The Portland daily press., 1864-05-10
Gen. Banks under a CIoud.

known that Immediately on his advent at New
Orleans, the policy which had been pursued
by Gen. Butler, and which had reduced that
turbulent city to order, was reversed, and very
soon the effect of the change was manifested
In the increase of rebelous demonstrations
among the people. The Port Hudson affair
silenced the discomfort beginning to be mani
tested with Gen. Banks course, for awhile, but
It was not many months before it was apparent
that the men who had been the truest friends
ofthe Union in New Orleans and in Louisiana,
were not the ones who were the best satisfied
with the commanding General; but that men
who had been strongly complicated with the
rebellion were his favorites, while such men
As Durant and Flanders, of New Orleans, were
given the cold shoulder. The thorough I'M
flnching, self-sacriheing free state men, who
were laboring to free the state from the curse
ofslavery, seemed to lose confidence in Gen.
Banks, while his singular policy towards the
slaves freed by the Presidents proclamation
was sufficient to make every true man sick at
heart. He virtually established a system of
serfdom, compelling the negroes who had fed
within our lines for refuge to go back to the
plantations, and labor for their secession mas
ters-secession in spirit, though nominally
loyal from necessity-estabshing their wages
at So per month for mechanics, 81 for planta-
ton laborers, and 81 per month for female la
Internationally less than they earned by over
work, for their own private use, while in Ella
very.
These things we're paralyzing to the efforts
Of the best friends Of the Union in the South
west Then the course pursued by the Com
manding General to secure the reorganization
Of the State upon basis distasteful to the I'm
ion and free State men of New Orleans, is too
well known to require any words OF ours to
make It more apparent, while the effect of that
course OF action has been to array the bes.
element OF the State not only against the Gen
eral himself, but against the State Govern
ment which he has caused to be put in opera
ton. But enough of this.
We come TO his recent military expedition
towards Shreveport. The disastrous results
of that expedition are now fresh In the ma
TONS memory. There Is reason to fear that
instead Of its being projected as great effort
10 let the Union elements of the State rise np
and develope themselves, II was simply g-
gantic raid for speculative purposes-perhaps
q cotton raid; for upon any other hypothesis
II seems impossible to explain the hundreds
Of empty wagons following in the rear Of
cavalry, and so blocking the way that nothing
but disaster could be the result Of the slight
est reverse or setback.
But we are not left to conjecture a. 10 the
Encouragement and ignoble Issue Of that sad
affair. Facts are coming to light which 1t
win be very hard for Gen. Banks or his friends
70 dispose Of so as TO make his conduct APP
pear TO advantage in the eyes of The Ameri-
can people.
The prompt action of the President in NOM
mating Gen. Candy for Major Generalship,
his prompt and unanimous confirmation by
the Senate, and the sudJenness of his depart
ure for the Southwest to supersede General
Banks 10 military command, is all indication
that, whatever wrongs may have been done,
Government is alive TO the necessity OF prompt
ly rghting them.
We close this article with the following ex-
tract from the Washington telegraphic cor
respondence OF the Boston Advertiser of
May s.h; and no paper in New England
stands higher than the Advertiser, and the
columns Of no paper are more implicitly
connded in. The Advertisers correspondent
says:
A bearer of dispatches from Admiral Por-
ter, whose character for intelligence and
uuthfulness is established here, who arrived
to-day, gives an even more deplorable account
OF General Banks trans Mississippi campaign
than any heretofore published. Besides con-
nrming In all essential respects the statements
In private letters telegraphed you week ago,
he adds facts calculated TO dspel whatever
hopes the friends of General Banks may still
entertain of satisfactory explanation OF his
conduct
On the first day column Of thirty thous-
and men was disposed on the march in such
position that they were easily and shamefully
routed by from twelve TO fifteen thousand OF
the enemy.
On the second day General A. j. Smith
whipped the rebels alone, driving them six
miles. He was 10 hot pursuit and eager to
reap all the fruits of victory, and hopeful of
reaching Shreveport, when an order came
from General Banks directing him TO retreat
with the rest Of the army. General Smith
refused 10 obey. A second order to fall back
ne also FcIuStu W oOcy. flnailY denerai
Banks In person brought third order and in
sisted that Smith should fall back before day
light He begged permission to stay long
enough to bury his dead and care for his
wounded and sick, promising 10 be on the
march an hour after sunrise, but Banks was
memorable, and the old soldier was obliged,
with tears in his eyes, to leave his men who
had fallen on the battlefield 10 the tender mer-
cies OF the rebels.
He carried off two OF the twenty three can
non which the rebels abandoned, but was
not allowed time even TO spike the remain
der.
While our forces were reireating in one d-
rection the rebels were retreatDg in the oppo-
site direction. Some hours after General
Smiths departure the rebels sent a Gag of
truce to the battlefield to ask for permission
TO bury their dead and sought vainly for a
long time for somebody to receive it, 1t may
be Imagined that they profted by this I'M
looked for advantage.
A few miles odt from Alexandria, General
Banks retreating found General McClernand