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| Banks's Headquarters at Edwards's Ferry. |
Oct. 22, 1861. |
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command, including himself and Colonel Lee, were made prisoners, and marched off to Leesburg, whilst Colonel Devens escaped on his horse, that swam across the turbulent Potomac.
A few were saved from captivity by stealing along under the banks, and making their way to Gorman's camp below.
While the contest was raging at Ball's Bluff, General Stone, who was at Edwards's Ferry with about seven thousand troops, had been sending over the remainder of Gorman's brigade to co-operate with Baker, all the while unsuspicious of the perilous condition of the troops of that commander.
He
had received information from time to time that Baker was perfectly able to hold his position if not to advance; and, believing that he would repulse and drive his assailants he was prepared to push Colonel Gorman forward to strike the retreating forces on their flank.
He felt anxious, however, and at four o'clock telegraphed to General Banks for a brigade of his division, to place on the Maryland shore, in support of the troops on Harrison's Island and the severely pressed combatants on Ball's Bluff.1
A little while afterward, the sad news of Baker's death was received, and Stone hastened forward to take command in person.
On his way he was met by some of the fugitives, with the tale that the Confederates were ten thousand strong, and that all was lost.
Still ignorant of the position of McCall, he left orders to hold Harrison's Island, and then hastened back to Edwards's Ferry, to secure the safety of the twenty-five hundred troops that boo had sent across the river.
There he was joined by General Banks, at three o'clock in the morning,
who took the chief command.
Orders arrived at about the same time, from General McClellan, to hold the Island and the Virginia shore at all hazards, and intimating that, re-enforcements would be sent.2
So ended the Baxtle of Ball's Bluff,3 in disaster to the National arms.
In the camps of the Unionists, in the vicinity of the battle, on that gloomy night of the 21st of October, there was darkness and woe, while the little
1 Stone had kept McClellan advised of the progress of affairs at Ball's Bluff during the afternoon, and the latter commander, toward evening, ordered General Banks to send one brigade to the support of the troops on Harrison's Island, and to move with the other two to Seneca Mills, ready to support General Stone, at Edwards's Ferry.--See McClellan's Report, page 84.
2 Reports of General Charles P. Stone and his subordinates, October 28th, 1861, and of General N. G. Evans, the Confederate commander, October 25th, 1861. The latter report was, in several respects, marred by misrepresentations. It represented the Confederate force at only 1,709, omitting to state the fact that there was a strong reserve of Mississippi troops, with six guns, posted so as to repel any troops that might approach from Edwards's Ferry. From the best information since obtained, it is agreed that Evans's force numbered 4,000. His report also claimed that, with his small force of 1,700, eight thousand Nationals were fought and beaten, and that the Confederates killed and captured a greater number than their whole force engaged. It also declared that long-range cannon were fired upon the Confederates from the Maryland side of the river, when there were no heavy guns there at the time of the battle.
3 This is called the Battle of Leesburg by Confederate writers.
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