Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-05-05
Grseiey's wall ever BEpks' Defesf.
From the New York Tribune, April Isl
Ths Battles SIS Louisiana.


It appears, from the faiior scco1nis cow recsiVsd OF
tie recent battles IL Loaaians, ihst Gen Bank forces
lsft Nnehisoehes on tbs bth iuski that, on The 1th. hb
advance was HkirIDishing with he enemy that on the
b, = severe battle was fougat 81 Sabine eroE5-roedsr
between a small portion o. Banks army aud the whole
Of tie rebel army under KIRBY smith, resulting in 3 de-
fat and hesvy loss to the linton forces; that, darisg
the night Of no. 9ih, Banks fell back 70 Pisssant AN,
e. which place he WA again attacked on The 9th, ard
the remainder of his srmy having come up, the stack
Of tie rebels Wa rspuissd but shat Banks tie next
morning resumed hs retreat, and rsturned with lis
army to Na.chiloehes, and 70 Grand Ecore, on the Red
river, and there, at the last Gdyices, renamed, beingjn
communication with the hsetof Admiral Porter. Gen.
Banks, during the week following the 7h mat, ad-
vanced forty three miles fouElt two battles, lost about
$500 men, so guns, ? Of Which were afterwards retaksa,
snd 800 wagons, srd returned to the point whenes be
started.
their probable consequences they require, therefore, to
be examined more IN detail. The hghtO On the 7h may
be dismissed without remark; it was SIMPLY = skiFmish.
The serious work begins, On the sh, and begins in this
Cen. Banks advance consisted wholly Of cavalry,
whereof there were Tires brEades, numbering Eve
thousand msn Aware that they had an enemy ia ther
Immediate front-fkey had been engaged the day be-
fore-Gen. Banks allowed then 70 puEh on without an
| Infantry supparL and with the whcls Of their train, con
siEtirg OF 300 WagonG There was but oHs road. In
response to q report, on the morning Of the sth, that tho
cavalry had been checked and were hsrd-presssd By an
Infantry force in ffcnt, Gen. Banks sent forward two
divisions Of the 13th army c0rpL These two divisions
being less than onethird Of the whole srmy-were pre-
eipitated eight miles beyond the nesTest portion Of the
ma body, and arriving in front Of tbs enemy were
vigorously attacked
The cavalry, 10 whose support they hal some HD,
Esd. Tbs infantry were out numbered. faHksd, beat
en-, and attempted TO retreat. The road by which alone
the artillery eoaid move was blocked, by The wagon
| trsin Of the cavalry. A scene OF wild eOnfus on, panic,
and 6naliy utter rout, followed. Twenty guns were
captured BY the enemy. "rhe roads were 20 blocked
up. says an artillery ohesr mat Inc order va gwen
20 cut the traces and save themselves. The retreat sy
this time had become arout." When It had continued
for = long distance, the pursuit Of the enemy was check
ed BY the arrival OF the l91 corps and Of night. Prom
tbs greund on which the I9sh corps had taken its stsnd,
Gen. Banks ordered a retreat TO Pleasant HUI, which
was effected during the dsrkaess.
| The eausea OF this disaster were that General Banks
| suffered tie cavalry 10 advance beyond easy support
! ing distance that toe cavalry train was suffered 10 get
IN front Of tbs whole infantry force, and 30 prevented
the 1ss Of the only road for troops and artillery TO
arrive or retreat; and that when Gen. Banks decided 20
deliver battle, instssd Of Withdrawing his cavalry, he
committed TO that engagement against the whole body
| Of the enemy but small part Of mis- own foree, and sent
that, a. he had preyiOasly-dOne tbs eayslry, out Of
reach Of the remaining infsntry, by whose aid the battle
could have bsen wen. Il IS remarkable that he here
committed exactly the error By which, IN August, 1852,
ne lost the battle Of Cedar mountain in Virginia
On the oh Gen. Banks, having concentrated his army
mar Pleasant Hill, by bringing up q part from he rear
and by Withdrawing 6 psrs from the front, and the enc.
| my having continued his pursuit Of that psrt which was
Withdrawn from the front, the engagement was resumed.
| Skirnishisg occupied the greater part Of the day.
| About 5 o'cieek in tbs afternoon, the enemy stacked
The force Of his ensot 0as received by the 10th army
| coTFs under Gen. Andrew Jaesscn Smith Partially
s~secss.iul st some poats, the enemy captured the whole
| Of s osttcEy, Aad pressed on. Received az close quar-
tsgs, with 3 very oeEdiy discharge OF artillery and mus
kerry, their Small charge along ne line was repulsedi
the battery was retsken, and TIE rebels were driven
| from tie hsld Hsppaars, however, that the 18th army
CORDS, Of Nhich two divisions had been sacrificed the
dey before. 1ss s6l5 20 take No part IN this battle, and
that the Losses OF the 18Th army corps had also been
heavy en- the Sgh, and that tie 10Th srmy corps now, al
though victorious, suffered heavily from tas desperate
fighting Of the enemy. D.,
So that, upon the Thols, Gen. Banks, on tbs morn
ing Of the l0th Of April, foGud his srny IN that eoDdi
ton in which # seemed to him advisable 20 decline
further contest with tne rebel force ulesr Geo kirbg
Sniti5 and 10 retreat He fsal back frol Pisasant Hi,
20 Grad Ecore, . distance Of tGirfy.dve miles. The
enemy had been 80 severely repu.ssd on theeyening Of
the 9th that they seemed 90 have tsea unsb!e-Or pos
zibly, fer suothsr reason, unwilils-tO yursus the re-
firing forces Of Gen Banks; ana tbs march 70 Grand
Eeore wss accomplished WITHOUT mitigation,
It Is reported that Gen, Steele. who, when 'sst scHrd
from, Uss ~ Camden, ARR, and whose force Hss meant
to have sfected q joucfloD with tie force Of General
Banks stSareseport, La WIS within sixty miles Of The
latter place. The misf6riuas OF Gen. Banks defesI ia
that it leaves tho enemy st libery to turn 81 his forces
! against the advance OF Gen Stese. The safety Of he
luttsr = peThsPs Compromised, and % he Is attacked
and beaten, hsd5teat viii add one more to the nEnS
examples Of he imp0hey Of seeking 10 unite in ths
face OF he enemy two columns marching from differ
81: points by conveTElng lines.