Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-09-18

aumbers upon our side. The following
letter from en- esteemed correspondent in
the Third Ohio, gives the OOndiuOp Y our
dsfeaoss before the fight. The Lieutenant
Merrill spoken of below has slnee been
taken prisoner BY the rebels. The letter
is accompanied bya good sketch Of tkv
camps, forts, So. a
GAMP Elk WATER,
September 9, 1881.
EDs. LEADER: I occasionally get copy
Of your excellent daily sent me, and no
other paper from Ohio gives ne SO much
real pleasure as the old familiar LEADER,
from which derive a great deal of salts
faction in reading home news. So Thought
that perhaps letter from high private
might prove acceptable, as but little Is
apparently known Of our doings in this
O0rner Of the sacred soil" After the.
battle Of Rich Mountain, and We had run
the rebels over Cheat Mountain, We en-
- camptd ct the foot Of the Pass where the
Third vas drilled in the skirmish drills for
four weeks. No room for battalion drills
in these Mountains. In the mean time the
Fourteenth indiana had entreuchsd them
sSlves on top Of Cheat Mountain, with two
slsl pieces Of artillery belonging TO Loomis's
Battery. The Fifteenth Indiana had taken
a position six miles up the pike, leading TO
u g Hurtsrsgille then over the Allsghenies 70
Warren Springs One Sunday afternoon 3
sd & messenger came from the fifteenth Indiana
for reinforoements, 8s the rebels were
coming down the Pikei 30 seven oompan-
- les Of The Third Gith four pieces of Loom
is's Battery, came down here expecting =
esaii1 muss, bUl cur expectations were In vain
ana 4il be Until We osn get round them
ss'1st vhers they can't get sway. Since We
ssa1 sane here, nearly Eve weeks ago We have
= been hard at work building breast works
and throwing up entertainments.
q sli 81 The valley We are in is called Tygsrts
Valley; is about one fourth Of mile wide,
and on the east snd west side are high
49, ridges spurs from the Rich and Cheat
~ MOuntains respectively. The valley is
owned by 3 few farmers who with
the help Of 3 teR slaves work the
corn. Cattle raising is their chief EN-
-rsq SO plOyment, though, which the poor whites
living up in the tops in huts do, while the
.ssIsfs owners live in the valleys below. There
..t +, are some generous people anong them but
.s9l = the lab0rers are q stingy, RTariciOus set
sthe cash being the god they worship
The SUOihefhers need never talk about the
askinAigt YsnksesR while they haye such
~ llsa 6lass born and bred on the soil Of the +,
10 20 2. vs., who skin the boys alive who want
little 'spone and milk" !" 10 help the "GOv-
5l eminent chips down when We get tired Of
b 10 making "grind stones" Of our teeth. The
defensive works were laid out by Lieut..
Merrill, Engineer Of the .. 8. A. On the
left of-the valley 3 large mass Of earth and
rocks had slipped out Of the mountain eide,
Nte Sd making g leTel plateau, about thirty feet
.sss high in front. On this log battery has
'aDi7i been built, manned by two SIX pound field
81 pieces commanding the whole valley.
-' About 200 yards above this battery the
timbar 8 cut down, 100 yards vide at the
bottom snd tapering up to the top Of the
ridge. This is TO prevent the rebel sharp
shooters from coming near to cut off our
Runnsrs, Skirmiahers viii also be deployed
in front Of this fallen timber, clear to the
top, where company will be plaeed behind
strong breastWork Of legs, built up there
On the Eight ditched entrenohment Il
built running across the valley, having its
salients and angles Like any regular en-.
trenohment. On the right Of this entrench.
ment Is part Of Loomis' battery Of guns
2 six pound field pieces and ten pound
rifed steel guns. The road passes through
the entrenehments here BY passing sharply
to the right then left, then forward; ct
distance this break in the WORDS is no
noticed, for it is completely masked by tht
line Of the works behind the first line. Thi
battery isalso protected BY the timber beinl
felied forward, and breastWork Of log
and krush running up The mountain, end
ing Ia strong work Of logs and earth Of
the top.
The river runs through the enlrenoh
ments near the left battery. It is the in
tentioh CT the Engineer 10 dam the rive
- here, and thus food the valley in front, AM
ct the same time filing the ditch up 70 th
high ground whore the battery On the righ
lzl riT Is placed. When these works are cOmplet
ed, the rebels can never take us in from
Some distance lover down the valley, be
9ghind the entrenchments, one Of the ridge
suts ont into the valley, and on this ridg
ssriils Col MsrTon Of the Sd placed two Of ou
~. composites, A and F, and they are holdlnl
astreng fort called Fort Marron, after Ou
E.FAE9 eallent Colonel Here will be placed som
-.--.5-, 10 Founders, which will shoot over LOOnil
battery and reach the head Of Che valley
which divides about two miles above on
aAA camp, one part going Southwest and th
other southsast up which the pike sti
49, continues The two sides Of the fort who
~ lie towards the hills sre twelve feet higl
~ 70 prevent the enemy from seriously dam
aging us should they get possession Of th
u hills farther back. IL win be The stFongel
% position in Western Virginia when coz
'''f 20 Last week the rebels attacked cornpan
iSFfFa A 15th Indiana, and after smart skin
mish our men reIreated. They lost on
sA man killed and one wounded. The enem
had some six or eight killed On the At
= 200 Ohio boys, two companies Of the Sd an
'tli two Of The 9Th, vent out With The intentio
of breaking up 8 band Of guerillas who al
- nov our provision trains on the BuekhaI
/. u non road After marching through Ii
wilderness Cor twenty miles, hey learne
aAh that this work had been done by q part
=. g from ths 2Sd Ohio, who took siz prisoner
kifled one and wounded another.
Allysl For ths last four OF I've days it was b
e Iisysd that the rebels we're advancing,
- e vSstsrdaY two companies Of the Fiftssnt
Indiana, and ffty of the Third Ohio, froi
aR @ different companies commanded by Cap
3 sali.as Wing. Of Compsny B. the whole undG
.aA 9- soTaSaand Of the Lieutenant Colonel Of Ii
.HI0 Is Ffftssnth Indians marched nine mile
shd this morning after sanFiss ettaeks
- s. asths enemys pieketg. Who TetHrned The d
- H5is briskiy. After q sharp firing Of fftss
: ssaf7ab minutes our forces FetFeetsdi They di
tinetly heard the long rolls q the enem
z7F77 l7s,o was coming out in fofoe7 We had OF
li.ss, ls..s 1aan of Company G., Third Ohio, Wound'
80 IN the leg, and our boys killed about g.
~ ar ak Of the enemy. They are strong
snlEsnOhed On Easlsy Muantsiu, Aftss
"A egmIls from euFepnp, end tVsnty-tEe nil
- i-5i ssoasi1q rfg aafsl aIEa "a
LCHl Hie 6 .taAH ittaA % esaf rfiens i%ea ~
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