Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-10
NEW SERIES NO. 1925

p@ The following is from that furious
Abolition paper the Chicago zribaae, of the
ID. 1t exhibits the feeling of the ultra
Abolition press in regard to the Leesburg
fight:
What was IT!
Barnum keeps nondeseript in his muse
um to which he has given the name of the
"What is it ?" Gen. Stones NOV vement
across the Potomac should be denominated
the 'What isit?" General Stone tells us it
was reconnaissance, and he insinuates that
Col. Baker exceeded his instructions. The
reporter for the Associated Press at Wa III
lngton, who takes what is doled out to him
at headquarters, also says it was a recon
noisance, and that Col. Baker was too rash.
But In the hat of the slain officer, saturated
with his own blood, was found the follow
ing order:
Col. BAKER, &C.
Sr: As soon as you get your column
IN position, make dash at Lees6strq. and
shoot dUicR eUery laacless depredator srko may
teace the ranks. Gen. Gorman is moving MP
on the left. l shall take the right. e.
pect to be IN Lees6urg tonight
[Signed] STONE.
''Make dash at Leesburg." 81 expect
to be in Leesburg to-night'-what is the
meaning of this? Is it generally deemed
the part of a recoln oisance to make a dash
into the centre of the enemy's campf And
Is 1t TO be inferred that the officer who
makes the dash totcards Leesburg, when he
is ordered to make dash at Leesburg, ex-
ceeds his instructions and lays himself liable
to the charge of rashness? If Gen. Stone
expected to be in Leesburg that night, was
that part Of the reconnaissance also, or
was 1t the part of concerted milit ary move
ment on large scale People can draw
their own inferences Mr. Lincol once
taught us by a beautiful piece of reason
ing, that ''when we see lot of framed
climbers, different portions of which we
"know have been gotten out at different
''times and places end by different work
'tmen = Stephen, Franklin, Roger and
s'James, for instanee,-and when we see
"these timbers Joined together and see that
''they exactly make the frame of house
'sor mill, all the lemons and mortices ex-
'sactly fitting, and all the lengths and pro-
''portions of the different pieces exactly
adapted to their respective places, and
s'not piece too many or too few-not omit
sting even scaffolding-or, if a single piece
"be lacking, We see the place in the frame
''exactly fitted and prepared yet to bring
''such piece in-in such a case, We find it
s'impossible not to believe that Stephen and
sfstood one another from the beginning and
sfall worked upon common plan or draft
ssdrawn up before the first blow was struek."
Now when we find Gen. McCalPs timbers,
and Gen. Stones timbers, and Gen. Banks's
timbers, and Col. Bakers timbers, and even
Col. Geary's timbers, ell hewn and morticed
to make the frame of house or mill, sce
find it impossible to believe that they did
not understand each other from the begin
ming We find it impossible to believe that
the disaster at Balls Bluff is due to Col. Ba-
ker's rashness, or to his having exceeded
his instructions. The fact of his having
done as he did, at the time he did, and in
the way he did, makes his set of timbers
correspond with those of Mccall, Stone,
and the rest. Perhaps his means of retreat
ing were insufficient, but it was obviously no
part Of the understanding that he should
retreat. He was to make dash at Lees
burg and Gen. Stone was to be there that
night.
We have not been disposed to censure
Gen. Stone for the part he took in the af-
fair, because it has seemed that he carried
forward his part of the movement with COM
mendable energy, and only withdrew after
the main force under Mccall had Withdrawn.
Yet there is something in the tell-tale order
found on Col. Bakers body, which has q
bad look. 'sShoot down every lawless de-
predator who may leave the ranks" 1t
seems that he was more concerned to have
his own men shot, and the numerous sacred
things in Virginia preserved intact, than
anything else. The enemy, as it happened,
left nothing to be desired in the way of
shooting our soldiers; and it may be said
with equal force that the men under Col. Ba-
ker's command did not behave in the least
like lawless depredators and vagabonds.