The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-11-28
MIR. RussELL's LAST LETTER TO TIL r.
LONDON TIMES.
The Blockade Of the Potomac TIE Battle Of
Ed~ards's Ferry-Dsah Of Col Baker.
IFS Effect on the Pa5ifc Mind, SC.
From the Special Core spondercs of ue Lond N
Times

OCTOBER y The council held at Genera,
hcCiellan's quarters last night W as atten ed
| ny the rresiaent. the membe OF the Oabi.
net, and the ma Jority OF The divisional Geu-
| erals whoare VI thin reach OF the capital
In the afternoon 1.-THE Commander in Chief
OF the Army OF the Potomac" visited the
Navy YARD and had n long 10 teryiew with
captain Danicren IN reference 10 the meas
ures which must be adopted To clear the river.
The United States arsenals are destitute of
me material which would now be Invaluable.
rom all SIDES comes cries TO The Navy De,
| rarunent Ter heavy guns, and sea serv &c
mortars. The department has not got them,
| out all hands are working away 10 supply,
| and iH MP Fox, the assistant Secretary, The
| Government has an officer OF ability, gooo
! sshse, vigor, and resolution, who can do any
| Mug but improyise heavy artillery. So IL is
| that the want OF sea service morttrs offers al
/ Iris tlue IN impeachment 10 the esta oishment
OF batteries on the Maryland do Of The rIy
! er, 10 she'll the Coltederates out of their
| WORKS, which could DE done easily.
lpe Ia9Ee IS NOT long, % inch ana Is inch
| mortaEs, being from 1900 to 1000 yards, ana
! as yet the tontederaIss have only used guns
| 81 small caliDre Iltled indeed, not adapted to
/ DO much damage by their shot and smell TO
| shipping, But the batteries I q to made,
| ana lie expedition winch sailed from Annap-
1 OILS yesterday VIII probably find diversion
! In store Tor II about ACCOUNT and Pohlcs,
"Alch are 10 be seen, trust, on the maps, ii
! few NIL below Alexandria ANA Fort Vernon
| creeks of the Potomac. 1t Wili have been
| Observed that although The policy OF The
/ ls ieCtS -arlly asSrtS-
| sIye, seeking TO recover that which III al peeu
| lost, tutir measure have been nearly all die
| tated 10 the Government OF the Coniederat.s
| from the Tune they stood or the defensive 1T
| Sumter, r9iiied aronnd W ashing ton, and con-
| Csntra1ed at st. Louis, down TO this moment,
| when II occurs 10 tbeln inat II would be rather
| a. desirable thing 10 prevent the Potomac be-
| lag quite closed up, the danger ard prob bib
| ity OI which must have struck any one, as
! they dad me, when | wrote long ago on the
! subject. And here 1t may he SAID that the
| Con iederates have not exhibited either much
| Wisdom or vlEOr In their proceedings.
| Had they established the work and arm cd
| them with heavy guns TWO months ago the diff
| fcnities oTgettiug the Eederaiist army Ia order
| would ne ss proved much greater, ami the
| Inconvenience TO the capital would have
DeelI acculn uiate6 OF certain kinds, the army
| Is In such force that's corps can be spared
| down there. tor lana operations, above All, the
navy Is now IN state TO afford q few gun
| boats and steam sio0ps 10 resist the attempt
10 close up the river, which could have been
eff cted, surprising the COntedeTittes had the
| means, fr" weeks ago with e. Sc and impu-
! nlty. Liz ht rliied guns are not the articles
| FOR such work. Perhaps the Coufederates
| have no heavy guns 10 spare. AT all events,
/ the firing hefe proves there is little or no
! harm % shipping in those fine rIfiei bolts
| Tor theE.cut through without SCATTERING what
| Is opposed 10 their flight and nobody is
! Aurt' board. The Contederates rnreI,
! iiIe on vessels going down the river. There
| Tore, "nen the Sic passage OF n foIlla
! oi scboOne:s * reported, the papers set uD Il
| cry ot joy, and DECLARE that The river IS moi
| closed.
| Il is the policy Of the enemy to lei all ships
! 20 down that are not vessels OF war, 1Or
/ washington can send out little Just now
| But vessels coming up are obs tr6cted as far
| t. possible, and thong II 4 small craft now ana
| III q runs IN" ire or rugged up, The effect
! OF The batteries at THIS moment actually is 10
/ bring ny a whole armada, laden with coal,
! fuei, 5sh, vegetables, hay, corn, and prOyi-
| siohs, in the various bro q bends of the lower
! ganr In ri t,sar. ...Rf,f.,
| which Is now lying QH Alexandria, is ready
| 10 GO down, We mag hear Of severe encOua-
! Ter with tbs batteries Oh shore but il viii
/ rrio.ce our OWE naval authorities 10 know
! that the engines OF that vessel have proved
| com pl+te failure and that IL will be a fort
night before she San move her powerful ar
! na!neuL 20 meet the u hiCU orths or other
| EiGed ordnance 81 the Confe,erates. While
| the Generals were 2sseIu Died last night tn
| report o. Col Baker s death reached the city,
! accompanied hy stories Of a great reverse or
| success, as the case might t., at Edward s
| berry, point on the Potomac, opposite
| Goose Greek.
