or not; the pickets reported, however, seeing several men fall. This running fire and reconnaissance was continued to within one mile of the Fairfax Court- House, the enemy continuing retreating and firing upon our advancing pickets at every convenient opportunity. After the exchange of fires a reconnaissance was made, discovering many abandoned masked batteries, and at last quite an extensive temporary fortification about one mile and a half from Fairfax Court- House, out of which we drove the enemy, who left their camp equipage, clothing swords, and the like. We then pressed n to the encampment of the Fifth Alabama Regiment, which fled before us, leaving many valuable articles, guns, camp equipage tents, corn, stores, and their hospital sick, taking the road, as we understood, to Centerville and Manassas junction. L At this point, having received information that General McDowell had taken possession of Fairfax Court- House, the Fifth Division encamped, partly on the ground of the Fifth Alabama and the balance in the vicinity of the cross- roads. I have to report to you that we had three men wounded- one in the leg, one in the side, and one through the hand. We did not stop to examine the effect of shots which we made, but it is reported to me that as many as fifteen to twenty were seen to fall in the woods I have to report to you further the energetic manner in which Lieutenant- Colonel Young, of the Eighteenth Regiment, in charge of the advance guard, performed his duty, and further that not a single man of any regiment fell back for an instant, but, on the contrary, the most determined bravery was displayed by every man who came in contact with the enemy.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOS. A. DAVIES,

Colonel, Commanding 2nd Brigadier, 5th Div., Troops Northeastern Virginia.

Colonel MILES,

Commanding Fifth Division.

[2.]

Report of Colonel Willis A. Gorman, First Minnesota Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST MINNESOTA REGIMENT,
Washington, July 26, 1861.

SIR; I have the honor to communicate, as colonel of the First Minnesota Regiment of Volunteers, the events connected with the movements of my command, comprising a part of your brigade:

On Tuesday morning, the 16th instant, in obedience to your order, we took up the line of march, and on the evening of Thursday arrived at Centerville and bivouacked until Sunday morning, the 21st instant, at 2.30 o'clock, when we again took up our line of march, in obedience to your orders, to meet the enemy, then known to be in large force between Bull Run and Manassas Station, Va. Our march from Centerville to Bull Run was not marked by any extraordinary event, my regiment leading the advance of your brigade. On arriving at Bull Run the battle began to rage with great warmth with the advance column of infantry and artillery of another division, both being hotly engaged. Here Captain Wright, of the military engineers, serving as an aide upon the staff of Colonel Heintzelman, commanding our division, informed me that my regiment was needed to flank the enemy upon the extreme left; where-upon I moved forward at "quick" and "double- quick" time, until we arrived at an open field looking out upon the enemy's lines. After