Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-07-24
THE BATTnB OF, oHEAT RIVER
An Interesting Account.

An Interesting Account.
Correspondence of The Cincinnati Gazette
To understand the exact location of the
battle field, it should be remembered that
the enemy, after leaving the Beverly pike,
had taken q mounthin road leadiug back
again to the western side of Laurel Hill,
and across the mountains TO the Shafcr
Fork of Cheat River, intending to proceed
down the river TO St. George. They had
reached the Cheat River ;nenr the South
| eTn extremity Of Tucker county, when they
discovered cur advance rapidly nearing
/ From that time Garnett's manifest object
was 10 select some advantageous ground
/ from which he could drive us back and
! then make good his retreat. On reaching
the third ford of Cheat River, his practic-
/ ed military eye at once detected the advan-
| tages of the position. On the left bunk of
the river WAS low level bottoms-corn-
| fields and meadows. On the right WAS IL
! high blnff, commanding the fields below
| and its brink friuged with an impenetrable
! thirket of laurel Furding tue river and
placing his mcu on this high bluff on the
! right. he had ihem completely concealed
! from our advance by the laurel, while the
sit1ation gave him every advantage with
! his artillery. TIE wagon train vas left
| Standing in the river, manifestly for the
purpose of deceiving Us iGto the belief that
! The army had advanced, and the horses
| were unable 10 draw the wagons over the
rough rocks of tie ford. He supposed,
rightly enough that we wonid advance and
take possession of the wagons, and that
/ thus the bait so nicely arranged
would draw us directly under the ERE Of
/ his army, concealed on the opposite bluff,
His plan worked 10 II charm. The only
3 that bn rC,DntaI M frur fbOuS-
and soldiers to carry it out, when he seems
/ TO have had only four thousand cowarda.
! A properly directed fire, properly naim-
taiHed would have mown our three regi-
ments to the ground, luug before the main
body of the army (then two or three miles
/ bnck) could have arrived, and no power
under Heaven could have prevented Car
nett from making Il successful retreat.
I But the men were panic stricken. This
was business: those bluc-hiooded Yankees
actually had the imrcrtiuencc to stand
7 fire. and to shoot, too, with uncomfortable
I accuracy. The bullets came too near tic
persons of the chivairy. The perfume
! of ruupuwler was not near so fragrant a
! that of the cologne with which they had
been so bountifully supplied at Laurel Hill,
! frightened sheep.
we'd S;eedman's regiment Fourteenth
Ohio. from, being decimated by the first
yolIcy. They were in fair view, drawn up
/ in marching order on the left bank, and
with ouIy the river between them. Had
| Stcedlrnn been Oh horseback he would as
suredlv have been riddlcd hY IL dozen bull
lets. But on foot, directing the move
meuts of his mcn, lie bullets went Kissing
/ like vencmous serrents directly over his
head. The cnemy'S artillery came crash
inr into nction almost with their first vol
lev of musketry, and the fiie would have
been mUrdcrouS, had not they also aimed
! too high, AZ very likely 10 be the case
when shooting down from an emincnce,
unless tie gunners are thorough masters
of their business. The shells passed about
two feet over the heads of tic Fourteenth,
cutting off trees al that hight, and burst
ing some distance beyond our lines.
No praise do justice TO the gallant con-
duet of that glorious Fourteenth. From
the first curdlIng surprise by the crash OF
musketry and artillery, when the whole
hill above them seemed belching ont fire
and lead, they stood firm rs the soil they
trod, instantly forming their line of battle
and returning the fire with precision to
which we soon found many mournful tes-
timnny on the hight above.
Instantly, Milroy's 9th Indiana came
rushing up, and the gallant Colonel at
tempted to form them in line of battle on
Stecdman's left. The ranks next to the
Fourteenth were thirty deep. Every man
wanted to be at the point of danger, and
was crowding forward to be in front, till
it was by the most energetic measures that
the :Swamp Devils" could be driven fur
tber from the scene of action in order to
get them into line.
Meantime what ought to have been the
crowning manouver of the engagement
was going on, Capt. Benkam had observed
n point some distance up the river, where
he thought the bluff on the right could be
scaled. and a flank movement thus he
lmade to turn the enemy's left. Old Du-
mont was Instantly ordered to ford the riT-
er and lead the Seventh Indiana up the
bluff. The anscent was terrible, and the
thicket of laurel added fresh difficulties
But the Colonel had already reached the
summit: Capt. Lords company and Hnoth-
er had followed him, and the rest were
ready tonscend, when some one bore the
word to Capt Bcnham, who was on anoth'
her part of the field, the statement tha
the ascent whs impraciicnble
In FIRE minutes more the. enemy's Hank
cDuId hmSe Lccu turned and the engage
ment ended, but Bsnhami acllhS on lht Lu
formation he had received, ordered Col
Dumout then to proceed down the riyel
and turn the other flank; when the ordeI
was delivered the Colonel was mystifed.-
There be stood, the ascent made, bis regi'
meut partially mp and the rest following
and row, having marchcd up the hill, In
stead of engaging the enemy before hin
land who bad not yet. owing to the inter
veming thickets of laurel, discovered hi
presence,) he was ordered to march dow
again.