The fight at Fairfax Court-House.
Camp Bonhan, Near Manassas Junction, June 12, 1861
There has been such unmitigated lying at the North in reference to the engagement at Fairfax Court-House, that a lady who chanced to be an eye witness of the scene has furnished me with the enclosed account of it, and requests me to have it published.
She would be pleased, I am sure, to have it appear in some paper that will bring it to the notice of the people of the State, and I send it to you.
L. S.
We were around on the morning of the 1st of June, by the tramping of horse through our village.
A party of the Second Cavalry, as we have since learned, consisting of seventy-five men, commanded by Lieutenant Tompkins, and guided by a spy, came up through an old country road, fired, we presume, with zeal to emulate the fame won by the hero, Ellsworth, for his midnight assault upon a sleeping and unarmed house in the town of Alexandria. One of the sentinels only gave the alarm, and he forgot to fire his gun, so that the surprise was very great; a portion of the attacking party filed off to the Methodist Church, where the Warrenton Rifles, who only arrived the day before, were quartered, and were then forming, having been hastily roused from their beds.
The remainder dashed on to the Episcopal Church, where they expected to find and capture the cavalry, firing into the houseson the main street as they rode along, and calling as they passed ‘"come out, you lazy devils."’ The Virginia cavalry, through some misapprehension, partly occasioned by the absence of their Captain, whose horse ranaway with him, had retreated a few minutes before to Centreville, breaking the ranks of the Rifles as they rode through, and throwing Captain Mart back into a field, where he was immediately shot dead by one of Sharp's rifles, fired, we suppose, by the spy — thought, in the darkness and confusion, it was almost impossible to distinguish friends from foes.
Just then the clock struck 3.
The officer in command, without his scout, rushed out to the spot where the Rifles, ignorant of the fate of their Captain, were waiting for orders; but, not knowing the officer, hesitated to follow his lead till informed who he was, when they said, ‘"Sir, we obey you,"’ and were marched by him down the street, and formed in line, over the fence in the Court-House yard, about 45 men. By this time the second Cavalry, who had just watered their horses at a stream beyond the town, wheeled round and charged the gallant little band, who returned the fire so warmly that part of the Cavalry drew off, we suppose, to carry off their dead and wounded.
The Lieutenant, with the most fearful oaths, rallied the remainder to another charge, which was a very feeble one, and the whose partly fled with a speed which rendered pursuit impossible, though it was attempted.
Capt.Marr was the only man killed.
Two were wounded, one very slightly, and both are now recovering.
No prisoner taken from this place.
Three horses were captured of the United States Cavalry, and three prisoners, one of whom declares that Lieut. Tompkins had no orders for this expedition.
From the number of saddles and arms thrown away in the flight, we believe the enemy were severely handled.
The sabre of the Lieutenant was captured.
The five prisoners whom they bore to Washington in triumph, were stragglers picked up on their return to cover their defeat.
We hope the wagon of the poor market woman, out of which she was so unceremoniously fitted and placed by the roadside, will be returned, with an equivalent for its use. Others also were seized to convey the dead and wounded, but the want of telegraph, and all other communication, renders it impossible for us to ascertain the number.
These are facts, related by an eye witness.
They do not accord with the accounts published in the Washington papers, which are utterly false. 