The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-06-30

The Battle at James Island.
The unfortunate affair at James Island, near
Charleston on the 10th of June, is not calcu-
lated TO raise the spirits of our people, or to
dampen those of the rebels. Our troops have
prided themselves upon their superiority
in close, hand-to-hand conflict, and we fear
that their confidence, in this regar', may be-
come somewhat impaired As the Boston
Traveller well remarks, when the evidence is
"all in, and an official investigation is made,
"we shall be able to determine who is blanca
able in the matter. At present we have no
"evidence by which to judge whether any of
icer is to blame, or whether it is one of those
casualties Of the war not to be foreseen"
The following remarks of the Traveller are
timely
Whether blame attaches to any one or not
| there is a lesson comes with this event, which
orr people will do well to heed 1t shows the
! danger of precipitating men upon strongly en-
trenched lines of defence. In the first place
our officers and men, though brave enough for
the deadly work. have not the experience
necessary to conduct it successfully and with
! the least necessary loss of life. In the next
! place, with the most experienced and veteran
troops, it inevitibly involve terrible loss of life
which only the most imperious necessity of
haste or importance in carrying the works, can
| justify a commander in sacrificing"
Unquestionably, where no imperious ne
ccssity requires the immediate capture of bat
teries by assault, they should first be pounded
by artillery sufficiently to weaken or demolish
them, before bringing unprotected flesh and
blood under a murderous fire from strongly
covered works."
!" 1t took our impulsive and sanguine people
III q
other public works need TO be constructed
with some regard TO economy in the expendi-
ture OF money, and ii will probably take them
/ quite as long TO learn that war which. in its
best estate, is all exposure, privation, danger,
suffering and death, needs to be carried on
with as economical an expenditure of life as
circumstances will allow"
Such a continued series of victories has
crowned the efforts Of the Federal armies rom
the taking of forts Henry and Donelson until
the battle of Fair Oaks, that we have learned
to look for no reverses, and this fact is perhaps
a sufficient explanation of the dispritng eff
feet of reverses which reasonable men should
calculate upon and be prepared to meet. We
need, perhaps, an occasional reverse to disci-
pine our military leaders, and check the ten
dency to do acts OF undue presumption and
rashness. If the reverst at James Island shall
have this effect, it will, like the terrible expe-
riences at Bull Run, Balls Bluff and Front
Royal, though expensive, prove to be profita-
| bic lesson.
The New York Post has the following ac-
count of this disastrous affair." the facts deriy-
ed, we take it, from the disabled soldiers who
have been returned to that city
The battle of the 10th inst, began at four
O'Clock in the morning. The design of the Of
ficers was to approach the rebel works near
Secessionville before daylight; but the delays
incidental to an advance over ground where
not perfectly understood, prevented the execu-
/ ton OF the programme.
General Benham assumed command, and
our men, with the Highlanders and Eighth
Michigan regiment in the advance, marched
calamity on the enemys works. This charge
was so rapid that the rebels were unable to
bring their guns into full use until the Federal
force was very near. They poured in a de-
siructive fire, including musketry, and remain
ell inside their entertainments. There was but
little pause. The regiments we have named
rushed up to the trenches and into and through
them and directly to the brsastworks, where a
terrible struggle took place, in which the enc
my were driven from their guns. large
number of our troops scaled the parapets, the
rebels relreating
There are conflicting statements regarding
the battle at this point. The officers of the
siorning party declare they were not support
| ed-that Gen. Stevens failed to bring up his
forces in time; and halt, it appears, was or
dered. 1t is believed by the troops who con-
sututed the advance, that they could have
cleared the defences If they had followed up
the advantage while the rebels were disorgan-
lied ahd expected to be pursued. The halt,
however, enabled the enemy to collect their
forces.
They soon recommended the fight. and a
sanguinary hand-to-hand conflict ensued, in
which the vastly superior rebel force brought
against the small number--variously stated at
one and three hundred men--who had actual
| ly scaled the parapets, enabled the rebels 10
force them back into the trenches. Here IA
terrible and destructive fight took place. The
rebels obtained positions whence they could
1 pour an enfilading fire upon our troops. and
| fur hundred men of the Federal force were
either killed or wounded before retreat could
be successfully accomplished.
The utmost bravery and heroism were dis
| played by our men throughout the disastrous
struggle. They retreated in order, taking with
them their wounded, with few exceptions
| The rebels did not follow.
Rebel troops are constantly arriving. and
their preparations for the defence of Charles
ton, which would he exposed to bombardment
| IL the rebels were driven OFF James Island are
upon very extensive SCALE There is. how
ever, some difficulty in obtaining troops. from
from the fact that the rebel cause is nowhere
considered safe enough to admit of detaching
any part of their forces, and the authorities in
Richmond are calling in all available troops for
the defence of the capital"
The following, CLEANED from the Hilton Head
correspondence Of the New York Commercial
Advertiser, give one some idea of the awful
horrors Of war, and show what fearful respon-
sibility rests upon the authors of this wicked
and causeless rebelion:
Last night the Ben Deford brought down
the wounded from James Island. and oh, what
sight il was! -Four hundred brave. men
strewn about, filling deck. cabin, hold. and ev-
cry part Of the ship, some minus an arm, 9TH
els leg, and Others with fearful CHASTITY
wounds of every description. Though every
thing possible was done for their comfort and
every means tried for ventilation. the smell was
horrid, and nothing but personal interest and
hope 10 relieve some poor fellows distress
could keep you a moment ON board the vessel
-Four men lying next 10 each other had each
lost an arm-two the right, and two the left
They were earnestly reciting their several ex-
periences ON the field, and only regretting they
could not catch some OF the traitors.
Capt. Hitchcock, of the 9TH Connecticut, Is
one of the victims. His leg was shattered AT
the hip, aud when told that IL was useless TO
aInputate IL, that he could not survive the OPP
| Grafton. he answered, Il have "A wife and five