, 1864-04-25
DETAILS OF TEE
IT-DIEASTEk IN. LOUISIANA.

We have eceu and convessed With Mr. Goodiug,
Just from New Orleans, who accompanied General
Ransom on the hospital boat Laurel Hill from Al
eundria to New Orleans. which also had On board
about four hundred wounded soldiers from the bat
tie Of Mansfield. Mr.. Goodirg himself was not
present at the two days battle, but he gathered
censiderable information In couve1sauon with Gen.
RanFem and other wounded officers on board the
boat.
He saJs our loss is much larger than at 1rst re-
ported. AprettJ correct count Of the loss In the
infantry and artillery made it $3.50, while the loss
OF cavalry must be fuNy 900 more, The largest
part Of our loss is in prisoners Gen Ransom felt
pretty certain that tie loss OF the enemy in Killed
and wounded was mush Larger than onEf. - he Waa
the aesanstlns rarty, our artillery made terrible
Our loes ID the dret day in guns Was as follows !:
sI g9ns 9f the Chicago Mercantile Batte5y s1x Of
the Fiat Indiana Battery sx Of Nina, M1ssaeaa. +
batteries, the name not known.
On the eccond day's deht We drove the enemy
rom the field, captured saTeral guns-hoW maay 7
NJ Gooanf cond not sayand too6 Ok about 7
condition Of our cavalry, and the loss OF 20 large
portion Of our artillery, put 1t ont Of tue power of
our army 10 follow up The routed enemy. The enc
Smith. -;
West Louisiana, at Least in the vielni1y: Of Red
River, altogether. Indeed, 1t WAS understood when
Mr. Goodiug left Natchitoches, that the 10th and
army-had been ordered to Caifo. md would thence
proceed to join Gen. Sherman At ChsttanooSa-
Tkeee two corps do not At present number over
large number Of regiments belonging to then, being
Moth on f1rioueh., The remainder OF the army
OF necessity mnst les,s their present position
soon. as there arc No. supplies where It ID located
nY6 ~ Ia FIJI
The. cavalry, which numbered about s. 800 men,
lost their wagon and ammunition trains, and as
5latea above, at least ,090 men and horses; Tne
oners.. Gen. Lee was in command Of the cavalry,
but himself escapedinlusJ. 80
Our informant says the officers universally throw
the bnmc Tor the disaster upon Gen. BAnks. It Is
sail that be ordered Gen. Lee to Attack the enemy
under any circumstances whenever be came up to
him; and that when Gen. Lee, meeting with d se-
for relnforce9ents, But elnsle brigade was sent
up at time, and Of course shared the fate Of the
cavalry. Finally, Gen. Smith, with the 1oth and
amy snd he Of tho
We are 10th to believc tho responsibility Of tho
Disaster will rest entirely upon Gen. banks until we
shall .ccelYe morn definite and accurate inlormn-
'' AZ Gen. Steele with his army nom Western Ar
kanEas at Last accounts In the dirfction
had IN yiew. there win be some anxiety felt, until
bis safety is Iseuted. :
We understand that the expedition was limited
to thrift days only, and that the time had
nearly o. quite expired when We were 10 unfortu-
natey de!eate and this accounts for the departure
1ch ana I'M Go'pn for GaS d,a,;hst
Alexandria, shout the time our informant left.
Gen: RantomH l s Noand - . seTere M one, re bail
s1sd es sea sss
amp1tsled. but trnot, the Surgeon states tho knee
From all accounts that we receive there imust
hRpA forr3 yTAtzE
The amy w4a struggling In detached regiments OF
bgades at intervals OF six or eisat miles, through
dciise pine forest single narroF road through
which vas the only communication, and this WIS
blocked up with mule teams and wagons Of every
description, so thai al Communications worn
choksd np, and the aafety Of ouf guns was Al I'M
The result may be summed up aa follows, 10th as
ne arc to recognize 1t, In the fret or more prop
erly eecond days light, We were badly whipped,
1nd be Gei cut % as ,1 s
my, driving them three or four miles and taking
eight hundred prisoners, but leaving us 80 badly
tt:e and Obliged 10 fall back and return without
accomplishing the object of the expedition. It was
too truly 1susafn fuina&a.
Extract from Private Letter.
In this connection We mako the following cx-
tract from private letter written by Hugh VIII
Eou, \ member oj the Mercantile Battery, who was
detailed to take care Of Lieut. Geo. Throop after hs
wat wounded. Altcr describing the stampede, aud
the blocking up Of the road by wagons, Il. W.
Writes:- -
NJ soon saw there was no ehance to get the Lieu
tenant out that war, told the driver to 60 Into
= Email bye-roaa through the woods followed this
until we came TO a et1eam that the ambulance
could not erosss Soon siler we stopped, com. y:
refreat-about hundred yards behind them was
the rebel chIalrJ-eo tho Ambulance Was between