| On the irginia side Il road leads from the
| Ferry to Lersburg. On the MARYLAND shore
there are roads to POolesylle, whore Brig
| General Stones column is living and up to
| Jamestown, which is the headquarters OF
| Gen Bankss force. Early yes terday morn
| ing, before dawn, a detachment OF 400 men
| of the 10 n Massachusetts Reeiment, crossed
over and proceeded on the road &c Lees burg
without encoun taring the enemy I'LL they got
| within mile or so OF The town. AT the same
| time. Il small force o. cavalry marched
| their flank towards The laf-. Both We're met
! st last by the Coz rates, under General
| Evans, and were QrlYen back 10 the river
| where the intaGtry made q stand, rel u for ced
! by the remaining companies OF their ragi-
| meBt, by the 10th Indiana and apparently
| By Bakers Cali:ornians.
| as the islands III the river had been occu-
| pied by the Fsderalists, it seems to me as if
| Gen. Banks had baen' ordered to advance and
ytsA
| WAS lightly held, but the Con tederates were
somewhere in the neigh borhood, and, as far
| as can make out, they succeeded Ia forcing
| the whole column 10 IN verge OF the river on
| The Virginia side. which Is said 10 be in pos
/ session of Gen Banks.
! Ia heading Il movement OF his regiment
| Brigadier General Baker, who was consid-
| cred a very mtritnriouS officer, was killed
| and from the tone of the Washington papers
| this morning, ii would appear as if the i'll
repressed i'm patience of the people must soon
break forth. Hitherto the mutterings have
| been audi BILE in New York, bat now al Gen
! McClellau's very door we hear, aEpropOS of
| the death Of the boNe toned Brigadier-
| awe trust in Heaven there will be no more
| sacrifices like this, but that Ii anything in
| earnest l. 10 be done. is Will be- done quickly
| We have had reyeTses enough and the " hole
| country ts beginning 10 demand something
! mora" '.
| The ac tion must have been i'm p0r tant if all
| stones force moved out, and if Ii was after
| wards Obliged TO seek assistance from Gen.
| Banks but it is 40 near post hour / cam OF
| spare time 10 ascertain The particulars II
| Leesourg be held by the enemy. ii is obyious
| that the calculations of the Federalsts must
be ia. cast. 1t was supposed that 10 great
| force would be left there, and that the Con-
| Hderates would rttirn as soon as an advance
| took place towards Eienns. Wherever the
! Federais go there appears 10 be force ready
| 10 meet them. The News from Missouri is
not encouraging. II is Known that some OF
the best otficsrs--some say the first of the old
| United States army-(ien Albert Johnson
| Is opposed to Gen. Fremont, who is not,
| strictly speaking, soldier. Price had ha tied
| at Cseeola, where he was taking measures to
| t0rtitV his position, and pa artisan bands we're
! moving on Frenont's Hank
The recapture OF Lexington by the Fede-
! ralists is scarcely a coun terpoise to the re-
verse sustained by them AZ Pilot Knob. The
"Union" sentiment in Missouri evidently
| requires good deal of stirring up with bay O.
nets, and demands an immense amount of
| protection-quite dollhouse plant In the
| Way Of WA, III tn or shelter. How long Gene
| raj Mcclellan can resist pressure from his
! own side remains 20 be seen but the politi-
| clans are active, not seeing as we'll as he
| does perhaps that with another great repulse
/ aud route the cause OF the Uninnists is in
| deed in Il bad way. He wishes TO make sure
| no such mish no takes place. When two Co.
| ionels are arrested in one week for insubor-
| dinaton, with suspicion OF still graver
| charges, the General may be excused for
| want OF confidence in all the material Of
| which his force Is composed.
/ There have been cases of the iuutiiity of
| earthworks 10 check the retreat OF an army,
| or TO inspire the defenders with courage to
meet an advancing and victorious enemy.
cannot think Washington would BIS endan
/ gered on the south side even II another defeat
+, were inflicted on the Eedera!s. The wed-
| ther is not favorable for operations In tho
| field. The mornings have been cloudy, and
| the nights rainy. The roads begin TO give
| promise of Baiakaiavian difficulties Bnt,
Just as the army depends on the bridge, the
| city depends on line OF single rail- to Balti-