The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-09-17
Army COrresDonIence.

Army correspondence.
We make the following extract from
letter from the 18th Indiana Regiment. =
We regret our limited space prevents US
from publishing it in full. The letter is
dated Cheat Mountain Pass, Sept. 9Th. S1 3
- Oar camp is located on very narrow
valley between high and rocky mountains.
In advance of US there are only two passes
over the mountains by which a rebel force
could come. As guard to one OF them,
several regiments are stationed upon Inc
summit of the mountains eleven miles be-.
yond US. Col. Wagner with the 18th lfsdi-
ana and some Ohio regiments has taken. a.
position six miles from us commanding the
other pass. At Beverly 10 miles in our
rear, several regiments are encamped. The
force at all these camps can be concentrated
at any point near either of them in a very
short time, as the Government has con-
structed telegraph lines connecting all of
them. Let the rebels attack one of our
camps, and the men at that camp could
hold them until we could rally force suffi-
cient to sweep them from the earth as with
the besome of destruction.
The Grand Army here contains some of
| Ohio and Indiana's best regiments of infan
| try. We have besides some cavalry and a
| large amount of artillery, among which is
| found some of the best rifed cannon in the
service. The government has supplied us
| with large amount of ammunition and
| commissary stores, SO if the rebels attack
US, or give US the opportunity of attack
| ing them, we expect to leave those "like
/ the leaves of the forest, when autumn hath
| begun The pickets from Col. Wagner's
camp, a few days ago, came in contact with
/ Dot I'd
| Immediately fled to their respective camps.
A force from Waynes camp Immediately
/ made an advance, expecting to meet the
4 rebels When they came to where the pick
cts were stationed, they found that on our
side one was shot dead. About one mile
further they found one of the rebel pickets
: badly wounded, and the bloody blankets
left by the other showed that they, too, had
| been married. Our men advanced six miles
further and became convinced that the reb-
| els had iDgIoriously fed. We have some
| times found where they have recently en-
/ camped, found their nests warm, but like
the Paddy's flea, when we put our finger
on them they are not there-they fee.
Some days ago, we visited our advance
camp We found there the l4th Indiana,
Col. KimbalPs Regiment and among them,
of course, Capt. Thompson and the Evans
vile boys. We found them in good spirits
and enjoying camp life hugely. While sit
ting in Lieut.. Wizards tent, conversing
with him and looking over a copy of the
Journal, we heard the report of gun and
saw his men run up to where we heard the
report We rushed up and found young
Geo. Belts had accidentally discharged bis
musket, shooting his right hand off at the
wrist the bone was completely severed
and hung only by the flesh. The boy:
raised him up aud offered to carry him &c
the hospital, but be said he could walb
himself, and did. The physicians amputateG
it above the wound. He bore it like a sol
dier, and all who saw it were sorry 10 SEE
so brave soldier disabled Willard, who
has recently been elected Captain, is dOins
good service He has already had brush
with the enemy, which has been fully des
cribed in the Journal. He wears little regu
lation jewelry and puts on no peacock airs
but is a regular worker, an active and 10,
telI1genr officer, IS constantly looking Il
the physical comfort of his men and The
good of the service, and is universally ikeC
by his command. Col. KimbalIs Regimen
is on the very summit of the Cheat Noun
tains, among The rocks and pines, where i
is so steep that the boys can scarcely keel
from rafting over each other while they
sleep, and so rocky that they can with diff
fculty drive down their tent pins. They
have peeled hemloek bark and put floors il
their tents, and by covering this with pine
boughs and the blankets government has
given them, and those they have taken from
the seeesh, they sleep comfortably. TIL,
purest water boils out of the ground in al
directions around them, and some of then
have scooped out the white sand, and have
living springs of the sweetest water in the
tents Their camp IS SO high up, dd asga
that they can often see the clouds below
them, and while they have brigbtsunshin.
weather. we, eleven miles below them, hayi
to endure the heavy rain. But | have al
ready written too long a communication
aud have not told yen half intended; vii
write soon again.
: NAPOLEON B. RISINGER.