The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-12-05
Army Correspondence.

ing letter from Capt. J. W. Stlnehoomb
to bis wife 10 this city.
On MARca FROM CAMP MooRE TO
LEBANON, KY., Nov. a7, 1861.
DEAR Loo: We started this morning on
our march again under che most glowing
circumstances. as it began last Eight a.
bout 9 o'clock TO snow and continued 10
snow for about one half an hour, and then
It turned to rain, and assure you il did
rain; | had gone 10 Danville in the even.
ing TO get Camp stove and had to wait
until 9 o'clock, for the man TO finish it;
and by the time we got to Camp il was
Numbering, tightening and raining. The
Creek this morning had risen SO high we
had to chop large tree across it for the
boys to walk over on. 1t continued TO
rain unit about II O'Clock, and it then
broke away and this afternoon was &c.
lightful one over head, and not 80 very
unpleasant underneath as we are marching
on good pike. 1t appears as though we
have the luck to march in the worst of
weather, as the majority Of our marches
have been made in the rain and mud, yet
the boys moved off cheerfulIy with the
understanding that We are going on to
join column; embracing several Brig
ades under command Of General Thomas.
| am inclined 10 think if General Thomas
should meet the enemy, lie will show
himself TO be General although many
Of the papers censure him for the Cum.
berland Gap Expedition. don't think
he ever had men enough to have made an
attack on the Gap, and for,tllal reason l
inter he did not press the column as close
as many thought it ought TO have been
done, but when it is known that he only
had about $500 ffi'ient men marching
against an army of 5000; his movements
had necessarily to be very cautious and I
had much rather see General err on the
side oil caution than rsshnsss. l have
never blamed General Thomas for the
failure to capture the entire army Of Zol-
lcotfer; but it is the Kentuckians that
are to blame for Il 9 whole of it, Col.
Garrard's regiment has been in camp for
weeks, at Wild Cat, and yet when we got
there they knew nothing at all about the
country except Oil the roads, ask them
what kind is over that knob, OF that hull
/ or valley. and their invariable reply wo'd
be 81 have never been thar" and it ap.
peared as though We could get no one TO
give US any information Or guides that
knew scarcely anything about the coun.
try and the Kentucky Cavalry is NOT as
| good as common make shift, using the
4 old woman phrase. Our boys know more
abou. the country within 800 yards o.
where the fight took place in two hours
after we got there than the Kentuck'an'
S knew or ever will know about it. TheI
= appeared to think the only thing necessa
a ry 10 know about the ground was imme
: diately in front Of their works. and ths
only SO far as they could see without lea
e wing their works. They thought only o
repelling at attack and never apparently
dreamed Of following the enemy and cut
: ting him to pieces on his retreat. The!
r should have explored the country all a
A round and known every foot Of it. ant
then when we ascerlained that Zolcoffe
u was retreating we could have marche,
through the woods and sinbushed hir
and made the victory decisive.
" l see some one wrote homo that Co. A
u Capt. Butterfeld, has marched so mile
= further than any other company in tn
e regiment. This is not the fact. as Cap
!. Ricketts, company, as also my own hav
been on every march that Co A has, an
T. l assure you we never start on marc
:. but we do as much as any other company
the fact is Co. B marched from Londo
" to Rockcastle River and back. IA mile
Or each way, faster than Capt, Butter6eld
,. or any other company in the Regimen
;. excepting part of Capt. Wilson's boy
>. who a. compauied MS; only state this 6
~ that our friends may have the facts.
Ever since we came within about for
miles OF Mount Vernon we have bee
"a in most delightful country, the soil
=. very rich. undula!ing and well watere'
~ as there are many small streams wit
" quite a number,as large as Hooking at L'
a gan. The whole country in this regic
er and back beyond Mt. Vernon rests on
ho bed of lime stone. But 10 day for 5 or
~ miles back we have had beautiful cor
"a trast in land; the Pike runs along son
II two or three valleys each in its turn in
n. mediately on our right Il most delightf
N. country is seen running back as far
-. the eye can reach. whilst Immediately {
'" our left there is ridge OF hills or rath
a lot of hills ending abruptly extendil
back from the pike toward the mountain
Immediately in front Of our camp the
'ur are three at about equal distance fro
TX. each other, either Of which is as high
Re. Mt, Plpasont but they do not break
20 SO abruptly, yet they are very steep;
counted some ;8 in sight this event
and to day, at several times counted
tes to ID OF the same kind Of hills. But tn
are must be seen to be appreciated, yet
the looks strange 10 see a little stream Il
Nd can be stepped over by fcotman div
Nv Nv ding two counties so vastly different
oo' appearance. The one rising not TO
The ceed ten or fifteen feet and then extendi
ave back for miles on level except tha
sd rolling enough to make it beautiful far
~ ing land; whilst the other rises into h
r'u' or ridges from 80 to 800 feet high, all
nat long the road, and all ending within
lem rods Of the road. Ipresume they are
Inv commencement OF ridge of mounta
fol' extending east and west through South
Kentnokv