New-York daily tribune., 1861-11-05
RE WAR FOR The UNION.
THE DISASTER At EDWABDSS FEHEl
now 1T OCURA D ID
statement of Col. Bakers Friends'
........frhsNY Tdbnue.

l,o lafo
. '"'' - Cac. Stones division on the Upper Po-
touse. on Monday, the 2ist oe'oOer' n"s oeoh 90
.;.I renorted. and It's true history appears to be
40 very important TO the community toa' nave
.S.oh, Il worth the while to wait uLti the Dster
eond be thoroughly investigated aud until the Official
renorts of the leading officers engaged would instruct
"a in all branches of the programme as well as III tie
actual performance of the fight. j regret TO say,
however that at this late date there are points
of inouiry which have found il impossible TO get
nteligiby answered; and deficiencies occur even In
the principal reports which to bewider rather
than instruct The report Of Brig Gen. Stone, part-
cularly. who was the originator of the expedition,
lie most unfortunate in this respect and were 1t not
that we are furnished with his principal written
oEjers through other cha mes, aud with explanatory
data from other sources it would DO difficult to under
stand the real philosophy of his extraordinary move
ments,
The general reader basfoowed the pTogrese of the
army Of the Potomac from the time when tie brist-
ling tide of the three months men, HEADED by tie
bayonets of the Seventh" poured down Broadway
to Washington, t in its ignorant pride it rashly
overfowed the bights at Cenueville, and was shat.
tered amid tie masked batteries At Manassas. The
likewise saw it tenderly recognized and infused
with fresh life by a new and capable commander;
ard they experienced substantial qualification when
they were informed that the vacancies made by the
retirement Of incompetent pretenders should thence
forth be filed only by men Of known ability and
seasoned courage. By regular degrees We beheld
tbe increasing host extend lis immense wings till it
studded the entire eastern bank of lhe upper Potomac
the right, and stretched down TO Port Tobacco on
the left; growing all the while i'll the center until all
Together il had accumulated the vast bulk Of nearly
quarter of million of men. The season Of perii
and of serious disaster seemed surely TO lie past and
never was su assurance more rnstfully received by
she people than The authoritative declaration that the
days of such reveses as Bull Run, were 10 be krown
no more.
The central weight Of this tremendous mass Of co.,
diers, tending toward The line of the Confederate,
insensibly Inclined the lighter body bach an ss il
became moIe capable Of applying it's pressure with
precision, the opposing power yielded, step ty step
brst reinquishing the line Of Munyon's Hill, their
tuing beyond Baiieys CToss-Roads their giving mp
Falls Church, Lewnsvie, and Vienna, and finally
falling back beyond Fairfax COurt-House toward
their old lair Of treason at Manassas. Thus invited
on, it seemed advisable that our right wing, to the
North, should extend in unison with the advances Of
the oetter, and tia, Leesbufg, which the con.
Meeting angle between WiDcbes er and the London
rood should be oyeftowed, and enveloped within
OR lines. Accordingly, anG as proper PeiimIna'!
10 sueh demonstration, Gen. AcCieisn vsdeTed Con-
Mccall, whose dlvision was esisblished at Lang
leys in Virginia some distance 10 the south OF Lees
burg 10 make Reconnaissance in force in that drec-
tion, pushing on to Dransyie, and even beyond thai
70 Goose Creek if necessary to perfect hs observa-
lions
0n the next day, information of tbis movement
wac dispatched to Gen. Stone. whose division, al
sporion Of Gen. Banks's command lay on the esst
efn bank of the Potomac, about thirty miles from
Washington, and was nearly opposite to Leesbarg
The following is the dispatch;
"To Brig.dier.G e. er.l Stone Poolesvile:
Gen MeSei an dsstes ms 60 n'orm yon that Gen. no
cap tcenp.d bfsusyle yesterday, ard stin there. VII
ass pot The General desiies thai you Keep goolOok.
dive Sem a~S Pe n S Ds ss eSsS' a 20
pa' would have the effect TO move taen.
When Gen. Stone received this message, which, it
will be perceived was very limited in its character
he had company of the 18th Massachusetts, Capt
Philbrick, stationed upon narrow clip of land,
lying in the center Of the Potomac, called Harrison
Island. This leland is nearly three miles long and
SbOut two hundred yards in width, with the river
running swiftly in between the two main shores,
being about mile, with the largest width Of wafer
on tic Mary land side. Across this leland runs
route between the shores, which ia known as Coon
rads Ferry and stationed at its Maryland end was
BunIiDg's New.York battery, under Lielt. Brara-
bali. About three niles further down, and near 10
Pooie,yile, which was Gen. Stones headquarters
n sndber crossing, known az Edwards Ferry.
The distance between thess two ferries along the
river. Oh the Maryland side is between tbreo and
tour mes, making the base Of an acute triangle with
Leeshurg which is distant about ten miles.
Gen. Stcne or receiving the Dispatch sent four al.
aiuonai eo;epsnes Of the 18th Massachusetts, under
Col DevI TO HaIrsons Leland with directions for
nun 10 eroS twenty men 10 tho Virginia shore that
Afternoon, with orders for them TO reconnoer as far
ss possible on the road TO Leesbufg and report He
tneh oispaiehedCol Lee with battalion Of the Mas
sschuseSs %Oh, a section of Vaughn's Rhode Island
Da''efy' aDo the Tsnmany Regiment, under Col
eogeswei, 10 Cooalads Ferry, oppoile the island 10
ande inc necessity VI an embarka,ion Of q further
~'ee. To Edwards's Ferry where RicLett's battery
was already stationed, the General set on, himself
afins with him the brigade of Gen. Gorman. the 7,b
"'ch'e~n Volunteers, the Putnam Rangers. and two
zoos o. cavalry under Major Var Allen. Encamped
'~ inlss 70 the rear, tut within handy reach, lay
'"e o'ieAas OF Col. Baker, consisting of his Calfor
- 'a"s,'os OF 6so men; Bakers Fire Zouavcs 800;
owen feiRsyivsnia Regiment 700; Morehcads
FsnnsyVM@ Regiment, 500; and the Harris CavaI.
~, iiOi ioakins, N all, 900. Thus we have oropned
before our nino' ali the Union forces yb;'.l ~
Destined 10 penor@a part in the bloody tragedy Of
tse morrow. Meanwhile, Gen. moCisl,ar -. ~