General Lyon superseded General Harney, in command in the West.

United States steamer Freeborn, Captain Ward, bombarded the rebel batteries at Aquia Creek. The engagement lasted two hours, when the Freeborn was beaten off; returned again the next morning in company with the "Pawnee," and renewed the engagement, commencing at half-past eleven, and kept up an incessant firing for five hours, without any serious result on either side; finally, the steamers abandoned the attempt, and hauled off beyond the range of the enemy's guns.

June 1. A number of skirmishes took place between the Federal and rebel pickets in the vicinity of Alexandria and Fairfax Court House.

Cavalry Company B, of the Second United States Cavalry, and forty-seven privates under Lieutenant Tompkins and Second Lieutenant Gordon, accompanied by Quartermaster Fearing, Assistant Quartermaster Carey, and Adjutant Frank of the New York Fifth, were reconnoitering within three hundred yards of Fairfax Court House by the Winchester road, when they were fired on by two pickets. They took one a prisoner, and the other escaped; the cavalry then charged into the village from the north side, and were fired on from the Union Hotel, formerly kept by Jackson who shot Colonel Ellsworth, but the man firing was instantly shot down; they then charged through the principal street, and were fired on from many houses, and from platoons behind fences.

Having thus passed to the end of the village they wheeled instantly, charging back; they were then met by two large detachments with two field-pieces; turning, they cut through a third detachment in the rear and left, bringing five prisoners, and killing Captain John Marr of the Warrenton Rifles, and several others. When

Captain Marr heard the troops coming up, he ordered them to halt; they replied they were Captain Powell's cavalry company. Marr ordered his men to arms, when the dragoons fired a volley which killed Captain Marr instantly. The rebels rushed out in undress, and fired on the cavalry at random. The cavalry then fired three volleys, charged, and retired.

Lieutenant Tompkins lost two men killed, and two taken prisoners; but the next day word came into the camp that the two dragoons missing from Company B, were captured by the rebels, and sentenced to be hung. Company B were. immediately summoned, and, mounting, rode up to the Court House, and having by some means ascertained the precise locality of their missing comrades, made a dash through the village, rescued them, and brought them back in triumph to the camp.

June 3. Two columns of troops from General McClellan's command, one under Colonel Kelly, composed of Virginia volunteers, and the other Colonel Crittenden, composed of Indiana volunteers, left Grafton early on the night of the 2d, and, after marching the entire night about twenty miles through a drenching rain, arrived at Philippa, surprised a camp of rebels of two hundred strong, and routed them, killing fifteen, and capturing a large amount of arms, horses, ammunition, provisions, and camp equipage.

The rebels dispersed in great confusion through the woods, the Federal troops in hot pursuit. Colonel Kelly, while charging in advance of his men, was shot with a revolver by a rebel, who had charge of a provision. wagon. One of the Federal troops was killed, and several slightly wounded.

The disaster to the rebels was inconsiderable, though it was the cause of some recrimination, and subjected Colonel Porterfield, the Confederate commander, to trial

by court-martial; yet it was regarded as not much more than an unfortunate inauguration of their campaign in Western Virginia.

Colonel Porterfield had been ordered to Grafton, with written instructions from General Lee, to raise and receive into the service from that part of the State five thousand volunteers; but finding that the country was in a state of revolution, and that there was a large and increasing force of Federal troops at Camp Denison in Ohio, opposite Parkersburg, and another in the vicinity of Wheeling, Colonel Porterfield wrote to the commanding general, that unless a strong force was sent very soon, North-western Virginia would be overrun.

Upon directing the captains of organized volunteer companies to proceed with their companies to Grafton, they replied that not more than twenty out of companies numbering sixty, were willing to take up arms on the side of the State. That the others declared, "if they were compelled to fight, it would be in defence of the Union. Colonel Porterfield and his few volunteer troops had been at Grafton but a few days, when he received. reliable information of the force of the Federalists, and withdrew his command to Philippi, where he was surprised and routed on the third of June. It was estimated that there were seven thousand United States troops at Grafton and Philippi.

General T. A. Morris in command, issued a proclamation announcing that Western Virginia was then free from secessionists, and calling upon the people to come to the support of the constitutional government, and serve for the defence of their own soil; that arms and munitions would be furnished them.

June 6. The Harriet Lane exchanged about fifty shots with Pig Point Battery, nearly opposite Newport News on the James River. She received two shots, wounding five men, one severely. She was about three

quarters of a mile from the battery, the seven embrasures of which disclosed heavy pieces.

Thus far the operations of the navy had amounted to nothing, if we except spending a great deal of money for the United States, the occasional capture of a small vessel or two, which they considered as prizes, the gunboats being repulsed in every attempt upon the rebel fortifica

tions.

June 8. General Patterson's advance moved from Chambersburg toward Harper's Ferry.

Governor Hicks, of Maryland, warned the government of the perils menacing the national capital from his State, and requested that a force might be sent to Frederick City, and that the regiments in Baltimore might be reinforced; that there were four thousand secessionists in Baltimore with concealed arms, waiting for a favorable opportunity to rise, and issued a proclamation calling on all having arms belonging to that State, to surrender them.

With Alexandria and Fortress Monroe in their possession, the Federal government held the most important passages into Virginia; General McDowell in command of the forces thrown across the Potomac, General Butler placed in command at Fortress Monroe and Newport News, and the town of Hampton occupied by Federal troops, it would seem that in the event of an engagement with the enemy in that section of country, victory on the part of the Federals would be certain.

Yet, notwithstanding these advantages, the government forces met with a severe repulse, in the first serious contest of the war, the battle of Bethel.

June 10. General Butler, having learned that the rebels were forming an intrenched camp with strong batteries at Great Bethel, nine miles from Hampton, on the Yorktown road, deemed it necessary to dislodge them. Accordingly, movements were made from Fortress Monroe and Newport News.

About midnight, Colonel Duryea's Zouaves, and Colonel Townsend's Albany regiment, crossed the river at Hampton by means of six large batteaux, manned by the Naval Brigade, and took up the line of march, the former some two miles in advance of the latter.

At the same time, Colonel Bendix's regiment and a detachment of the Vermont and Massachusetts regiments at Newport News, moved forward to form a junction with the regiments from Fortress Monroe, at Little Bethel, about half way between Hampton and Great Bethel.

The Zouaves passed Little Bethel at about four o'clock. Bendix's regiment arrived next, and took position at the intersection of the roads, but not understanding the signal, the German regiment, in the darkness of the morning, fired upon Colonel Townsend's column, then marching in close order, and led by Lieutenant Butler, the aid of General Butler, with two pieces of artillery.

In the hurry and confusion of the moment, the fire was irregularly returned by some of Colonel Townsend's men, who feared that they had fallen into an ambuscade.

Colonel Townsend's column immediately retreated to an eminence near by, and were not pursued by Colonel Bendix's men. By this almost criminal blunder two men of Colonel Townsend's regiment were killed, and eight more or less wounded.

Hearing this cannonading and firing in his rear, Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn, not knowing but that his communication might be cut off, immediately reversed his march, as did Colonel Duryea, and marched back to form a junction with his reserves.

General Pierce, who was with Colonel Townsend's regiment, fearing that the enemy had got notice of their approach, and had posted himself in force on the line of march, and not getting any communication from Colonel Duryea, sent back to General Butler for reinforcements,