, 1861-07-06

-Four companies from the 9th and four froa,
the 18th Indiana, started Last night at II o'clock
to intercept tra n Of rebel wagons Iaden with
proviaions, At cross road, eleven miles from
reached tho point too late, tho enemy having
returned with their proyfaiona few hours be.
fore. Our troops had nothing to do but to
return, through tho drenchinG rain, making
twenty three miles In the mud By 10 O'Clock
to-day, This is not the first futt1ess tramp We
bave made for them tor Large Or smAl, they
always run 1t our approach: Only afen nights
ago Ma}or Garber, Major Bell and Major Cor
don, with party of volunteer horsemea, ssme
forty in number, xrmed only with pistols and
dress swords, borrowed from Varions officers,
with Capt. Noodles and Capt Cameron's
companies Of light infaatry from the Ninth
Indiana Regiment, under command of Lieut..
Col Du1p,Rent out to surprise party ofhorse-
men Wko had been near our lines but they
ded Ut orr advance, Dur party followed them
to Be1lfngton, Z mile from their main camp,
and within their pickets, driving them in. 4
few shots were exchanged, but they could not
10 persuaded to. bring ont their five hundred
retire OF else pitch into their whole force-
rather largo undertaking for two hundred
and fifty men. These little excu1sioas, With
ttoutiD:e, have furnished food for conye1sa-
ton and gossip smong the troops. Among the
Ecouta that have rendered themselves famous,
l6 0urHalu. 0l lac A!EmSs1A ttt} SoH! PAuJ, IL
the Ninth Indiana Regiment. Durham Is q
well educated man, d teacher, and an old
'nountsineer, having taken lessons under
Kit Carson. He Is slim built man,
Of medium height, hariEg small
head with . good forehead. His hair
times he appears with moustache and impe-
rial, and sometimes both are wanting. Sons.
times he looks like we'll built and trim
soldier, and often like a broken down farmer,
or travelling cattle buyer. He seems to look
natural in any garb he assumes: Durham was
out not long ago with Lieut.. Luman. Of the
Valparaiso (ind.) company, and bad examined
were surprised By si1 horsemen in full seces.
elon uniform, dashing mp to them. Durham
fred, bringing one Of them to the earth.
"Well," said Durham, ts theJ hing my broth.
er in Alabama for simply being Union man.
I have promised ten dead armed rebels for his
Life, and have only nine more to uake.n 4
| no no fime to capture the Rerse and 1seant sd id
die; they, however, made their escape through
the woods under shower of bullets.
It was only two days nfter that, when he was
looking near their camp for a masked battery
| which he had heard from the neIghbors wa
| planted to protect the roaa ,that he was sudden
| u surrounded and taken prisoner But he wa
re6dJ for any emergency. His well told story O
being driven from home for fear Of the Adolf
ton army who we're camped near his home
| ard the terrible things he had heard about thf
Northern men, made him plenty OF friends
and be vas quite lion among his newly made
| accession brethren, until he managed TO giyt
! them the slip and escape. Since then he haE
| made almost daily Inspections Of their works
| meeting with yalious adventures, In which
I so lar he has always come out ahead. As fol
| the people living here, they are but little ust
| to us. The Union part Of the community
| magnify every little body Of secessionists t
| great armies, and put Us to great deal o
| trouble. Only Thursday night last, three O.
| them came running from Buckhanon saying
| that 600 secession troops were occupying th9
| town. The word was sent to Grafton, and i
| resulted in the change Of movement which de
| layed operation for . day or TIVE. The fac
turned out to be that only party Of secession
| hoTsemen, numbering some hundred and fifty
were there in search Of food. Three of ou
! scouts ran the last fifteen Of them out of town
| On Friday night, and had We known the tru'
| situation Of affails, the whole party Nigh
| have been cut eff.
I tird that the Aajutant Of the 9th Indian
! regiment, H. Lcripg, jr., was formerly sur
veJ Or in your city, this regiment which ha
| taken such an active part in all the scoutin:
ard skilmishing expeditions, is from til
| Northern counties Of Indiana, and nearly al
| Your readers when at home
| No more until after the fight.
| Yours, NORTH West.