Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-10-11
CgvlT NoryTlIy SCMMTT,

This is Sunday, and beautiful Sunday
/! Il Is. After three days Of storm, OF hail.
7 ing, Einds and dAshing rains, the clouds
Z hoated aEsJ last night and the sun rose
I 10 = clear sky :his morning. Never was
sunshine more welcome. AS the troops
responded TO the IeTeiile, the blue SKY
s1d the fresh moantain air exhiliarated
+ their spirits, and put them in cheerful
mood shared ia the change, and aitef
taking my coffee, strolled down the
I mountain 10 Cheat River. I felt as light
as feather, which is saying great deal
( for \ man who can bear down nearly two
I hundred pounds aEordupOis- In fact, the
weather here is as delightful as il has
: been terrible, and the bright Sunshine and
the inTigoratiag mountain air, nerves the
the physical System wonderfully. We
had heavy frost last night, and ice q
quarter of 40 inch thick
Yesterday I oraved the weather, and us
tied the foFtifeAtions around the camp
/ The road here runs between two bills, and
troops are quaFiered on both sides Of the
road The lorTiheations cover both these
bills, and are Of tie most extensive eharAe-
I ter. Had they been constructed By contract,
I $40, 600 would not have paid for the mere
labor. Yet, il has all been dOue By two re-
giments, the 18th Indiana, Col. EImball,
and the 18th Ohio, Col. Ammou, aad that
too, while they were almost alone in these
mourtains, aud surrounded With the enc
nv. The task WAS herculian one, bnt
has been eheeTfuily and faithfully done
The works on the one hill were SupErin-
tended BY Col EimbAll, and on the other
by Col Ammou, aforementioned Gil
berts superior engineering qualities, be-
ing eaJIed into requisition for the whole
fertilization. I am not permitted 10 de-
scribe the Notifications, but can sNy this,
that there fsnothing equal to them in Wes-
tern Virginia.
think Gen. Roseerans himself will be
AstOnished when be sees them. The posi-
ton is nov thoroughly defended. Five
thousand troops can hold it against any
number Yet the work goes on. found
Col AmmOns regiment ht work erecting
forts, Ioop-boled ia the point Of the noun
tain 10 the rear Of his quarters. Should
they never be required for defense, they
will make admirable winter quarters for
the troops. The labor performed on this
mountain is uuequaled for tie number Of
troops In this campaign, aud most entities
the two regiments TO a scene Of lighter Ia
Dor. They feel that they are entitled TO IL,
aud they are right
In company with Colonies KimbalI and
cached the trail of the rebels Ia their at
tack on this post. They took stormy
night for the attack, and succeeded in get
ting within few yards Of the fortifcA-
tiOns on the hill in command of Col. AM
mon. force OF }, 900 succeeded in slip-
ping between our pickets and taking that
position. T6see thousand more were Sta
toned in the rear, rs reserve, and 2 500
were 10 march in front directly from their
camp. Their purpose was TO charge Ani-
mons bill, ut the point Of the bayoneT,
aud take it without the firing Of a gun.
They discovered, however, that our prepa-
rAtious prevented the charge. and they
were discovered and attacked before they
were ready. It may seem incredible, bat
not more than 800 men were sent out to
attack these 1000 rebels. .H
They were sent Ia small squads, howoV-
er, and took positions so favorable Aad
fired 90 correctly that the rebels supposed
they werr surrounded, and took 70 their
heels Oue hundred men were dispatched
TO cut of their retreat at Cheat-water
bridge, and actually succeeded in doing il.
The frightened rebels, encountering this
small torcc, deserted the prisoners they
had taken, and scattered into the noun
tains. Squads of them were found wan
deriug ia the mountains several days after,
aud no doubt many OF them persisted
there. The woods were filed with their
krapsacks, blankets and guns. Yesterday
soldier brought in two fint-loek muskets
which he found in the mountain.
could fill your paper with incidents of
that fight. A sergeant of the 18th Indiana
with some twenty men actually attacked
the three Thousand held as reserve in the
rear. He did not know their number
when he made the attack, but after giving
the three rounds concluded they were al
most too much Tor his force, and arew his
men OF safely IN the bushes. The reserve
hauled Of rapidly from his FIRE. -
One Of the 18th Ohio, acting rs teamster,
was taken prisoner while diving down the
road with his team He is an elderly man
of the name of Cunningham. They shot
at him 10 kill, but merely gave him bad
wound ia the rist After he was wounded
he was placed in charge of a detachment,
and brltally dragged over the hill. His
guard gradually dwindTed, until only one
remained. lie was foolish enough to trust
| the wounded man with his musket during
temporary halt, and while his back wac
turned Cunningham gave him his own ball
1 in fatal spot.
He then endeayored to get out of the
woods, but grew too weak to proceed, and
lay q hours 10 the woods. when he was
I dise0veTed. j SAW him yesterday in the
hospital nearly we'll; and full of Gre.
K Adjntant Blynn, Of the 18th indiana,
lWent out, after the engagement, With six
men and an ambulance 10 look after the
wounded. They suddenly stumbled across
about 40 rebels, and both parties at once
took 70 the trees. teti
"who are you, anyhow" asked the Adj
jutant, =GC3 o. - s-ztl
Arkansas volunteers" was the an
sWer.f
aYeil Arkansas, you arc in a bad way,
and had better get ont Of this.g aEsF
| Arkansas did not agree with the Adju-
tant until one OF the HOOsiers pulled trig-
I ger aud sent a ball through the head Of
one OF them. As he fell dead, the rest
took 10 their heels, aud disappeared in the
laurel.
could relate thousand such incidents,