128 BALL’S BLUFF AND THE ARREST OF GENERAL STONE.

THE CLIFF AT BALL’S BLUFF. FROM A P1IOTOGRAl'II.

seas

m-m

if

*s£F?

MS*

£%ti-

him near the bluff, on the edge of an open field of about 8 or 10 acres’ extent, trapezoidal inform, the acute angle being on the left front, the shortest parallel side near the edge of thebluff, and along this line was the 1st California Regiment, while the 15th Massachusetts Reg-iment was formed in line in the open woods, forming the right-hand boundary of the field, itsline being nearly perpendicular to that of the California regiment. Two mountain howitzers,under Lieutenant French, of the United States artillery, were posted in front of the angleformed by these two regiments. A deep ravine, having its mouth on the left of the pointwhere we landed, extended along the left of the open field and wound around in front of it,forming nearly a semicircle, bounded by wooded hills commanding the whole open space.Some companies of the 20th Massachusetts Regiment were posted in reserve behind theline of the California regiment.

“ Colonel Baker welcomed me on the field, seemed in good spirits, and very confident of asuccessful day. He requested me to look at his line of battle, and with him I passed along thewhole front. He asked my opinion of his disposition of troops, and I told him frankly that Ideemed them very defective, as the wooded hills beyond the ravine commanded the whole soperfectly, that should they be occupied by the enemy he would be destroyed, and I advised animmediate advance of the whole force to occupy the hills, which were not then occupied by theenemy. I told him that the whole action must be on our left, and that we must occupy thosehills. No attention was apparently paid to this advice, and Colonel Baker ordered me to takecharge of the artillery, but without any definite instructions as to its service. About twentyminutes afterward the hills on the left front to which I had called attention were occupied bythe enemy’s skirmishers, who immediately opened a sharp fire on our left. I immediatelydirected the artillery to open fire on those skirmishers, but soon perceived that the Are wasineffectual, as the enemy was under cover of the trees, shooting down the artillerists at easymusket range.Soon Lieutenant Bramhall and nearly all the artillerymen had been shot

☆ Captain William F. Bartlett , of the 20th open ground, exposed to a destructive fire. ItMassachusetts , says of this attack: “The enemy was a continual fire now, with occasional pausesnow opened on us from the woods in front with a of one or two minutes, until the last. Theheavy fire of musketry, which was very effective, rifled cannon was on the left in the open ground,They fired low, the halls all going within from in front of a part of Baker’s regiment, exposed toone to four feet of the ground. Three companies a hot fire. It was not discharged more than eightof the 20th were kept in reserve, hut on the times. The gunners were shot down in the first of