Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-14
rhc Hattie OF BaII's Bluff.

or late ever waits upon the steps of the evil-doer.
The battle of Balps BIuG.
The sixteen hundred soldiers who encountered the in
vadng hordes of Lincoln in the neighborhood Of Lees
burg and fought the good fight Of the 2lst Of October
struck the Usurpaton at Washington and their Young
Napoleon" blow from which they have not yet reoov.
cred At the time, they pretended it was nothing
nero reconnaissance in which they accomplished their
obiect-a skirmsh in which they severely punished the
rebes-an affair of outposts IL which they lost few
men, nothing ike so many as the rebels, &c. These
fssehoods with which Lincoln, and Scott and Cameron
sought to deceive their followers rather too gross
for their Oh iect and the truth gradually, but only par
tally got out They still insist that they were outnum
barred when the fact is they were, at least four to one
tina: we had the advantage Of position, when the fact is
thew were so protected by the ground and woods that
We were unable to FIRE solitary shot, through
the whole fight BuL they acknowledge now that they
were terribly beaten and vail over it as ga great
tonal calamity and the most humatiug defeat they
have vet sustained Only last week. in their Congress at
Washington, Mr.. Copkling, of New York, expressed
himself as follows:
"The resolution proposed no investigation into any
future transactions whatever il simply requested the
Secretary of War to inform the House whether any steps
have been taken to ascertain Who responsible for
the disastrous affair at Bale Bluh.
TIE House will have idea Of the rapidly OF trans
porta,ion and will be prepared to do justice 70 the Ia.
meuted Baker who is no more, when they call to mind
that long before he had command of the expedition Col
one Devn ordered the night before, 10 cross over
lour companies Of the Massachusetts, Fifteenth. This,
the officer in preston commenced to do, at two O'Clock
IN the morning and it was sunrise before be could take
up his line of march, showing that upwards Of an hour
was necessary for the throwing over company from
the MARYLAND shore 10 Balls Bluff. Baker received or
dsns AZ two o'clock in the mOrnng, and Immediately COM
menced his prOgr,sJ Withouta wharf 10 land at or
oDe or hawser 10 stretch the river 10 hasten their
crossing Neither rope, haWser or axe had been proyi'
lad Such we're the combination OF circumstances
against him that not t eleven o'clock that they
bsean TO cross Then the rebel lire commenced the
s,nvhtsr of the detachment first landed and the boats
a. tbs;r sde began to pull TO the island with the bleed
ING and the slaD and the hospital then began TO NIL
Eitb the diving and the dead. But still the cross
ing went on, I'LL seven thousand i've hundred
men According to Stone, were thrown over
Bu, of these not than eighteen hundred ever saw
the Geld They had to climb the mud Of the bluff drag
,ipe their dismounted arms after them before they
oud reach the hsd which they could but suppose
would open TO them fair gh II not scene Of victory.
But this difficult ascent led them 20 no field Ct fair or
equal War but 70 slaughter peD-to mere trap-toa
horrible Golgotha. The position Of the enemy was
seasoned from view aim BY thick growth Of tim
br and to this battle-ground the boats one by one,
chit them over, vent up the devoted and doom
ID readng those tracks to the lions den, all pointing
pg in one direction aud showing no returning foot
nTnts Behind them rolled the river, deep and broad,
I'D which they never to repAss Before them, and
surrounding them on every side, ghred their skulkng
"A sheltered foe Into the deadly trap they Wvn, too
syy TO remain aud too many to come back. IL there
ID been more Of them they might have held their po
ton and dispensed with tor crossing the river.
n fewer. they might have escaped In their boats
out there being seventeen hundred there was moth
M for them but to stay and perish. Molly did
bsv fulfil their destiny. Their desperate stubborn
oess their calm front, their heroic courage, served
only 70 gid With tnts Of glory, the bloody pic
IRE of their murder Their movements bad been steal
,Bily watched from the FIRST The feast Of death had
ben prepared for them and the number desired TO be
present and partake of it had been calculated. When
he doomed humber had been drifted over the bloody
syelry began In hour, or less than an hour, the
deadly 6re Of fees hedged them in on every side
,,d they melted away before IL The fight was lost be-
ore Il hAt began |, sacrifice Of brave men.
Fom the dss there not the slightest hope OF escape
Or promise Of victory. It was only wonder that any
,,cspsd The charge and daring Of the Light Brigade
sscibsd by the poet alone applicable to the devoted
aerosm Of these men on the fatal field Of Bulls Bluff
rhere