The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-11-16
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
CONTINUED from mage IL

boats. who had been tired Of not hav-
ing anything to shoot at for some
weeks, were filling the whole atmos-
phere with bursting shells.
Halves Heard From.
The fleeing Texans were gathered to-
gether out Of range, where they wait
ed anxiously for news Of what Brig
Gen. Halves had been able to do on the
right-hand road in the neighborhood
Of Young's Point. Gems. Walker and
Taylor appear to have both been with
RandaPs reserve brigade. At least Gen.
Walker, the Division Commander, was.
No report was received from Halves
until late in the evening. Then Lieut..
Louth, the signal officer, came up with
the report that Halves was falling back.
1t seems that he had consumed IT
hours in marching 10 miles over a good
road, and had reached the rear Of
Young's Point, about one mile from
the river, at IL a. m. 1t was a COM
plete surprise, and many of the small
garrison there were fishing in the river.
Only two shots were fired by our pick
cts, of which one killed horse and
the other severely wounded one of the
Confederate guides. Halves formed his
line of battle, and advanced to within
half mile of the river and then re-
tired. His plea was that he did not
think it would pay. In fact, Capt.
Townsend had, with great presence of
mind, upon getting the alarm, paraded
number of convalescents and camp
followers, marching them through the
intervals in the trees in such way as
to impress Halves with the idea that
there was force in front of him too
strong to attack. Halves was in sight
of Vicksburg, but made no attempt to
communicate with Pemberton's troops
and among the other blunderS made no
information had been sent to Pember-
- l. tod
ing this. Lieut.. Louth attempted to get
to a point on the river where he could
signal his friends on the other side, but
was turned back by running against a
squad of our men.
Gems. Taylor and Walker were very
indignant at Gen. Halves for his failure,
and required a written report OF him.
| In answer he said that he was detained
by the destruction of bridges across the
bayOus, and when he arrived where he
intended to make the attack he found
the enemy in strong force and being
reinforced by what he estimated at
| three regiments. Besides these, three
gunboats had come up and were in po-
| sition to shell his advance. While he
was accommodating "the enemy moved
their regiments back to Young's Point
and soon afterward commenced she'll
ing from their gunboats the woods be-
! tween me and Young'S Point. After
| taking position in the woods, I found
about 500 of my men were rendered
unfit for duty from exhaustion occa-
stoned by the excessive heat. About
zoo of these 500 had to be carried to the
rear"
| BY this time he had learned Of Gen
McCullOch'S repulse, and thought that
he needed reinforcements, while any
attempt to carry the enemy's camp and
| destroy their stores would involve such
a useless sacrifice Of life that he deter
| mined to retire.
This and other reports develop the
| singular fact that the Southern troops
did not seem to be as capable of endur-
| ing extreme hardships as the Union
| troops. In the reports Of the opera
tons around Vicksburg the Confeder-
ate officers are constantly talking about
| the exhaustion Of their men, where
| nothing of the kind appears in the re-
| ports of the Union commanders. AS a
rule, the Confederate troops had to
make shorter marches and endure less
hardships than the Union troops, who
| were outf1anking and attacking them.
Gen. Taylor had sent Col. Frank A.
Bartlett with about 900 men to attack
Lake Providence, where there was only
q small garrison, break up the camps
of the negro troops in that neighbour
hood and then drive off the agents and
contractors who were cultivating the
plantations from there down to Mill
ken's Bend.
| Bartlett was detained by destroyed
bridges. and did not reach Lake Provi-
dence until June 8, when he encoun-