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The enemy reported the engagement as having been very severe; and placed his loss at forty-three killed, one hundred and forty three wounded and forty-four missing.

After the battle was ended, the dead and wounded placed in ambulances or on stretchers to be carried by the men, for the department at Washington had not yet furnished a sufficient number of ambulances to the corps, and the enemy's wounded who could not be removed, placed in houses, the command returned to Camp Pierpont with forage, trophies and victory; having in one day marched twenty-two miles, fought a battle, won a victory, and collected sixteen wagon loads of hay and twenty-two of

corn.

General McCall made the following report of the battle to General McClellan:

HEAD QUARTERS MCCALL'S DIVISION,
CAMP PIERPONT, December 22, 1861.

GENERAL :—I have the honor to present, for the information of the general-in-chief, a more detailed account of the affair at Dranesville on the 20th instant, together with reports of Brigadier-General E. O. C. Ord, commanding third brigade of my division, and the commanders of the Sixth infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel W. B. Penrose; of the Ninth infantry, Colonel C. F. Jackson; of the Tenth infantry, Colonel J. S. McCalmont; of the Twelfth infantry, Colonel J. H. Taggart; of the First rifles, Lieutenant-Colonel T. L. Kane; of two squadrons of the First cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel J. Higgins, and Easton's battery, Captain H. Easton, Pennsylvania Reserve.

On the evening of the 19th, having learned that the enemy's pickets had advanced to within four or five miles of our lines, and carried off two good Union men, and plundered and threatened others, and that their reserve was in the neighborhood, at Dranesville, I gave written instructions (a copy of which is marked A) to Brigadier-General Ord to move with his brigade at six A. M. on the 20th, to surround and capture this party, and at the same time to collect a supply of forage from the farms of some of the rank secessionists in that vicinity. BrigadierGeneral J. F. Reynolds, with the first brigade, was directed to move on to Difficult Creek, to be ready to support Ord in the event of his meeting a force stronger than his own.

At half-past ten A. M. on the 20th, I received a despatch from General Ord, written on the march, informing me that the guide had learned on the way that there was a full brigade, but without artillery, at Hern

don's Station, five hundred infantry and cavalry at Hunter's Mill, and two hundred infantry between Dranesville and the Potomac. I immediately mounted my horse, and, with my staff and an escort of cavalry, moved rapidly forward to overtake, if possible, Ord's brigade. I stopped for a few moments with Brigadier-General Reynolds at Difficult Creek, and, having directed him to be in readiness to move forward rapidly in case he should be required to support Ord, I rode on.

When within about two miles of Dranesville, I heard the first gun fired by the enemy. It was soon answered by Easton's battery, which imparted to me the fact that the enemy had artillery with them. A rapid ride soon brought me to the field, where Ord was hotly engaged. I found Easton's battery judiciously placed and in full blast upon the enemy's battery about five hundred yards in front, on the Centreville road. Here I stopped to observe the practice of our battery, while one of my staff rode off to ascertain where General Ord was.

While here, admiring the beautiful accuracy of the shot and shell thrown by this battery upon the battery of the enemy, a force of infantry and cavalry made their appearance from cover on the enemy's right, moving in a direction to turn our left. Colonel McCalmont, whose regiment was on the left, was notified of this movement; but a few shell from our battery, skilfully thrown into their midst, checked their advance, and drove them back ignominiously to cover.

Not hearing any thing of General Ord, I set out in search of him on our right, where brisk firing was at the time going on. Here was the Ninth infantry, Colonel Jackson, who had gallantly met the enemy at close quarters, and nobly sustained the credit of his State. By this time Captain Sheets, of my staff, reported that he had found General Ord near the centre front. Proceeding there, I found the rifles and a part of the Sixth Infantry Pennsylvania reserve engaged under a brisk fire with the enemy. Having met General Ord, we moved forward, and the position where the enemy's battery had been placed was soon gained, and here we had evidence of the fine artillery practice of Easton's battery. The road was strewed with men and horses; two eaissons, one of them blown up; a limber, a gun-carriage wheel, a quantity of artillery ammunition, small-arms, and an immense quantity of heavy clothing, blankets, &c.

The battle was now over, and the victory won. With my consent General Ord made an advance of about one-half mile, but nothing further was to be done, as the enemy, in full flight, had passed beyond our reach. I then recalled Ord and prepared for the return of my command. I ordered the harness to be taken off the enemy's horses which lay dead in the road, and to be put upon horses of my escort, and brought away the perfect caisson and the limber.

Early in the day, not knowing what force might be thrown forward from Centreville to support the troops we had encountered, I had called forward Brigadier-General Reynolds, First brigade, and Brigader-Gene

ral Meade, Second brigade, from Camp Pierpont, to the support of the Third brigade. Both these distinguished officers promptly brought forward their commands, and I only regretted that the fine disposition of the regiments and battery of Ord's command, together with the gallantry of Colonels Jackson, McCalmont and Taggart, and LieutenantColonels Kane, Higgins and Penrose, and Captain Easton, had left nothing for Reynolds and Meade to do. The rout of the enemy was complete. But as I did not consider it justifiable to bivouac at Dranesville; when my ammunition was much exhausted, and the enemy might easily throw ten or twenty thousand men between me and my camp during the night, I ordered every arrangement to be promptly made for the return march. Some time was required to prepare our wounded, (sixty officers and men,) to be transported to camp, and it was very nearly dark before I got the column in motion. Our killed and wounded as well as so many of the rebel wounded as could be moved, were brought away.

