Washington telegraph., 1865-03-22

Banks.
IT Steele stopped in Camden, Walker ~s1ld
msve mp and assist in lis capture.
The day after Gen. Smith reached Gsn. Price,
ths cxvxhy, (6cn. Maxey coninsnding) SIR
prised forngiag brigade OF the enemy. at
Poiss. .spriEg-disP-Fsed i. esP'Iiing ito train
and battery
Gen. Smith. learning that S.erl. hai roceir.d
two hundred wagons iosd.d with provisions
from Pine Blad, despatched Gen. Pagan xrross
ths Ouachita, who captured at NaIks' Aill
brigade with four hundred wagons. and q bat
tery, all On their way from Camden 70 Pine
Bluff.
This Determined ths retreat Of Steele Tho
crossed ths OuacAits and a,d torafds Lit.le
Rock
Gsr. Smith made sn sxtrssrGiaHry effort TO
ovcrtake hin, senling instructions 10 q G-neTkl
Fnran (rho after tbs battle Of marks Mill. hal
goIy towards Little Rock) to watch the cross
ing Of the Saline, and 10 Oppose to tie last ex-
treInity the passage Vt the enemy
He was delayed sene hours "a crossing tas
river but by forced riaEchts caught up vita
Steele on the Salins Fortune now favored tho
enemy IL had rainsd inorasantly, which I'M
pedeG the progress and weariec The ensrgy Of
our troops.
The river bottom here tns enemy was ~
tackled. was filed with wa.eTi in places up TO
the hips and waists Of Ika n.sn. The battle
ragged furiously for six or eigha hours. rith mus-
kerry alone, when i was found that the enemy,
abandoning his a2e aud wounded had crossed
tie river, destroyed his ponloons. and rstreatsd
rapidly. Tho river now cYerhored its banks,
our men were entirely exhausted by a march OF
Eft ty-iT- miles and battle, End coul1 not pur-
sue Their supplies had also given cut. The
dispatches which were sent Gea- Pagan had
failed to reach him To prevent his hsrsts
from starving. he lad rc-cTossed ihe Saline. IL
stead of being in position 70 complete the rim
Of StGsle's army. Attracted by tho firing, ho
arrived upon the field at the Gloss cf the battle
ia such q state Of e1h&us.isn 1s TO be incapable
Of following Hp the enemy Lad 1t 9th .T~ise
been practicable.
Gen Smith had failed to accom- pii-h what he
had hoped for, but 10 mad captured from Steele
In pieces Of ArtilleTy-coIGPtilng him to
throw many more into the river, near one
thousand wagons, and killed and captured four
thousand Of lis men. hs had gjsctsd him from
the valley Of the OuschiIa. and rrnGsT-d Rim
iIcap pable of moving again for weeks m0Rt n
TO come. Hc was now trco to Ia- mis- whsl-
force against Banks hs csniidenlly hoped
that tbs low stage Of water in Red Riror r0ulj
not admit or the passage of .he hees over the
falls Of Alerandria, and that nc would have
time to reach there and engage him in decisive
operations. The troops ~ule moved imm-di-
aLey ia that direction, and General Walker
division reached Alexandra ono week after tha
enemy evacuated the place. This division had
IlaE~ncQ hL1 lh 14IhpUIk,
seven hundred miles an1 had tosg4t in three
pitched battles.
In the mean tim. Gen. Taylor, with great
audAcity, had annoyed the en-my'6 army and
aret Is they fell back towards Alexandria, and
after they reached there, Lad thrown part OF
his little force upon tho river below that place,
where thu enemy had been reinforced bT SONS
5000 rer from Texas, including two divisions
Of tie 9Th army corps. There he captured
transports and gun boats until they ceased TO
attemp. to pass. The enemy had now accom-
plishrd a work deemed mpossible, viz: damned
The river SO as to threw The water ini0 the chan
mel thereby enabling them to toAt over sven
th-ir iron clads A. soon as this Was done. the
q Get and army nsoTed down the river to Fort
DeRussry, " here they separated.
