Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1861-11-06


. ! s 8 IssE Sss1
.AnMx e1 Twx R0r0aaAC- n
m - j Lss e MslsAss- capssaa
1llnet1 j. Tsaas.
ID V[sHrs tos, Oct. q, ls6l.
The Nj - 4 story Of fhe stsla
siesr Harrisons Island has reached u
wishin the last beur.
New comes she naked truth In all les
sisaeessing he1srs. Gosy Blazers body
hss jnst arriTed h towns guasaed bg .
squad Of Van AlIen,s cavalry and 10 now
lying ein me paasinp of 10. y. M.
Nekbs U&ptaan Francis q. Fosfng, Oh
,asz Kasks anasessmMssss 81 6akssAsisvs-'
gade. came In command Of the sad eaFal-
ss.al,s soesnS anied by Major ghishs Of
DE California Rirss. Having obsained .
surrnise of shas real position Of A<eiSsy i
had ssarsad for EdwAndzs NakFy q b 9ye
niag, but meeting the procession, hsssfe-
turned with my friend Csptain Young.
from whose lips 4 take dowa she felowing
sssrribie SUMMARY Of Mondays eventa-
eoadensing Il a. much a. possible ID or
der to forward it By 10 nights mail.
We have met with sickening repalse !;
oaa iasolTing the loss Of nearly one thou
sand men, in killed, wounded and missing,
and of many brave and skllfui ofheers;
and accompanied By scenes of horror nm
sauafed IL any previous battle OF The war.
GAIT raAscss O. ToUsa's sTATKaEST.
On Sunday evening Gen. Stone, being
persuaded that no important force Of the
ensaay lay along the Upper Potomac, and
in obedienee to orders From headquarters,
commenced bis passage Of the river nc
Harrison's Island. The point of txansit
was about ave miles above Edwards Fer
~, and neArly al equal distance from
Leesbnrg. The island il Low, fsrtil
strip Of land, several miles in length, %
dividing the river, that the Maryland
channel il not fariong In width, aad
that on the Virginia side not more than
40 feet. a 81
Six companies OF the 18th Aassashu-
sets Regiment, under Col. Deyaa, and
two companies of the Twentieth Tam
many New York, arrived at the river
about swo i, n. Monday, and commenced
to cross. At sunrise they were ell on the
Virginia side. '.N7 .' '.t
Before daylight an order came to COL
Rakar to march the 6rst battalion of the
California Regiment to Coarad's Ferry,
two miles south Of The Ialand, and then,
If ha heard firing, go to the support Of
CoggsWell and Devan. Accordingly,
LieuIsnant- Colonel IF iistar advanced with
the battalion. 6S9 officers and men, aud BY
sunrise had reachsd the river aud pro-
ceeded down to the island crossing. lao
companied the force to arrange for trans
portstion. NRs sent to report orders to
Gen. Stone Returned, having received
command to cross at once. On my way
back overlook Coi. Baker, who told me
that only the battalion were 10 Cross
He had no orders fer the Brigade.
Shortly after ten. Stoae placed Col.
Baker in command of all the forces On
the Virginia side. Our battalion then, at
about I A. H., commenced crossing to the
Island, and from thsnce 30 che further
shore. Meantime We could hsar skiFmish-
ing shots on the heights, which continued
without much intermission through the
morning. Nov we began to experience
the dificulsy whieh was the chief cause
OF Tue kSERinte scenes WHICH CApAS1 AAe
day. ~e--
No adequate aeans Of transportation
had bean provided. 1t seemed as If The
column was expected to walk across on
the water surface. Nothing bat one old
soow, capable of holding perhaps forty
men appeared available on either side Of
the island. IL the Massachusetts, men mad
had any other boats they were not visible
in che saoEuing. At length discosared
large seow ID the canal, aud two hours
were consumed in getting il oEeF into the
Maryland channel. 1t would hold about
sixt y men. Col. Baker, Lleutenant~ Col
onel Wistar, Assistant Adjutant General
Harvey and myself went with the first
lead to the island, and there supgintend-
ed the transit of our men. .,...
IL vas II n. before our first company
landed at the foot Of the bush-coyeEed
preCipiue which rises abruptly over one
handr ID fest from the river bed on she
further side of the river. -Four hours
more had elapsed before the last company
Landed. Sections of the Second Rhode
Island battery, comprising two howitzers,
two Acid sEnooth-borss and one rihad gun,
went over with Us, the men dragging them
up tho heights with greas difficulty and
spirit.
Ali this time irregular Sighting was GO
ing 0a above. Es seemed that Col. Dew
an bad in the morning moved with small
detachment in the direction of Leesburg,
shortly after his forces had crossed, had
advanced one mile there met the enemY's
skiEmishers in feeble force, and had retir-
ed to the brew of the heights. Before
this the Qaarssrmaster of the Massaoha-
sefts Fifteenth had gone along to point
within mile OF the village, and retntaed,
crossed tbs river, and reported 90 General
Stoae that thsre were no hostile forces
in that region. But after Col. Devaa fell
back his men were placed in a semi cigou-
lar clearing, of natural forest opening,
eorerfng Eve or ak acres, With is base
resting on the edge Of the heights, aad
fianketi and fronted by forest. The enc
my, becoming holder, advanced In SCAT
tered parties to she edge Of these woods,
and from 10 A. NJ, until 4 P. NJ, kept up
q random, annoying Gre upon cur men,--
The latter sheltered themselves As well
as they could, lying just below the ridge,
awaiting reiaforcam srts.
| Al four, then, eur whole force had
creased and asoendsd, Col. Baker and
sssa With tbs rest, and the szsaas #ese
suffering somewhat from the concealed en-
ssay's FIRE. Many had dropped and been
carried down the bill. s,
Wa asked Col. Baker whas he thoaght
Of affairs. He said that be thought we
bad good position could fall back for
shelter behind the ridge. = Yes" said
we, - bot what's In thoss wooasg'' HE
answered q think the enemy are con-
eaaled on our right.n 4 private had re-
| ported that there was no force on our left,
but deep rayine, hidden by the woods.
We then proposed SEEDING skirnishers TO
make Reconnaissance on the right, and
Capt. Aiarkoe, Second Lieutenant Will
liams, Raa aEsalf, sdEanssd with sompa-