The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-01
Tan LkTEaT NEWS.
81 LAs7 siaars ham
The Disaster on Red Rlsee- REPORTS 81
Washington Concerning ii.

/ washington concerning IL
WASHINGTON, April 2S.-No official re-
ports of the recent battles on Red
I River have been received from General
/ Banks in addition to those published in
/ the New Orleans Era. Unofficial letters
/ from persons upon whose testimony re-
lance is placed in high quarters, give
q more unfavorable account of the
condition OF things than has heretofore
been published, and comment severely
upon the lack of prudence and Of
Generalship displayed by Gen Banks
and Gen. Stone, who was sent to him
for Chief Of staff at his urgent request.
One letter says Gen. Banks, with his
fine army of $4,000 was totally defeated
and routed by 1900 under Dick Taylor
Ii was done IN this manner: Banks
4 sent ont 5000 cavalry in advance with
all their wagons 1.-TWO hundred) Just
behind them This force of cavalry
was supported by about 1000 infantry,
while the great mass Of the army was
far in the rear, coming up in any thing
bat coed order. The result can be
easily imagined The whole of the
rebel army charged on the cavalry,
stampeded them back on the infantry,
and the whole concern turned round
and ran.
It was complete rout The rebels
captured fifteen hundred prisoners,
/ eighteen guns, hundred and sixty wa
CONS, and large supply Of provisions,
&c, besides driving our army back IF
teen miles to Pleasant Hill The enemy
attacked Banks the second day at Plea
SAINT Hill, and were defeated, but our
army has Tetreated to Grand Ecore, and
the rebels are Just outside of the town
Our army is now in astate of demorali-
zation All the troops are in the town
and seem afraid to 60 out Of it.
Officers aud men blame each other,
and unite in saying II was q most mis-
cradle and criminal piece Of general
ship
Gen 4. J. Smith must be exempt al
together from condemnation. His men
fought like tigers.
Admiral Porter, whose dispatches
come down to the 18th inst, gives quite
as unsatisfactory history of the cam
paign as the above His aotilla arrived
on the 10Th inst, the appointed day, at
L0cgy Bayou, FIVE miles from Spring
field, to which place supplies brought
bytransports We're to be hauled to the
army
The only appearance Of the enemy
during the voyage was on the 9Th inst,
when a man rode out to the banks to
deliberately shoot Lieut. CONTRARY,
commander Of the Chillicothe, and q
good officer All on the transports were
IN the best Of spirits. Firing was heard.
Reports were current that our army was
victorious, and hopes were entertained !
Of arriving at Shreveport at the appoin- !
ted hour; but Immediately on arrival |
at Logey Bayou, Admiral Porter receiV- |
ed q letter from Gen Banks announcing |
his defeat and retreat OF course the |
hotilla had To follow suit "What could |
we do but come back2 '-writes an Off
Ger attached 10 one Of the gunboats-
the water was falling we had twenty |
five transports to protect, which the |
rebel army might destroy, besides in
Aicting other injury upon US We came |
back, and literally fought our way
through
The rebel army attacked us at every
point; we have fought them for the last |
three days steadily.
Yesterday afternoon, about twenty |
FIVE miles above here, General Green |
attacked the gUnbOats and transports,
with >, 800 men and two pieces of artil-
lery We then opened on them, Sc
cured a cross-fre on them, and although
the banks were very high we gained
brilliant victory. In half an hour their
artillery was siIenced, with two pieces
disabled, and in another half hour they
were completely routed Oyery 200
were killed outright, and 200 or 800
wounded. Muskets, knapsacks, &c,
were living all around the field, and
their own wounded uncared for From
tie latter we learned that we had
killed General Green and o number OF
officers, The next place at which they
attacked Us was a bluff, but we soon
drove them out of there, and all down
the river it was one continual fight;
but we brought every thing to Grand
-Ecore safely, and with comparatively
small loss.
WASHINGTON, April 29.-General Grant
continues very active, moving rapidly
from point to point The enemy in
front have for two or three days past
been very active, as if anticipating AN
attack
Deserters say Lecis bringing up forces
from Charleston, Florida, Lynchburg,
and other points
Gen Casey, long in the Examining
Board, will it is said, have a hand in
the coming campaign.
Admiral Dahlgren left here to-day for