At-o'clock the rear guard (Blenker's brigade) moved, covering the retreat, which was effected during the night and next morning.* The troops at Fairfax Station, leaving by the cars, took with them the bulk of the supplies which had been sent there. My aide-de-camp, Major Wadsworth, staid at Fairfax Court-House till late int he morning, to see that the stragglers and weary and worn out soldiers were not left behind.

I transmit herewith the reports of the several division and brigade commanders, to which I refer for the conduct of particular regiments and corps, and a consolidated return of the killed, wounded, and missing, marked D. From the latter it will be seen that our killed amounted to 19 officers and 462 non-commissioned officers and privates. Many of the wounded will soon be able to join the ranks, and will leave our total of killed and disabled from further service under 1,000.

The return of the missing is very inaccurate, the men supposed to be missing having fallen into other regiments and gone to

Washington; many of the zouaves to New York. In one brigade the number originally reported at 616 was yesterday reduced to 174. These reductions are being made daily. In a few days a more correct return can be made.

Of course nothing accurate is known of the loss of the enemy. An officer of their forces, coming from them with a flag, admitted 1,800 killed and wounded, and other information shows this to be much under the true number.

The officer commanding the Eleventh New York (Zouaves) and Colonel Heintzelman say that the returns of that regiment cannot be relied on, as many there reported among the casualties have absented themselves since their return, and have gone to New York.

Among the missing are reported many of our surgeons, who remained in attendance on our wounded, and were, against the rules of modern warfare, made prisoners.

The issue of this hard-fought battle, in which certainly our troops lost no credit in their conflict ont eh field with an enemy ably commanded, superior in numbers, who had but a short distance to march, and who acted on his own ground on the defensive, and always under cover, whilst our men were of necessity out on the open fields, should not prevent full credit being given to those officers and corps whose services merited success if they did not attain it.

To avoid repetition I will only mention here the names of those not embraced in the reports for the names of those serving under their immediate orders, desiring that on this subjected of persons, &c., they be considered as part of my own.

I claim credit of the officers of my staff for those acting as such during the day. They did everything in their power, exposing themselves freely when required, and doing all that men could do, communicating orders guiding the columns, exhorting the troops, rallying them when broken, and providing for then the best the circumstances admitted.

They are as follows:

First Lieutenant H. W. Kingsbury, Fifth Artillery, A. D. C.

Major Clarence S. Brown, New York Militia, volunteers A. D. C.

Major James S. Wadsworth, New York Militia, volunteer A. D. C.

The latter (who does me the honor to be on my personal staff) had a horse shot under him in the hottest of the fight.

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*See McDowell's report of August 12, 1861, p. 328.

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