The troops we had engaged and defeated were the First Kentucky regiment, Colonel Tom Taylor, about eight hundred strong on the field; the Tenth Alabama, Colonel Forney, nine hundred strong; a South Carolina regiment, whose colonel was not known to the prisoners in our possession, who informed me that no intercourse between different regiments was ever allowed, and a Virginia regiment. The Kentucky prisoners informed me they believed a fifth regiment was present, as two or three regiments had left Centreville at three A. M., and they, the Kentucky and Alabama regiments, together with Captain Cutt's Georgia battery, and Stuart's Virginia regiment of cavalry, left at five A. M. The whole were under command of Brigadier-General Stuart.

General Ord reports as worthy of notice his personal staff, and also Colonels McCalmont and Jackson, Lieutenant-Colonel Kane, Captain Easton, First Pennsylvania artillery; Captain Niles, First rifles; Captain Bradbury, Sixth infantry P. R.; Captains Dick and Galway, Ninth infantry, P. R.

The number of killed found in front of the position occupied by the Ninth infantry, Colonel Jackson, is, in my estimation, proof enough of the gallantry and discipline of that fine regiment; but where all behaved nobly it is difficult to discriminate. I must, however, call your attention more particularly to Brigadier-General E. O. C. Ord, commanding Third brigade, for whose able disposition of his regiments and battery, and personal exertions to encourage and urge on his men, too much credit cannot be accorded him.

To Captain H. J. Biddle, assistant-adjutant general of my staff; Lieutenant H. A. Sheets, aide de-camp; Captain Clow, brigade commissary, acting aid de-camp, and Lieutenant E. Beatty, ordnance officer, acting aid-de-camp, my thanks are due for their gallantry in carrying orders under fire, and for encouraging and urging on the men; and also

to Captain Chandler Hall, brigade-quartermaster, who was energetically employed in collecting forage.

It is proper to mention that, deeming it necessary to leave one of my staff at head-quarters to superintend the telegraph, and to order forward the reserve, viz.: the Second brigade and three squadrons of cavalry, if required, the lot fell upon my aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Elbridge Maconkey, who discharged the responsible duty entirely to my satis faction.

Seven prisoners were taken, whose names, &c., are as follows: Corporal Ferris, E. Long, and privates William Nelson and Patrick Hughes, of the First Kentucky regiment, and privates Robert R. Moss, Ira Channey, William Morris, and J. Williamson, of the Tenth Alabama regiment.

The want of ambulances was felt on this occasion, and I would respectfully suggest that a few more be ordered to each regiment of my division, as I was unable, for want of transport, to bring from the field all the wounded prisoners taken in the affair. Those left I had placed in comfortable quarters in Dranesville, where they can be well attended to; but owing to this deficiency of transportation for the wounded, I was compelled to leave in the hands of the enemy some of my prisoners. Last, not least, I brought in sixteen wagon loads of excellent hay, and twenty-two of corn.

The following list of killed and wounded on our side is, I regret greater than I at first reported, viz: seven killed and sixty-one wounded, including one lieutenant-colonel and four captains, and three missing. From what I have gathered from various reliable sources, I am satisfied that the loss of the enemy was, at the very least, ninety killed left on the field, besides those carried off, amongst whom was, certainly, Colonel Tom Taylor, commanding the First Kentucky regiment, whom the Kentucky prisoners in my custody state they saw fall from his horse. Colonel Forney is also said to have been killed; this, however, is not so satisfactorily ascertained. General Stuart is reported by one of the prisoners to have been killed or wounded.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEO. A. MCCALL,

Brigadier-General Commanding Division.

Brigadier-General S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

The authorities at Washington were so much elated with the conduct of the Reserve Corps, and with the result of the engagement at Dranesville, that the Secretary of War addressed the following letter to General McCall:

WAR DEPARTMENT,

BRIGADIER-GENERAL G. A. MCCALL,

Commanding Division, Camp Pierpont, Virginia.

December 28, 1861.

GENERAL :-I have read your report of the battle of Dranesville, and although no reply is necessary on my part, yet as a citizen of the same Commonwealth as yourself and the troops engaged in that brilliant affair, I cannot refrain from expressing to you my admiration of the gallant conduct displayed, both by officers and men, in this their first contest with the enemy. Nearly all your command upon that occasion are either my personal friends or sons of those with whom for long years I have been more or less intimately associated. I feel that I have just cause to be proud that, animated by no other motive than patriotism, they are among the first to revive the glory shed upon our country by the men of the Revolution and soldiers of the War of 1812. It is one of the bright spots that give assurance of the success of coming events; and its effect must be to inspire confidence in the belief that hereafter, as heretofore, the cause of our country will triumph.

I am especially gratified that a Pennsylvania artillery corps, commanded by officers who have necessarily had but limited systematic instruction, have won not only the commendation of their friends, but an unwilling compliment from the enemy, for the wonderful rapidity and accuracy of their fire.

I wish I could designate all the men who, nobly discharging their duty to the country, have added to the glory of our great commonwealth. Other portions of the army will be stimulated by their brave deeds, and men will be proud to say that at Dranesville they served under McCall and Ord.

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

SIMON CAMERON,

Secretary of War.

As soon as the report of the battle was received at Harrisburg, Governor Curtin proceeded to Camp Pierpont to provide for the care of the wounded soldiers, and to congratulate the corps for the honor it had conferred on the State. He issued the following order, which was read to the regiments:

"The gallantry of our troops in the late affair at Dranesville, demands a public acknowledgment. Their courage, conduct, and high discipline are honorable to the corps and to the Commonwealth by whose forecast it was raised and formed, in anticipation of the exigencies of the country, and whose sons fill its ranks.

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