A few Republicans voted with the Democrats in the negative.

The reply of Secretary Cameron was no more satisfactory than to the first resolution.

He informed the House that "measures have been taken to ascertain who is responsible for the disastrous movement of our troops at Ball's Bluff, but it is not deemed compatible with the public interest to make known these measures at the present time." The difference between this answer and the first, was that the Administration assumed the responsibility of withholding the information, and did not rest it upon the judgment of the general in command of the army.
Brigadier-General Charles P.Stone was a graduate of West Point Military Academy, from Massachusetts.

His family belongs to the old Puritan stock of that commonwealth, and had been honorably represented in every war in which the American people had engaged.
General Stone served as a lieutenant in the Mexican war with high credit, and in 1855 resigned his commission and became a resident of California.

It happened that he was in Washington at the breaking out of the civil war, and in response to the request of his old commander, General Scott, took a prominent part in the defense of the capital, considered to be in danger after the rising of the Baltimore mob.