Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-06-17
THE FIGHT AT GREAT BETHEL.


throw further light upon the blundcr Of ouI
troops during that conflict. Aljutanr Schaff
ner Of the Steuben volunteers Colonel Ben
dixs re2iment,) makes astatement through
| the columns of the New Yorker Dcmokrat
in which he says;
l. When the main body of the Newport
/ News troops pushed on towards Little Bethel,
| Colonel Bendix, with rear guard OF one
hundred and seventy men and one field piece,
was lett behind az Il junction of two roads III
the woods, with the order To hold tins position
| at all hazards, since hostile troops might Oe
expected there, 10 cut off the retreat OF the
main body. The roads cut each other nearly
at right angles.
2. Colonel Bendix had not received any or
der or intimation that our troops should wear
! white badges around the arm for the purpose
of mutual recognition, and ii he had he would
not nave been able to distinguish such badge
at the distance and in the dusk OF the morn
ing Colonel Bendix's command did not wear
such badges.
g. When Col. Townsend's troups approach,
e. the said junction over sight Iidge, they
| appeared to be a troop of Cavatrl, because
General Pierce and staff and Colonel Town
send and staff, in body, rode in advance Of
their troops, ard without any advance guard
IIEOWu Oui, us " ISCOillOllTe anu
protect the head OF the column. If the latter
precaution had been taken the unfortunate
mistake would not have happened. 1t was
known that our side had no cavalry.
4. The uniform Of the Albany regiment was
very similar to the uniform of the secession
troops.
5. IL is doubtful which side opened fire.
Many of the Albany boys admit that they fired
first, mistaking the Steuben regiment for enc.
mics, probably for the reason that the latter
wore no white badges.
6. All the officers present at the affair freely
aud candidly acknowledge that Col Bendix
had done his duty, and could not act otherwise
under his orders.
BY the above it is certainly evident that
some great blunders terminal or mott were
committed by somebody; but at whose door
the fault lies will be found out when General
Butler shall receive the official reports OF his
subordinate officers, which reports, as appears
by his own saying, he had not received when
he wrote his official report nculpating Colonel
Bendix and the truth will certainly come out
by court martial.
Letters received from officers OF the Stueben
regiment last night, at the office of the New
York Demokrat, and published in yesterday s
edition, fully corroborate the above statement.
GENERAL PIERCE AT THE FIGHT.
The Baltimore Patriot learns the following
facts from passengers just arrived by steamer
from Fortress Monroe
owe learn from the passengers that every
| thing was quiet at the fort, and that no move
ment had taken place since the last steamer.
1t has been ascertained that the confederate
forces in the masked battery at Great Bethel
were just on the point of evacuating it, when
Gen. Pierce gave the order to retreat. The
river takes turn just at that point where the
battery was erected, and as the enemy were
surrounded on three sides, Col Magruder, had
| given the order TO spike the guns and leave
the entertainments. The impression was gen
eral, that had the commander of the federal
forces been more efficient, he could soon have
been master Of the position One of the
colonies, it is sald, refused at first to obey the
order to retreat, because he thought the bat
terry could be taken but General Pierce SAID
that he must obey orders, or he would have him
shot by the soldiers"