The following is transcribed from The New York Times, dated June 8, 1861.

 

June 8, 1861

THE SKIRMISH AT FAIRFAX COURT-HOUSE.

The Washington Star of Thursday evening publishes the following:

"We have absolute confirmation, from the lips of a reliable citizen, who was at Fairfax Court-house on Thursday night last, when Lieut, TOMPKING' command entered that village, of the account of the killed brought by his command to this city. Our informant himself saw ten dead. Disunionists, and also saw a trooper in the course of the engagement ride up into a low porch and cut down two Disunionists, whom he did not count among the ten dead seen by himself, not knowing whether they were killed outright. The dead bodies were hurried into a note dug near the Court-house building, as soon on the following day as the terror of the people there enabled them to attend to the matter. It was freely said, directly after the fight, in the hearing of our informant, by persons in the village, that their dead numbered about thirty. And ere leaving the place he heard dire threats made against any citizen who should report the fact that more than one man was killed on their side. We have been assured of this last fact by no less than three distinct persons who visited Fairfax Court house in the course of Saturday and Sunday last.

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The disunion troops engaged in the affair firmly believed themselves a match for five times their number of United States troops. The result proved that engaging one-third their own number of United States troops, and having the advantage of fighting from behind walls and fences, against cavalry only, too, they lost ten for every one they killed. We fancy they must now comprehend that any one of them is not equal in the field to five of those who now fight for the Stars and Stripes."

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The following is from the National Republican, of yesterday morning:

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"The fight at Fairfax Court-house has not yet been half told. We were informed, and all the secession papers, the Sun included, confirmed the story, that only two of the enemy were killed. But we are assured by a cold-blooded trooper, one of the United States regulars, who is as truthful as he is cool, that he himself saw ten secession dead men. Three were killed separately, but seven others lay in one spot, whom he counted as the cavalry rode over and among them in their evolutions, 'it is of no cansequence,' as Mr. Toots would say, how many of our misguided enemies fell, but, nevertheless, for the truth of history we record this fact, since our secession journalists are seeking to underrate the bravery of the United States cavalry, (regulars) who were engaged in the skirmish. From one of the Secessionists who was in the fight, we learn that Lieut. TOMKINS who was in command of the cavalry company, wheeled his horse in and about the enemy, right and left, and cracked away at them every time he wheeled. They gave him a wide berth as soon as they understood, which they speedily did, the nature of his tactics.

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Mr. MASON, of Virginia, formerly of the United States Navy not the Senator, but a brother of that personage, was partly in the fight. He was one of the killed. He ran early. Sir ROGER DE COVERLY, as recorded by ADDISON, mentioned a battle on the Continent, in which he said "he should have infallibly have been slain, had he not prudently left the field the night before the action."

DOUGLAS FORREST, son of Commodore FORREST, one of the deserting officers in our navy, wan also a participant in this battle, on the secession side. The only achievement he performed was to lose his horse, which Lieut. TOMPKINS took away from him after his own was shot. We wait to see the Mason and Forrest report of this engagement in the Richmond papers."

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The Battle of Fairfax Court House. September 7, 1862. New York Times. August 5, 2012. web

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