The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-03-18

III II w. III 'SoFC 'iE ~
surrender , An Old otiicor loubled tor-
ward, waving a white handkerchief lie
proyed to he Co.onei CpGsgelI, ut the lam
mtny Regiment. an odd army DIN e,
I,.rmeriy u professor ut West Point. Tie
seemed chagrIu,.i al the >rnaiiue>o Of the
force To winch he had surrendeIet t, but soon
regalned equanimity and Won the goodwill
OF his captors by ll.> pleasant speeches and
easy bearing. With ham surrendered 1olo-
nei Lee, Major Revere and liis brotileI.sa
surgeon; tour captains, twelve ileuteihttS
and eight hun ired and seventy->ix p%riEates.
The prisoners estimated Their totti loss at
fifteen hundred, which was much under the
true figure. Ouc hundied AMI etveIty
bodies were buried on the field. PIasaDiy
as many were drowned. These with the
captured would aggregate twelve hundred,
leaving hut d small ngure to the wounded.
The Chaplain OF the Twelfth Massachusetts,
lin his ''Potomac and RapiGan.' estimates
the loss at fully one han Ut the entIre forces
sent over with Baker The staff off cer be-
fore quoted. says
AZ 8 p. IN. all of our band whose good
fortune it was to return mad landed on Har-
ri-ons Island, and the fire from the Virginia
heights had ceased. When | left on the
following afternoon the rebels were shout
ing for us to come ever and take away our
dead under fag-of truce but had also
mounted our own guns on the heights and
warned US to leave the island IN four
hours The destruction ofHJe has been TAR
greater IN proportion to the Numbers engaged
Mun ut BILL Run.'
The fruits of the victory to the Conted-
crates were four guns, fifteen hundred mus
kets, one thousand knapsacks, aud prisoners.
The total Confederate loss was one hundred
and ftty-shree killed and wounded. Among
cIo;p xr,S tN.lonaI T. II Rur, IF the EIrh-
teenth Mississippi.
STONES A GENERALSHIP.
As heretofore stated, Gen. Stoue, the
Federal commander, had crossed the river
at Edwards Ferry, nearly three miles be
low Balls Bluff. Early in the morning he
gallopcd out from the ferry, apparently
thinking there were no Confederate in the
vicinity, an error of which he learned upon
receiving a volley from the 18th Mississippi,
which killed one of his escort, and brought
down a shower of hats, field glasses, etc.
This %rencontrc threw him into the new err
ror of supposing the whole Of Evans brigade
in his front. SO, instead of going to Ba
ker's support, he remained throughout the
day with a strong force idle at the ferry.
Indeed, neither he, nor his Lieutenant, Got.
Baker) appear to have understood their sit
u%ation, as the following dispatch written at
the moment the awful rout was beginning)
will show -
HEADQUARTERS, EDWARDS FERRY,
Octob + 2I-3:45 D.. m.
COLONEL F.. ID. BAKER, Commanding Right
Wing.
CoLoNEL: "Yours of the $50 received.
Il am glad you find your position lenable.
IF satisfied with it hold on and don't let
''the troops get fatigued or starve while
''waiting. Please detail plenty of officers
ito tend to the food of the men. Do you
need more artillery than the eight pieces
now at your disposition Respectfully,
your obedient servant
CHARLES P. STONE, BrigadieI General.
This note never reached Baker 1t was
found on the body of a slain courier. who
probably arrived on the fatal bluff about
the time of the rout. The two hours which
had elapsed since $50 had wrought a
shocking change: the position proved "un
tenable."
1 A TIGuT BOX.
During the night after the battle the
customary cannon called rainstorm set IN
and RAPIDLY swelied the Potomac to frcshet
height. The troops utterly without shell
ter were drenched. General Stone seemed
irresolute. He still retained a toothoid
south the river at Edwards ferry, whittier
a portion of the fugitives from the battle
field had made their way in the darkness.
This force had torn down DALEY S lOS nous !,
to erect a stockade and intrenched camp.
They were also projected 10y a dozen can
non planted on the Maryland Heights,
which commanded the south side OF the
river. Moreover the Twelfth Massachu-
sets had just arrived-giving him some
two thousand fresh men. On the other
hard the river was becoming dangerous.
The troops were dispiritcd and sh"ald the
rebels De reinforced they might repcar the
disaster of Monday. However, he was re
lieved OF the necessity of deciding by The
rnexnected arrival OF General McClenlan
who had heard Of the fighting and ridder
ali night from Washington. By his or
ders the troops south of the river wer'
Immediately withdrawn an easy I'm
dertakine hv any means, in the darkness
pouring rain. ami leaky boats, with the
river running like Z mill -s'uce. but all z"
safely over