The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-02
STORY OF BALLS BLUFF
BY A SOUTHR0N POET.
Major FontainG, Scout and Author,
Handles an Historic Event
Seen With Confederate Eyes-Written History
Disputed by the Famous Fighter and Song
Writer, Who Was on the Field.


1864 General Charles P. Mattocks of Port
land, Me-, then Major of the Seventeenth
Maine Infantry, while a prisoner in the
Confederates' hands at Charleston, S. c..
came near being exchanged for Major La
mar Fontaine Of Mississippi, the famous
scout, songwrter, hero OF twenty-seven
battles and victim of many wounds, who
was prisoner in the Federal camp. The
exchange, however, was not contaminated,
but twentyseven years after they did have
an eXchange-of letters.
And in this correspondence, which was
quite recent, Fentaine gives the following
graphic, thrilling account of the engage
ment at BalPs Bluff, on the Potomac, soon
after the first Bull Run battle, in which the
gallant Union General and ex-United States
Senator Baker was killed. There have
been numerous versions Of that affair from
the Federal side. but this narrative of Fon-
tanes, coming as it does from reliable,
brainy, earnest and brave actor in that fate
full drama on the Confederate side, Is a new
and interesting revelation. This account
through the courtesy OF General Mattocks
and the consent of its author, am enabled
to present to the public:
IN THE BATTLE OF I.EESBURG
Or Balls Bluff. as you Federals term it,
writes Major Fontaine 1--WE killed, wounded,
captured or drowned about four Federals
10 each man we had on the field. That MEM
oraele 2lst day of October, 1861, we had re-
ported for duty in the morning only 100
men. for our little brigade was nearly deci-
mated with that camp epidemic, the
measles, and not over half of the brigade
could be moved on that account. and out of
the 1T00 for duty 600 of them included the
Thirteenth Mississippi and the artillery.
And these did not fire musket or gun all
day, but marched and e0untermarched in
and around Fort Evans during the whole
time of the fight. This left us but 100
bot ~
morning till in the evening we kept up
a steady FIRE of nothing but mnsketry. Not
a single cannon shot was fired all along our
lines
Now. the Federal loss, not counting a
single wounded man, was 45i5. Do any OF
the histories say anything of this? They
merely say: Colonel Stone crossed the Po-
t0mac and made reconnaissance near
Leesburg with small body of Federals,
but was met By an overwhelming body OF
Confederates under General Evans and was
driven back with great slaughter
docs this come anywhere near the
truth? Ii only leaves the mind OF the
youthful reader with the impression that
the Confederates were there with much
greater force than the FederalS, and hence
Colonel Stone had to retreat, and in doing
so the Confederates fell upon them in great
numbers and slaughtered them, while the
plain truth is the Federals, some 10000 in
all, were already in positions on our side
OI lH6 INci WucH we ulcCOfCicu lucib,
which was later II the day.
when we attacked them they had ample
men to have laid down their arms and tied
US, hand and foot. but they were afraid to
| try it, and the treachery OF one OF their regt-
| ments caused US TO lose more of our men
| than we otherwise would have done.
Among those whose deaths were caused by
their treachery was sen of Governor John
| J. Pettus of Mississippi, and also the Col
| onel of the Eighteenth Mississippi, Z. L.
| Burt
THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THESE:
| 1--WE came upon them suddenly, and, taken
| by surprise, they hoisted a white flag at oui
| demand 10 surrender and reversed theil
| arms and SURRENDERED. AT this moment an-
| other regiment appeared on our right front
! and poured 4 deadly vOlley into us. We
Obliqued our guns and returned their FIRE
As soon as we did so, and while the mer
were loading, the surrendered regime It.
within a few feet of US, raised their guns
and gave us a deadly volley We charged
| at once without orders, and with bayonet!
| the most of them, for their treachery an;
| c0wardly act almost made demons OF us To-
| the time being.
The first regiment that had fired on US re
| treated to our main line and took position
ON the slope of the hill. with a thicket o
laurel on their front. Our skirmish line ad
vanced to the foot of the hill and took posi-
ton in small drain. l was in the drain
and our line of battle was some sixty yard
in our rear, in small skirt of timber on tn
brow of the hill. The first line OF tb
| FederalS was about sixty yards in front o
our skirmish line. About NOON the firms
began and for eight hours it was steady
/ neither party giving back. Our sHlrmls
line held its position in the drain, as 1t wa
below or under the line OF fire aud in n
danger from our own men. After FEY
voleys had passed the skirmish line, hndln
they were in 10 danger from friends, Opene
a steady and deadly fire.
The laurel tbicket disappeared - Gu
down and blown away by the hurricane c
bullets that swept the field. l fired som
three hundred rounds that day, and afte
two OF three shots l cooled down and too
rest and fired coolly and deliberately at I'll
: buckle of the man in front of me and
/ could hear the rattle of the bullets of oil
men as they al each volley crawled anon
the bIHecoats, ten lines deep in our from
with dull, heavy thud. / often thougl
of my friend Moore, so ruthIeSsly shot q
: the picket line, in violation of the agree
D ment between the Confederate and Federt
!, troops, and likewise of his wife and litt
, | ones, as my eye glanced along the barrel I
: my rifle, and my arm would De more hr
! and steady.
| About or o'clock the Federal lin
9 were pushed forward a few yards and OF
o skirmish line lost two or three men. 4
/ soon as 1t was dark the flash from
THE FEDERAL MUsKETs
Would throw their sparks upon US.
about o'claek / heard the voice OF Of
: commander ring out loud and clear in the
J words:
t Attention. all! Drive them into Il
!, Potomac or into hell! Charge them?
d Our men gave yell. L sprang as
+ touched by an electric shock and darted fo
n ward and sighted out a big, lager be
o bloated Dutchman, and though L was
: fset-footed as most men, he outran me 81
v plunged headong over bluff fifty fe
: ! high and, with many others, lit upon Il
!, rocks below a Quivering mass. Many
L our men came very near going over, too,
| the darkness.
!; "A large canal-boat was leaving I
! shore loaded with fugitlves. We poured
, volley into one end of it and the hum;
! freight rolled from it like turtles from h
1t plunged forward, went under and we So
a it no more. The river was covered with
: mass OF struggling beings trying to rea
the opposite shore, and we kept up stea
q fire uron them as long as the faintest ripl
: could be Seen.
, "A deep silence then rested on the fe
4 and it was all quiet along the Putoma
e Not groan was heard. / sank upon t
Il field among my comrades. exhausted,
d sleep, and did not wake till the sun "
u high IN the heavens the next day. When
IA awoke L gaZed around me. Some OF I
; comrades were standing around aud I'll
Ia looked dazed. Their faces were swoh
and black with burnt powder, and their u
Z and WHISPERS scorehed and sinRed from
"a flashes of their muskets My limbs were
"a stiff and sore that L could hardly move.
re soon learned that all the live Federals
a. our side OF the river were prisoners; Il
"a but few. II any, of all those who attempt
~ to swim the river that memorable night
If escape our fire ever did So"
h Major Fontaine aided in burying the +
IN eral dead Tor several days, and he and
A. others OF the bury ing party kept a strict
at count of all the bodies. He gives this a
N truthful account of the battle from
standpoint as Confederate soldier, t
a just as he saw it. 1t is copy from his dia
Id written at the time.-N. Y. Herald.
CO -
u. THE AMERICAN TOMB0Y.