BEALIXGTOX. 



BINGHAM, KINSLEY S. 



69 



His eloquence and power of vivid illustration 

 attracted numerous pupils to his lectures, and 

 many of the eminent scholars of Germany em- 

 braced his views among them, Zeller, Schweg- 

 ler, Korbtin, and others. He was a voluminous 

 writer on theological topics, and many of his 

 treatises give evidence of profound research and 

 thorough appreciation of the subjects which he 

 discusses. His " Historical Manual of Christian 

 Dogmas," published in 1847, is regarded as a 

 work of great value, and his investigations of 

 Gnosticism threw much light on the history of 

 that early heresy. At the close of his career 

 he is said to have expressed regret that his 

 teachings should have led so many of his pupils 

 into what he then regarded as error. 



BEALIXGTOX. A small village at the foot 

 of Laurel Hill, uear Beverly, Randolph County, 

 in "Western Virginia, where a severe skirmish 

 took place on the 8th of July, between a de- 

 tachment of the 14th Ohio and 9th Indiana 

 regiments and the Georgia 3d, one of the fin- 

 est regiments in the Confederate service, num- 

 bering 1,260, and supported by portions of sev- 

 eral Kentucky and Tennessee regiments. 



The Cpnfederate troops, a considerable por- 

 tion of whom were cavalry, advanced from a 

 wood near their camp, to attack the Federal 

 force, when their progress was arrested by a 

 sharp volley from the latter. They rallied, 

 and put forward their cavalry to charge upon the 

 Unionists, when Colonel Barrett's (Ohio) bat- 

 tery threw a couple of shells into the midst of 

 the troop with such effect that they retreated 

 into the wood ; the Federal skirmishers pur- 

 sued, and the battery shelled the woods till the 

 Confederate force broke and fled, and could not 

 be rallied, and the Federal troops advanced and 

 occupied their camp. The Union loss in the en- 

 gagement was 2 killed and 6 wounded ; the Con- 

 federate loss, 20 killed and 40 wounded. 



BEAUFORT. (See ST. HELEXA PARISH.) 



BEXXETT'S MILLS. At this small village, 

 in Dent Co., Missouri, a small body of the Dent 

 Co. Home Guard having their head-quarters 

 there, and numbering only 38 men, were at- 

 tacked about the dawn of day, Sunday morn- 

 ing, Sept. 1, by a body of 350 Confederate 

 troops, belonging to Schnabel's regiment. The 

 Confederates advanced stealthily in two divi- 

 sions, having first picketed their horses on the 

 Salem road, and crept around the pickets, and 

 had nearly reached the camp before the alarm 

 was given. The little band of Home Guards, 

 taken by surprise, caught up their guns and re- 

 sisted bravely for half an hour, driving the 

 Confederate troops back at their first rush up 

 the ravine. At length, finding themselves in 

 danger of being overpowered by the greatly 

 superior force of the enemy, they retreated 

 under the order of Sergeant Bay. the highest 

 officer left, and escaped up another ravine. 

 The Confederates did not pursue them. The 

 Federal loss was 3 killed and 6 wounded. The 

 Confederate loss was not ascertained, but their 

 killed and wounded filled a large Michigan 



wagon which they seized, and in which they 

 carried them from the field. 



BEVERLY, the county seat of Randolph 

 County, Western Virginia, a considerable vil- 

 lage, situated east of Laurel Hill, on an affluent 

 of the east fork of Monongahek River. On the 

 12th July, Gen. McClellan, then in command in 

 Western Virginia, and having his head-quarters 

 at this place, received propositions of surren- 

 der from Col. Pegram, commanding the Con- 

 federate force in Tygart's Valley, six miles dis- 

 tant, which force Gen. McC. had been pursuing 

 for some days. The following was the corre- 

 spondence preceding the surrender : 



NEAR TYGABT'S VALLEY IJrvEB, Srx MILES rROJf I 



BEVERLY, July 1-2, 1S61. 



To Commanding Officer of Northern Forces, Beverly, Va.: 

 SIR : I write to state to you that I have, in conse- 

 quence of the retreat of Gen. Garnett and the jaded 

 and reduced condition of my command, most of them 

 having been without food'fpr two days, concluded, 

 with the concurrence of a majority of my captains and 

 field officers, to surrender my command to you to- 

 morrow as prisoners of tear. I have only to add, I 

 trust thev will only receive at your hands such treat- 

 ment as has been invariably shown to the Northern 

 prisoners by the South. 



I am, sir, vour obedient servant, 



JOHX PEGRAM, 

 Lieut.-CoL P. A. C. S. Comd'g. 



To this letter Gen. McClellan replied by his 

 aid, Lieut. Williams, U. S. A., as follows : 



HEAD-QUARTERS. DEPARTMENT OF THE OHIO, ) 

 BBVEELY, Va., July 13, 1861. } 



JoTin Pegram, Esq., styling himself Lieutenant- Colonel 



P. A. C. S. : 



SIR: Your communication, dated yesterday, pro- 

 posing the surrender as prisoners of war of ttie force 

 assembled under your command, has been delivered 

 to me. As commander of this department, I will re- 

 ceive you and them with the kindness due to prisoners 

 of war, but it is not in my power to relieve you or them 

 from any liabilities incurred by taking arms against 

 the United States. 

 . I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



GE'O. B. McCLELLAX, 

 Maj.-Gen. U. S. A., Comd'g Department. 



The number of prisoners thus surrendered 

 was about 600. 



BIXGHAM, KIKSLEY S., an American states- 

 man, born in Camillus, Onondaga Co., New 

 York. Dec. 16, 1808, died at Green Oak, Living- 

 ston Co., Michigan, Oct. 5, 1861. He received 

 a good academic education in his native State, 

 and was placed at an early age in a lawyer's 

 office, where he served as clerk for three 

 years. In 1833 he emigrated to Michigan and 

 settled upon a farm. In 1837 he was elected 

 to the Michigan Legislature, and continued for 

 five years a member of that body, and subse- 

 quently for three years was Speaker of the 

 House of Representatives of the State. In 

 1849 he was elected a Representative in Con- 

 gress, and served during the 30th Congress on 

 the Committee of Commerce. In 1854 he was 

 elected Governor of the State, and retained in 

 that position till 1859, when he was chosen 

 United States Senator, which office he held at 

 the time of his decease. Mr. Bingham was an 

 able and judicious legislator, a patriot, and an 

 estimable man. 



