Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

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At one time, when reports of evil omen and disaster reached Camp Pickens with such circumstantiality as to give reasonable grounds of anxiety, its commander, Colonel Territt, the commander of the intrenched batteries, Captain Sterrett, of the Confederate States Navy, and their officers, made the most efficient possible preparations for the desperate defence of that position in extremity; and, in this connection, I regret my inability to mention the names of those patriotic gentlemen of Virginia, by the gratuitous labor of whose slaves the intrenched camp at Manassas had been mainly constructed, relieving the troops from that laborious service, and giving opportunity for their military instruction.

Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas H. Williamson, the Engineer of those works, assisted by Captain D. B. Harris, discharged his duties with untiring energy and devotion, as well as satisfactory skill.

Captain W. H. Stevens, Engineer C. S. A., served with the advanced forces at Fairfax Court-House for some time before the battle. He laid out the works there, in admirable accordance with the purposes for which they were designed; and yet, so as to admit of ultimate extension and adaptation to more serious uses, as means and part of a system of real defence when determined upon. He has shown himself to be an officer of energy and ability.

Maor Thomas G. Rhett, after having discharged for several months the laborious duties of Adjutant-General to the commanding officer of Camp Pickens, was detached to join the Army of the Shenandoah, on the eve of the advance of the enemy; but, volunteering his services, was ordered to assist on the staff of General Bonham, joining that officer at Centreville on the night of the 17th, before the battle of Bull Run, rendered valuable services until the arrival of General Johnston, when he was called to the place of Chief of Staff of that officer.

It is also proper to acknowledge the signal services rendered by Colonels B. F. Terry and T. Lubbock, of Texas, who had attached themselves to the staff of General Longstreet. These gentlemen made daring and valuable reconnoissances of the enemy's positions; assisted by Captains Goree and Chichester, they also carried orders on the field. And on the following day, accompanying Captain Whitehead's troops, to take possession of Fairfax Court-House, Colonel Terry, with his unerring rifle, severed the halliard, and thus lowered the Federal flag found still floating from the cupola of the court-house there. He also secured a large Federal garrison flag, designed, it is said, to be unfurled over our intrenchments at Manassas.

In connection with the unfortunate casualty of the day—that is, the miscarriage of the orders sent by courier to Generals Holmes and Ewell, to attack the enemy in flank and reverse at Centreville, through which the triumph of our arms was prevented from being still more decisive, I regard it in place to say: a divisional organization, with officers in command of divisions, with appropriate rank, as in European services, would greatly reduce the risk of such mishaps, and would advantageously simplify the communications of the general in command of a field, with his troops.

While glorious for our people, and crashing in effect upon the morale of our hitherto overweening adversary, as were the events of the battle of Manassas, the field was only won by stout fighting, and, as before reported, with much