t, while Hunton and Jenifer
attacked his front, holding the attack at Edwards' Ferry in check by
batteries from his intrenchments. As Colonel Burt reached his
position, the enemy, concealed in a ravine, opened on him a furious
fire, which compelled him to divide his regiment and stop the flank
movement that had already begun. At about 3 p.m., Featherstone, with
the Seventeenth Mississippi, was sent at a double-quick to support
Burt's movement. Evans reports: 'He arrived in twenty minutes and the
action became general along my whole line, and was very hot and brisk
for more than two hours, the enemy keeping up a constant fire with his
batteries on both sides of the river. At about 6 p.m. I saw that my
command had driven the enemy to near the banks of the river. I ordered
my entire force to charge and drive him into the river. The charge was
immediately made by the whole command, and the forces of the enemy
were completely routed, and cried out for quarter along his whole
line. In this charge the enemy was driven back at the point of the
bayonet, and many were killed and wounded by this formidable weapon.
In the precipitate retreat of the enemy on the bluffs of the river,
many of his troops rushed into the water and were drowned, while many
others, in overloading the boats, sunk them and shared the same fate.
The rout now, about 7 o'clock, became complete, and the enemy
commenced throwing his arms into the river.... At 8 p.m. the enemy
surrendered his forces at Ball's Bluff, and the prisoners were marched
to Leesburg.'

"During this action, Colonel Barksdale, with nine companies of the
Thirteenth Mississippi and six pieces of artillery, was held to oppose
Stone's movement from Edwards' Ferry and also as a reserve. After the
engagement, Evans withdrew all his brigade to Leesburg, except
Barksdale's regiment, which he left in front of Edwards' Ferry.

"Each of the combatants had about 1,700 men engaged in this action.
The Confederates had no artillery in the fight, while the Federals
had three light guns. Shortly after the action became general, Colonel
Baker, passing in front of his command, was killed by a sharpshooter,
which so demoralized the Federals that the surviving officers
conferred and decided to retreat. This was opposed by Colonel Milton
Cogswell, of the Forty-second New York, who had succeeded Colonel
Baker in command. He said a retreat down the bluff and across the
river was now impossible, and that they mu