New-York daily tribune., 1861-11-05
prned Of this fact, be would probably have spared
Col. Baker the following sentence which we find in


the printed version Of that document:
'Aner Col De~n's second advance, Col Baisr we, |.
ba 6ed n person. aud Is ptter OF resI 60 that
Jt 40 rsyd (ass he fell IN bale) OF what ocers and
eharsed with tho care Of the boats ard nssg he regns
passage Of troops. sDy were charged with thu duty
performed for ho fecpforcemeuts s hey arrived
found in command Of the bos and crest d.aya wer
tbus occasi, ned Tsd officer. and company RENAME
each landing gnard tho bosts hir fa capacity woul
have been made servceals aad svicens men Vogd has
been passed oD 20 ss uJe sEeees.'
Without stopping to reflect upon the difingenuoui
ness Of this style Of statement and of in
ference we may here observe that Gen. Stone de
fends the means Of transportation, as ample for bi
plane; and fbe blame as to Bakers being the judg
of It's sufeiency Insuifciency, consequently van
ishes at once. Moreover, Col. Blker having takcr
all the precautions which the case required, the cues
ton on this point rests between Stone and th'
alAcrity of The California troops Why they did no
make their trips az rapidly as the Minnesota barge
men, have already shown, and Gen. Stone, il
treating this portion of the subject, would bave earn
ed more credit with us fof bis TGnknoss, had he sd
mtted that in acditon TO the abo ous polling of the
boats the double lsudings required by the nterven
ton Of the island the dicuties IN the embagkstiou
Of The horses and the guns upon TIE crazy and leaky
scows X at the sioge fat.boat on the Virginia eide
was half occupied during the major portion Of the
afternoon, in taking in, and slowly and tendeSly dis
charging the wounded meu that were borne over tC
the islard from the Virginia bank. But these were
difficulties which Gen. Stone probably did not have
before bic mind when making bis report, and con-
menting upon the conduct of the gray-haired Senator
and soldier who was 80 much bssenor in experience
and years. Certainly be could not have reminded
himself Of his own statement that the enemy number
ed full 4,0O0 men when lie added the following re-
marks.
'f the Infantry force had hst crossed difference OF fG
would have been n,de in the Infantry iDs al The time
attack probably eaonsh 10 hare gre s riesors'
Gen. Stone, when lie wrote this, knew, Of course,
that we had at no time more than 800 men on the
Virginia tiGe He says in another part Of his report,
that they outnumbered US three 10 one. The latter
statement would concede 400 10 the enemy, while
] 600 more would make our force only 2,So0. II
these are Gen. Stones ideas as to the relative prow
of the opposing troops, they are highly latterng
to the Union volunteers; but the generalship which
declares such minority to be equal TO attacking Il
force OF such large ODDS, while in position will hardly
meet the approval of military men. To cay the
least, tlese ncongruties show great want OF
method on the part Of Gen. Stone as q writer, and
lead TO susI ect shat he may be equally
careless as general. Had he failed with bis figures
/ fovever, only upon paper, and the battle near
Lresburg, aside from its carnage, could De blotted
froI H. Rebel I'd, might discuss the problem
Of the relative prowess of the opposing troops with
much more tranquil feelings.
The Massachusetts, companies that were engaged
with ibe enemy at the time Of Col Bakers crossing,
were those Of Col Devens, which had been attacked
.bortly after ey bad taken their fret position, be-
tween LeesLurg and the river, by two three hand
red Mississippi riAemen. vigorous resistance,
boweyer soon drove the Mississppans to the shelter
Of n wood with considerable loss, and the men of the
18Th, then fell back, slowly and n good order, until
hey united with the reserye Of the Mssscbusetts
ooh. which had taken ground about mile from the
rivers bank. Here the gallan. fellows made stand,
and some desultory sAiIniSbing took place, though
Col. Deyens was sensible, all the while, that the
enemy m the rucifcIlng woods, was monentariy In
c, Z IN audacity aud force. Bot toe undaanted
lyout and steady horosm with which shs hsssachu-
setts men ropeed every assault, kept the bate on
rs feet. chs ad we but knOwB," said q rebel who
wa tagen prisoner, chow few you were in numbers,
we would have ouptnred or killed every man Of you
before your riniorcemeLts came upon the ground.
Col. Baker lui ded at the crossing which had been
made common by the previous detachments; but q
more ineligible place could scarcely have been Sc.
ec,ed. IL a steep, elayoy bank, rising precipit
Dusy some fifteen twenty feet bigh and had be-
come very miry with the tread Of troops. Up thi.
difficult a,cent, it was found almost impossible 10
wheel the light howitzers, aud when the James gun.
inder Lieut.. Bramhal arrived at later hour il had
10 be Gislodged, took up apart, upon slab, and re-
liked upon ils carriage when above. As soon 90 Col.
Baker, afer landing, had given the necessary orders
or tie forming OF squads, as they arrived, he sent
,iders back for more artillery, and then taking
companies, lie proceeded by q winding road, throw
me- forward skirmshers as be went toward the field
If battle. TIE Massachusetts men bad now fallen
back to within about three quarters Of mile from
lie rivers bank, when Col Baker came up with
hem. Seeking Col. Devens, he complimented him
mon the brave and successful maneuyer IN which he
ed withstood the pressure of superior force, and
hen looking steadily around, he prepared to make Il
proper disposition OF bis force.
The field was an opening Of about ak acres, the
" Toods stretching before the position taken by the
troops almost in the form Of crescent
md bending round threaten both ends of their
inc. WiLin these woods were already posted two
,r three Mississippi Regiments--all being Of in
one Virginia, and the whole under
he charge of Gen. Evans. The battle, thus far, had
Deen kept only in itfu desultory way, the oppos-
pg coverts ca4ionally splitting sheeted flame, fol-
4 n he. Dat 4 ~.
cared to advance upon our position for time, in
gnorarce of our numbers and strength, but their
orce war accumula,ing all tho while, and our com.
lsuder felt that wholesale and vigorous action must
very soon begin. glance told him that there was
10 probability Of retreat. The river to cose be-
lind aud mad no boats. The only hope was delay in