The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-06-15
Battle of Great Bethel.

Tee following is Gen. Butler omclal acoouhO
of the fatal mistake by which our own troops
fred into each other on the way to Great
Bethel:
10 prevent the possibility of mistake in tho
darkness | directed that no attack shoulu Ne
made until the watchword should be shouted oy
the attacking Regiment, and. in case that by
any mistake in the march, the Regiment that
were to make the junction should unexpectedly
meet and be unknown to each other, also direct
ed that the members of Col. To~nsend's Regl-
ment should be known, if in daylight, by some
thing white worn on the arm. The troops
were accordingly put in motion as ordered, and
the march was so timed that Col. Duryec had
got in the position noted upon the accompany
ing sketch, and Lieut.. Col. Washburn, in com
mand of the Regiment from Newport News,
had got into the position indicated upon the
f sketch, and Col. Bendix's Regiment had been
posted and ordered to hold the fork OF the road
with two pieces Of artillery, and Col. Town
sends Regiment had got to the place indicated
just behind and were about to form Junction
as the day dawned
Up to this point the plan had been vigorous
ly, accurately and successfully carried out !;
but here, by some strange faulty, and as yet
unexplained blunder, without any word CT no.
route, and when the head of the column was
within one hundred yards, COL Bendixs Regl-
ment opened fire with both artillery and mus
kerry upon Col Townsend 8 column, which, IN
the hurry and confusion, was irregularly re-
turned by some of Col. Townsend's men, who
feared that they had fallen into an ambuscadc.
Col. Townsend's column Immediately rctreated
to the emnence near by, and were not pursued
by Col. Bendix's men. By this almost GRIMM
al blunder, two men of Col. Townsend's Regi-
ment were killed, and eight more or less wound
ed
The very vivid account below, of the main
battle, is from the New York Express;
On the right of the road as the troops ad-
vanced, was a wood, in the centre lay a road and
on their left large open field. The cnemy's
batteries were placed SO as not only to command
the field, which was directly in front of them.
but also the road and the centre woods on its
left. A private house and some out buildings
stood in the plain, so that the secessonsts were
placed on hill backed and concealed by woods;
in their entire front a stream, on the further
side Of that stream a large plain, with no shell
ter but that of one or two insignificant houses,
and at the right, but commanded by their guns,
a wood through which ran the road. The num-
Der of the enemy has not been ascertained; some
imagine it to have been about as large as that
of our own troops, say $500 or 5000 men 9th.
ers declare it could not have been so great.
The Union men, up to this moment, had no
idea that they were 10 meet with 50 important an
opposition. They thought themselves about to
attack company of two or three hundred caval-
ry, with possibly one or two field pieces. They
found themselves INSTRUCTED by regular and
masked batteries-the cannon, as was soon as
| rtnIr nod
probably thirty, and many of them rifed
Our forces had marched some of them about
ten, some twelve or thirteen, and the Duryee
Zouaves, including ther countermarch, as many
as eighteen miles without rest or other food
than the rations of biscuits they had carried in
their haversacks. They had started at about
III +. NJ, and therefore had had no sleep since
the previous morning at o'clock. 1t was now
about O'Clock in the morning of Monday, June
lO. When the situation of the enemy was dis
covered, no delay occurred in making the att
ack. ..,
Col. Duryee advanced at the head of his Zou-
ayes in the centre Col. Bendix with his Steu-
ben people on the right Col Townsend was on
the left and nearest the plain. The Zouaves
were foremost, and soon crossed into the open
plain outside of what little cover the woods had
afforded them, they having formed in the woods
Bendlx remained in the woods and Townsend at
trst advanced only to the other side of the plain
On Townsend's left, a squad OF Zouaves, COM
manded by Lieut.. Duryee, attempted to scale
the batteries Previous to our troops forming
into line, the cannonading had been going on.
The guns OF the enemy were placed go as to
cover every spot which could possibly be occu-
pied they were of range of several miles, and
the field of battle already described was not a
mile square.
The Northern troops were nearly all the while
within quarter or half mile to the Bate
rles. The three guns of the Union men were
placed in the woods on Col. Duryee's right, and
returned the fires of the batteries they could
see none OF their enemy and could only discharge
their pieces, without even guessing at an aim
They speedily withdrew to the woods Several
attacks, however, were made subsequently. One
under Capt. Fitzpatrick was extremely gallant.
Another was very successful ; the artillery men
! were either killed or obliged to flee thew who
fled reached the nearest glen which poured shot
into those who only were able to support this
movement, which in consequence was of no
avail. Capt. Fitzpatrick was able to discern at
least twenty cannon on the embankment and
among the trees. The Steuben regiment mean
while did efeotual service with its rifles, picking
OF men whenever they were seen, and Lieut.
Greble of the U. S. A., though very much ex-
posed, maintained his post with the artillery
lie finally lost his life, being struck with can
non ball that shattered his head
This occurred toward the close of the action.
and at that time there were none of his own
artillery men supporting him, and but five of the
Zouaves. Col Townsend, meanwhile, sustain
ed an equally severe fire with equal hardihood.
lie was himself conspicuous during the entire
engagement, mounted and constantly nossinr