Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-11-08
THE CITY.

Esquire Hessenmueller returned on We'd
nesday evening from Western virg mia,
where he went in obedience to & resolution
of the Common Council, to look after the
wants Of the volunteers in that locality from
Cuyahoga county, and arrange for the trans
mission to their families of such sums Of
money as they may set apart from their sal
aries for them. Mr.. II. travelled over near
ly all of that portion of Western Virginia
which is occupied by our troops, and was
esrecially careful to note down everything
which he thought of the slightest import
ance as he passed along. he represents the
country as in a most Pitiable condition, al
most every vestige of civilization gons, and
Incidence, misery and filth among the peo-
ple-whether those of the lower ella IS or
those who have occupied respectable social
positiOns-meeting one on every hand He
confidently believes, from careful ohs.erva-
tion, that the spirit of secession still pos
sesses majority of the inhabitants outside
of Wheeling, and particularly the richer
portion. He says that after he left Wheel
/ AAk n0 IuAN1AaOA WIN NAAAl l42O AAAth OAN VI
q great number who could be called Union
man, and his sympathy for the cause he
did not think was to be relied on. OF course
those who are secessioAists do not publicly
say SO, buttheir bearing towards Union men,
marked by the strongest spirit of malgnity
and vindictiveness, speaks their sentiments
with more force than could anything they
might say. One of these characters refused
Mr.. H. drink of water, and upon Mr.. H.
telling him that he would take it, the fellow
replied that he had the power and could do
50, but not with his consent.
He says there are great number of seces-
sion "widows" there-women whose hus-
bands are in the rebel army, or members of
marauding bands, and who find protection
for their property by crying "widOw."
There are a great number of msrauders
west Of the Kanawha, who commit all sorts
of depredations and outrages on the Union
men thereabOut, rObbing them of their
grain and live stock, making them prison
ers, and sometimes destroying everything
they possess, and turning them out with
their families among tho mountains
to take care of themselves as best they
can. The most desperate of these bands
is one commanded by a man named
Williams, amounting to, it is supposed, sew
eral hundred mounted men, who have driv-
en- off every Union man along the western
banks of the upper Kanawha and who are
! the dread and scourge of that whole region.
A couple of companies we're sent out by Gen.
schenck few days since to give them battle
if they could be found, which Mr.. H. re-
garded as doubtful, as 1t was UNDERSTOOD to be
their plan, whenever they suspected the sp-
proaeh of any considerable force, to strip
their horses oftheir equipments and let them
run at will, and they themselves scatter to
their respective homes until the danger had
passed, when they would again meet at
some point agreed upon and continue their
depredatiOns.
Mr.. Hessenmeuller went up the Kauawha
to within eight miles of Gauley, where he
arrived on Friday last, the morning the bat
tie commenced. He was unable to go fur
ther in consequence of the road between him
and Gauley being commanded by the enc
my's guns.
He found the troops generally in very
good condition, though somewhat solicitous
abeut their pay. Their clothes are good and
they are well fed. The only grumbling in
this latter particular he heard being in the
7th, which does not receive the supply Of
potatoes required by the army regulations.
Thevolunteers accepted the allotment plan
with alacrity and satisfaction, and by unan
imous choice they selected DR.. Everett to
disburse the money to their families and
friends. The list shows an average OF SIC
per man among the privates out of each
months wages to their families, and most Of
the officers turned over all of their salaries
to their families, determining to make their
commutation for rations do them. The effect
of this upon the suffers will be anything but
pleasant, for their gormandizing dispositions
are not satisfied with anything less than 9
soldiers total income. Their charges, Mr.
a. says are shamefully exorbitant. For po-
tatOes they ask 80 cents peck tobacco II
cents paper; liquor rs cents pint, and thai
Of an inferior quality; the poorest kind o
cigars cents eachj and so on.
These few facts, taken in short couver
sation with Mr.. II. last evening, gives bu
little idea Of his interesting trip, and VI
take pleasure in saying that in a day or tw,
we shall be able to lay before our readers
full account of all he saw and heard in tha
romantic region from his own pen.
J Mr.. Hessenwueller was gone three week
and half He brought home large mum
; Der of letters, and his Office was full nearl,
: all day yesterday with those expecting wOrt
{ from their friends and loved ones.