New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-02
orERATI0Ns IN C1IGAT MOUNTAIN.

Gen Reynolds, commander of tie First Brigade Of
federal troops in Western Virginia, makes the fol-
lowing Official report Of tie battle with Gen. Lees
Jrces az Cheat Mountain:
HKAporAsqa as FIssr BR1GApE, L v NJ,
XIX WATER, sept u, 1901.
SIR: TIE OperatiD,s ui this br ,aie for the past
sew days may be :Cumcd up 80 follows: On the i2th
.Sts thG enemy, 9t0J 10 org, with eight to twelve
pieces Of artillery, uudor ccmmard OF Gen. X l..
Lee, advanced on rlis position by the uuntervile
pike, Our advanced pickeIs, portions of the 18th
Adiaua and oh Ohio gradually Tell back to our
esdu picket station, two companies oi the 18th In
1laua, under Col. Hascall cbeIking the euemys I'D
vance Of the Point Mountain turnpike. aud then
falling back on tie regiment which occupied very
advanced position ON our II got front, and which was
now ordered IN.
Tie enemy threw into ,he woods on the left front
Sdrce Tegifltnt5, who made their way 10 the night
snd rear OF Cheat Mouutaia took a POSITION on the
road leGdiBg to Hultonylle, broke the telegraph
wire, aud cut of Our communication with Col. KIM
sails l4th Indiana cavalry On Cheat Summit.
simultaneously another force Of the enemy Of about
esual strength advanced lv the StaUntun nike on
Ale front Of Cheat Mountain, aud threw two regi-
ments TO the right and rear of Cheat Mountain,
which united with tie three regiments from The
other column OF the enemy. The two posts, Cheat
Summit and Six Water, are seven miles apart by
Nridle path over the mouDtaus, and Eighteen miles
the wagon road 10 HuLtonyihe-" Cheat Noun
in Pass" the former headquarters of the brigade,
,ng at The foot of Tie mountain, ten miles from the
. tnut.l The enemy advancing toward r}le pHss. by
h.ch he might possibly have obtained the left
FL, Elk Water was met there by three companies ofthe
}th indiana, ordered up for that purpose, and by
10 company of the 18th Indiana from the summit.
hese four companies engaged and calamity held IN
cneck greatly superior numbers Of The enemy fooled
in in his attempt TO obtain The rear or lefC OF Xix
Water, and threw lim into the rear and right Of
. heat MouDtain-the companies retiring 20 the pass
- tie foot Of the mountains.
1t 2 tN.Fvg nd
Cheat Summit, AID became engaged with deiach
Denl8 Of the i4th Indiana, 9th and 2jth Ohio from
the Summit--in all about 3)O-who, depOyed in the
wood, held in check and klle1 many OF tie enemy,
who did rot at auy time succeediu getting sufficiently
near the field redcub to give Dunn's Battery an op-
portunity Of firing into lin.
So matters rested at dark on the 18th, with heavy
forces In 'front.' and in plain sight Of both posts COM
municaion cut of, and the supply train for the
nountaia, loaded with provisions which were need.
ed waiting for an opportunity to pass mp the road
Determined TO force q communication with Cheat,
ordered the 18th iudiioG, under Col Sullivan, TO cut
tber way if necessary, by the mail road; and the
greater part of the Sd Ohio and "a Virginia, under
Colcnels Manon and Moss respectively, to DO the
same by the path; the two commands starting at
o'clock a. NJ, on the 18th, the former from Cheat
Mountain Pass and the latter from Elk Water, so as
20 fall upon the enemy, possible, simultaneously
Early the 18th, the small force OF about 5CO ON
che Summit engaged the enemy, and with such elect
That notwithstanding bis greatly superior numbers,
be retired in great haste aud disorder leaving large
Quantities Of clothing and equipments on the ground
and our relieving forces, falling to catch the enemy
marched to the Summit securing the provision tram
aud re-opening our communication.
WI 70 this was taking place on the mountain, and
as vet uDknoNH TO US, tue enemy, under Lee, ad-
yanced on Elk Water, apparently IVs general a.
tack One rited lO-p0und Parrott gun! nom
Loomss battery, was run 10 the front threeIOuiths
of q mile and delivered few shots at tie enemy,
A., Gro onto in withdraw
e convenient range, Our relative positions re-
manned unchanged until near dark when we learned
the result OF the movement on the mountain, as
above stated, and the enemy retired somewhat Tor
the night.
On The 18th early the enemy was again in position
sn frcnt of Elk Water, and few rounds, supported
by a companS q tie 18th Iudiana, were again adj
tninistered, which caused him to withdraw as be-
fore-the force that bad Teen before repulsed from
Cheat returned and were agaia driven back by
comparaiiyely email force from the Mountain. Tue
i7th Indiana was ordered up the path 10 olen con-
nuciCatOn and make way Tor another supply Idin,
but. az before found the little baGd on the summit
mad already done the work. During the afternoon
OF the I4tb tho enemy withdrew from before Elk
Water and is now principally concentrated some
ten miles from thi5 post, at or near the main camp.
ON the 18th be appeared in stronger force than at
any previous time In front of Cheat, and attempted
flank movement blythe Ielt but was oItYJ SaiS
by the ever.vigilant and gallant garrison OF the held
redoubt on the summit. To-day the enemy has also
retired FROM the fropt Of Cheat but to what precise
position am no. yet informed. 80
The results Of these affairs are that have killed
nearly one hundred Of the enemy, including Col;
John A. Washington, aid-de-camp TO Gen Lee, aud
bave taken about twenty prlsoners. we nave loss
nine killed, including Lieut.. Junod, l4th lhohna
two missing, and about sixty prisoners, including
Cant. james Benss, aud Lieuts Gilman and Shaher,
Of the 9th Ohio, and Lieut. Merrill Of the Engioeers
append the reports of Col. Kmban, l4th Indiana,
Capt. Higgins, 2ith ONO, and Lieut.'CoL owens
and Col. Wagner, Of the 18th Indiana.
J. j. REYNOLDS,
Brigadisr General Commanding Firss Brigade.
GEo 8. ROSE, Asst Adjutaut General
DEsERTERS FROM THE RIinEI