The Holt County sentinel., 1911-10-27

by A sHAnPsBoOTEI At BALLS BLCfY
wooded hills beyond the ravine com
handed the whole 50 perfectly thu,
should they he occupied 10y the enemy
he would be destroyed. and I advised
mn immediate advance Of the whole
force 10 occupy the hills, which were
not then occupied by the enemy.
told him that the whole action must
he ON our left md that We must oc.
cupy those hills. No attention was
apparently paid 20 this advice. and
Colonel Baker ordered me to take
charge of the artillery. but wIthou,
any definite instructions as 20 It,
service
about twenty minutes aftcrwBrd
the hills on the left to which ! had
called attention were occupied by the
encmy's skirmishcrs. who immediate.
~ opened n sharp fire on our left.
Immediately directed the artillery to
open hre on those skirinishers."
"Atrocious Military Murder"
Bakers death threw the troops into
confusion by dcpriving them OF "a
bend Just at n trying time His con-
duct IN rushing into the eneniy's fire
was brave or rash according to ones
ideas Of the duty Of commander. II
~ M axiom that one bad general Ia
better than two good ones. As soon
M Baker fell the other colonies for
time acted each on his own hook with
out concert or action.
Baker was a United States senator
from California. lie had declined n
commission az brigadier general and
had one ms major general under con.
si,lcrntion at the time Of his death.
Congress called upon President Lin
coin 10 investigate the Balls Blun
disaster. and when he declined TO do
NJ II appointed the famous joint com
mittee on the conduct Of the war.
with instructions 10 investigate the
most atrocious military murder In his
tory" About this time General Stone
came under II cloud In u manner not
connected with the battle Of Oct. ~.
but he was arrested by order Of tho
secretary Of war and confined In Fort
Lafayette. New York hnrbor. lie was
examined before the committee on tho
conduct Of the war. but no charges
were preferred against him. He was
released after seven months imprisOn'
ment and subsequently restored 10 ac-
tive service under General Banks In
the west. After the war he became
noted MS "stone Pasha" In tho army
OF the khedive.
The Judgment Of military men upon
Stones responsibility for Balls l,lun
was that he uctcd throughout the nj.
fair under misapprehension. lie sup
posed another Federal division under
General q. A. Mccall. marching mp the
pushing the Confederatcs back from
the river south OF Balls Blur and Cor.
mans camp ut Edwards Ferry: that
the commander Of the army wished
him to take Leesburg. point four
miles inland from the battlefield OF
Balls Blum. and that there We're no
COnfederates In any force In that VI
entity. as his scouts truthfully report
ed. But the COnfederates could move
on shorter lines. They deceived Stones
subordinate, German, at Edwards Fer.
~. and ignorance or negligence. per.
haps both. led to the disaster at Balls
Rluff. Baker had discretion In his or
A.. A.
from the Virginia shore or REINFORCE
him there and fight He chose to
fight.
Strangely enough. the Confederate
leader at Balls Blum acted upon his
own discretion in bringing on the hat
tie. lie took the neld without the
knowledge Of his sureriors for the
purpose Of covering Leesburg from
Federal attack.