Bastidas,  Eoderigo  se,  with  Juan  de  la
Cosa,  sailed  towards  the  Western  Continent
with  two  ships  in  1502,  and  discovered  the  coast
of  South  America  from  Cape  de  Vela  to  the
Gulf  of  Darien.  Ojeda,  with  Americns  Vespn-
cius,  went  in  the  same  course  soon  afterwards,
ignorant  of  this  expedition  of  Bastidas,  touched
at  the  same  places,  and  proceeded  to  Hispaniola,
or  Santo  Domingo.
Baton  Rouge,  Battle  at.  General  Williams
was  in  command  at  Baton  Eonge  in  August,
1862.  General  Van  Dorn  sent  General  J.  C.
Breckinridge  to  seize  the  post.  He  expected
to  be  aided  by  tbe  "ram"  Arkansas  (which  see).
He  attacked  the  Nationals  vigorously  on  the
morning  of  Aug.  5.  Williams  had  only  about
2.500  men  to  oppose  the  assailants;  Breckin-
ridge had  5000.  Tbe  first  blow  struck  fell  upon
Maine,  Indiana,  and  Michigan  troops,  who  were
pushed  back ;  when  others  from  Connecticut,
Massachusetts,  and  Wisconsin,  with  two  sec-
tions of  a  battery,  hastened  to  their  relief.  The
battle  raged  about  two  hours.  The  Twenty-
first  Indiana  lost  aU  its  field  ofiScers.  General
Williams  then  took  command  of  the  regiment,
and  was  leading  them  on,  when  he  was  killed
by  a  bullet  that  passed  through  his  breast.
The  Nationals  feU  back.  The  Confederates,
dreadfully  smitten,  did  likewise,  and  retreated.
Baton  Eouge  was  soon  afterwards  evacuated
by  the  Nationals.