Gen. Taylor Was not strong enough 10 oppose
their march, but he attacked their rear at Yellow
Bayou, where severe hgEt-nithoat results
occurred This ended the cEmpsiGr-
1t was necessarily defensive i'm It's character.
aud when ths conception " its plan; the man
ner il which each part of il was executed by
those to whom it ras assigned; the vast extent
Of territory upon which the concentration Of
troops had to DO effected; th- absence Of rail
road or water transportation for eilha7 the
trssps or supplies; tue disparity Of force, The
eomnl.ts failure OF the enemy In eTertirg his
objects; tie loss inflicted upon hiH; ana ths
moral effect upon Tbs country 10 considered. il
must Nc atAIlPru - VIC N. iA1 hssA DIIl4ahR VI
the war.
Gen. smith had before. when cur sauss vas
decreased. won the admir- alton VI The country
by hin offensive movement Into keniucky.
III the Trans Mi ississippi he has shown him
self equally capable Of conducting defensive
operations. fhat Wide BY ardacious enter prise
IL can dissolve an enemy combinations; when
this chance i'm denied Eini, lie Can also ta.l back
Datifnlly b1fora overpowerinS numbers, until
ne Las gathered all his energies 50 maneuvre
M, army before two o~erpc~sring columns, as
NJ priNr the MASS OF bis Iorca 10 bear fTs-
agains. uRe, and ther the other. defeating them
both.
A to there being opportunity Of sai1ing
Now Orleans, am sure tAat If you will seri-
ousy isxanine the subject you will say thai it
wn.ld have Leel as easy .oE Gen Lee ~ ssire
Fortress Monroe.
A. to s-ndiEg reinfsrCcnents 10 your side, OF
OBTAINING the enemy upon ours. . great deal
might 10 said il it Was proper 10 publ.sh ii-
Certain i. ~, shat when Hoods movement into
tennessee was being made, Prices advance
into Missouri, and Magruder's attitude in Ark
ansas, occupied for weeks ~ tro months
thirty.tre thousand Of the enemy.
For many reasons nothing peTnkncnt was ex-
p-cted from this northern advance. III Was in
tended as a divcrsiou-the only aid in tie sir
cumstanceE, which Gen. Smith could render the
Cis-Mississippi. Its duration, from its nature,
had certain limits, and General Smith had every
reason to believe that 1t would correspond with
Hoods movement, 50 60 materially to diminish
tho resistance he had ~ encounter.
In conclusion. Mr. Editor, may It not, with
all respect. be doubted that your course in rois-
ton to Gen. Smith has been dictated BY ar en-
tire spirit OF fAirnessl
MAJ il not BE- fairly believed that you have
acted hastily upon the statements OF persons
who designedly, and from Interested purposes,
sought to make year paper a. cngin. 10 injurs
hini
Is i in the proper spirit to b. grunbling :.
the TraLs-Aisslssirpi Department, ald 20 br ~
tibuting to is commanding officer tn failures
Of the Cis- Mississippi serrice1
Did We receive any aid fronl yoa il our hour
Of utmost Reedf
Did we complain because you failed to seize
New Orlaans, which 10 your sido Of shs Mis-
.issipPi. when Banks whole army and Pcrtcr-s
floet were detaiara 50 long. far involved in the
interior Of this dr2artmsntl
Have We complained that you failed to make
\ diversion in cur favor ia tho supreme crisis
Of the campaisnl We did moi, Ie1GHss ,re knev
pon Eoutd haYe dons 50 rrre u il your poicer-
This department has sent east Of tbs Nissis-
sippi largely over 100. .O0O men. since the begin.
ming Of the war; not one have received i'm
return, except officers, which yoR either scuqh.
;e promote or get rid Of. For t~s wears We
have not received any all from The Cis4Missis-
sirri IN man supplies or ArHng W. have \, os