Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-21


OEAP o0D, M~UHFoRDsvLLH,
Kentucky, Dec. Is, 1891.
Eos. LnADER ,-AccoEding to promiheI ell
down 70 write you 3 few lines, 10 let you
knew where we are and what wo are doing.
We leh Camp Nevin st Q o'clock last Mon
day morning, and about four in the evening
sncampsd at Bacon Creek for the night, after
g march Of fourteen miles over the worst
roads that I have seen for many q day.
You remember I wrote you that the se-
ooshors burned 3 bridge on the night of the
sth. It was the bridge at this place Bacon
eroek) The next morning We again took up
u line Of march and arrived OF NumfOrds-
VILE about noon. Our enoampmentis about
half e mile from the village, on a high bluff
overlooking that most beautiful stream,
Green river. The stream IsuppOse takes lie
name from the dark green color of ito waters.
The river water is the only water we have
for cooking and drinking, and is as good as
almost any we'll water. The railroad bridge
across the river at this point is one of the
finest structures that I have ever seen. 1t is
built Of iron, in Eve spans of 100 feet each,
and the center pier is about ITO feet high
from low water mark. Tho Confederates
have here also left their mark of destruction,
in the demolishing of one pier sndtW spans
Of the bridge, and it was no fault of theirs
that more of it was not destroyed. neither
pier was mined and two or three kegs of
powder placed in II and the slow match ap-
piled, bnt il went out before the ere reached
the powder. They also tore up the track
and all the woodwork on two of the spans
that are left standing. Yesterday morning
one Of our Artillery boys went out to the end
of the bridge and planted the Stars and
Stripes upon it. 1t looked extremely dan
gerouS to sec q man go & distance of $40 feet,
and over an hundred feet high, on an iron
beam with q surface of only Eve inches, but
1 have seen several men walk over it with
their hands in their pockets. On the oppO-
side Of the river, and nearly a half mile
from us, are two breastworks Of earth thrown
up by the C~Onfederates some two o, three
months ago, pierced for two guns each.
The bridge at Bacon creek is finished, and
the hrst train Of has just arrived here
The German regiment (S2d Indiana) are
building a pontOon bridge for the secommo-
iatiOn Of our army. Engineers and bridge
builders came down to-day to make the nee
sssary preparations for putting mp a tressle
bridge, which they say will beready for cars
10 run over in ten or twelve days, and then
he whole army, except those hat are left
10 guard the railroad, will advance on Buck
ler's force.
sATuRDAT MOREIEa, Dec. H-Another
came down last evening with timber
or the Railroad bridge. About daylight on
Wednesday morning about eighty ''secesh"
came dOWn.On the opposite side..Ofthe
and fred on our pockets and then left
It double quick. Our pieksts promptly re-
iurned the fire, but think that neither par
y did any damage. That night their pick
is were plainly seen about a mile and a
half from US on the Railroad. In the night
companies of the Indiana SD Regiment
vent across the river and laid in ambush for
hem and calculated if they came, to let
hem pass down and when our pickets drove
hem back to cut off their retreat and take
hem prisoners, but they did not see st &c
understand that the SD Regiment
will move their camp tomorrow to the other
tide of the river on the ground lately occu-
pied by the rebels. The Regiment is COM
posed entirely Of Germans, and their COM
nands are all given in the German Ian
It is the best drilled regiment in
and ! think can be depended upon in
my position that they may be ordered TO
AXE. Our Battery (Cotter's) is in advance
Of all the infantry in camp, except the pick
sts and is within half q mile Of their ad-
vance line, in a position commanding the
,ountry for a considerable distance up and
down the river and down the road. Gen.
johnson has given this point the name of
Fort Cotter.
The Infantry in JOhnsOn's brigade are
great deal of reliance on us and
have the gresteSt confidence in our ability
artillsrists. Captain COtter, I have heard,
is senior captain of three batteries Of artil-
lsry. We will probably leave here in the
of a week or ten days.
How far we will advance I do not know,
but probably TO Bowling Green as fast
the Road can be repaired. It was re-
ported that the "seceshers" were advancing
US and would attack US IN Thursday
night with q force Of five thousand men,
Our troops are in a position where "secesh"
scouts cannot see them without they get into
our camp, which 1 think they will hardly
do. Our battery is all they can see from
their side of the river. 4 good share of the
houses both in the town and country are de-
serted. The Union people have had to leave
but are beginning to conn back as we adj
vance.
The weather here is good. Through the
day it is warm and pleasant and the nights
cold. It is what you would call good sugar
weather. Ed.
@-J. B. Cobb & Co. have the finest and
most magnificent lot of books in this city
for Christmas and New Years gifts.
RE-oPrEEp.-Ihe Methodist Episcopal
Church in Bedford, having undergone thor
ough repairs, will be 70 opened on tO-mor-
row Sunday Dec. ed Rev. ". P. Bignall,
pastor of St. Clair Street Church, Cleveland,
will preach ct 1OK A. NJ. The Rev. Moses
Hin, NJ. A., presiding Elder of the Oleve-
land District, will preach at 6 P. NJ. col
lection will be taken after each service, to be
applied in 5efrayiDg expenses incurred.
FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
-