Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1861-10-31
REoApTURE OF LEXINGTON.

hECAfIUhE Of LEAlnoiO ON'
Rescue of Colonels White and Gro
yer from the Rebels-Capiure o
Thirty Prisoners-Full Particulars
From the st Louis Demoerst.l
The following private letter has beer
placed in our hands, which gives in de
tail the recapture of Lexington and th'
rescue of Colonels White and Grove
from the hands of the rebels:
LKxIseroE, Oct. II. 1861.
DEAR SIR: As I suppose you will b
glad 10 hear some Of the particulars
concerning the rescue Of Col. White
Col. Grover, and others of our eallsn
wounded at Lexington. ! take a spare
moment to send you line BY my Adju'
tant, who accompanies Col. White.
A short time since Gen. Fremont
placed in my hands a picked body oi
men, the finest in his cavalry command
and dispatched me 10 scout over those
parts Of the country most infested BY
rebels. / arrived at Georgetown a
short time since, and waited for sup
plies until the 18th inst. As was on
the point OF leaving for the Usage, a
messenger from Col. White, lying
wounded at Lexington. was met by
Col. Hovey, Twenty-fourth Indiana,
who commanded at Georgetown; the
messenger saying that the rebels were
killing our wounded and committing
the most fearful depredations. Col.
White wroie that il he was not rescued
from their hands within twenty four
hours. that he and other officers
would be assassinsted.
Col. Hovey came to me and asked
whether / would join q command of
four hundred men and cut our way
through to Lexington. Ny men unan-
imously volunteered, but just as We
were starting a dispatch came from
Gen. Hunter, ordering Col. Hovey,
with his whole command, TO march TO
Upton. I was thus left alone, having
but one hundred and sixty cavalry
with me. But my men we're deter
mined TO go through. and at this mo-
ment Col. Eads, who had few men
under his command, nobly came for
ward and offered the services OF him
self and eighty Of his men. In an
hour our preparations we're complete,
and late at night in the midst Of a
terrible rain, we started. Ny force
consisted of Company G. Capt. P.
Kehos; company F. Capt. Charles
Fairbanks; the Irish Dragons. Capt.
P. Nsughton, and eighty men under
Lieut. Pease. Col. Eads accompanied
us. Our total was not more than two
hundred and twenty. We made a
forced march. and passed through a
country filed with guerrilla bands,
successfully reaching the rebel pickets
around Lexington early the following
morning. Our advance guard under
Capt. Kehoe. charged gallanIly on the
pickets and drove them into Lexington.
He captured more than twenty Se-
cessionists in his march. and so CON-
pletely was our surprise, that the reb-
els in Lexington fed in every direction.
We took possession Of the town, and
camped on the site of Prices head
quarters, on the Fair grounds.
When Mrs. White and Mrs. Grover
met us at The door of the house where
their husbands lay nearly dying. the
scene was most affecting. 1 shall
remember it to my dying day. The
few Union men left by persecution in
Lexington tfooped around us. We
seized the ferry-boats, and this morn
ing seized the steamboat "Florence.
Colonels White and Grover were
placed on. board, and in a few moments
will start for home snd safety.
Lexington, for the last few days,
has been in terrible condition. Shell
bv and Martin. two cut-throats, have
had their troops in town till their
ignominious fight at our approach. A
Mr.. White, wounded prisoner, was
taken by Martin from his bed, shot in
cold blood, and his body left on the
road until eaten by the hogs. His
wife rescued his remains. A scene ol
terror reigned, and but for our arrival,
Colonies White and Grover would
have met with like fate.
Thank God, the American flag is
again floating over Lexington.
We made thirty prisoners, recovered
some of Marshall's horses and equip
ments, and captured fifteen to twenty
guns.
We are now nearly surrounded by
the rebels, who are beginning to rally.
We leave for Wsrrensburg this after
noon, and hope to make our way