men of no other regiment.

Respectfully, E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant- General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, July 22, 1861. Moses H. GRINNELL, SIMEON DRAPER, ALEXANDER HAMILTON, Jr.: GENTLEMEN: In reply to your telegram will say, cheer our friends to. active exertions, in order that we may speedily retrieve our misfortune of yesterday. We are making most vigorous efforts to concentrate a large and irresistible army at this point. Regiments are arriving, and many have left for the capital. Our works on the south bank of Potomac are impregnable, being well manned with re-enforcements. The

capital is safe. SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, July 22, 1861. C. A. STETSON, Astor House, New York:

In reply to your dispatch, I am happy to be able to say that our loss is much less than was at first represented, and the troops have reached the forts in much better condition than we expected. The Department is making vigorous exertions to concentrate at this point an overwhelming force, and the response from all quarters has been truly patriotic. A number of regiments have arrived since last evening. There is no danger of the capital nor of the Republic.

Secretary of War.

WASHINGTON, July 22, 1861. T, A. SCOTT:

Shall I allow anything to go forward this morning ? B. P. SNYDER.

You may allow messages to go East, in substance what General Scott stated to McClellan by cipher message;* but do not give it official from

or refer to the General.

* Page 752.

aD eer e CN tar eae

757 Our loss, by officers just from rear of column, is estimated at from 2,500 to 3, 000. All beyond that we believe to be exaggeration. The retreat was covered by a good steady column, and the forts on south

bank of Potomac are all strongly re-enforced with fresh troops. Epo Aas:

Eo eeeONDENCE, ETC.—UNION.

Fort McHEnrRyY, Baltimore, July 22, 1861. Lieutenant-General Scott, Washington:

Only the Wisconsin and two regiments from Pennsylvania, the First and the Fourth, have arrived. All of them yesterday and to-day. I think they are all needed here.

General Banks has gone to persuade the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment to stay, their time having expired. He goes to Harper’s Ferry to-morrow morning.

JOHN A. DIX, Major-General.

; WASHINGTON, July 22, 1861.

Colonel Scott:

Please ascertain quickly if General McClellan’s dispatch of last night,* containing three hundred and twenty words, was delivered to General Scott before he sent the dispatch sent in cipher to him last night by Mr. Westervelt.¢ Important.

{Indorsement. ] The long message was not received until after cipher message had

JULY 23, 1861. ‘General Runyon, Alexandria:

Is the citizen steamer on the line to Alexandria? I have understood there was so great a rush of menon board from your wharf they would not go back again.

Can you not put a guard strong enough to preserve order there?

This boat is quite a convenience to us and the public.

The passage of all men properly authorized to go on board will be paid.

MANSFIELD, Brigadier-General.

JULY 23, 1861. Captain Mott, Chain Bridge : Liberate all the stragglers you have, and direct them to their respective camps this side of the Potomac.

* Page 752. + Probably that on p. 752.

If you have sick and wounded that cannot walk, I will send aribulances. Give them ample bread for their breakfast, and make out extra returns to cover the issue from your stores.

We are all amply able to whip the enemy if he will give us a chance ere. MANSFIELD, Brigadier- General.