The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1861-07-26

The correspondent Of the Cincin.
natl Commercial gives the following
exceedingly graphic report Of the
chase Of the rebels from Laurel hill
and the battle in which Gen. 9arne't
loet his life. IL WAS n terrible march
tor our boys and they deserve all
honor for II:
NOTHING ro EAT.
In the haste Of starting, most o,
our troops had lett their bsvcrsacks
b.hinl. The supply Of crackers
averaged about QUO to each man; h
li,ilc 1t pork was served out. the
men generally cutting it in thin
sl,ces. distributing 1t as far ~ 1t
would 60 and eating it raw with
their crackers. Hundreds, how. yer,
wen, snpperless to the bivouack IN
the bushes, lying down on their
arms, and sleeping soundly.
THE pit FicrLriF. OF rnE MARCH.
We we're under way IN the morn
ing by three O'Clock. The sky W &
overcast and the water cold. A
drizzling mist cammenced falling
which, in al hour or two. turned
into steady, chilling rain. the
clouds pouring down their burden in
such torrents ss you sre accustomed d
10 in a June thunder shower. We
fOrded Leading creek twice, and by
the time VIC reached the miserable
little village Of New Interest. at the
tout Of Laural mountains, (another
range OF the Alleghenies, from which
the Laurel hill range Is u mere spur
there WAS not a dry thread in our
clothing. Every hair OH our heads
became n conduit for the descending
bounty OF Jupiter Pluvius. Passing
the village lew miles We struck
Il rectiy over the mountains, for
Cheat river, by by.road which the
rebels had taken. 1t was OF the
worst description. At everv step
th, mud grew deeper and the way
more difficult, aud one ielt as though
somebody wac tugging at his heels
g. pull OFT his shoes. Now slipping
down in the mud, now plnnging mo
n pol knee deep, staggering about
in the miro like drunken men, the
Soldiers. elated with the prospect OF
n isht, pushed steadily and brsvely
on. So thoroughly was the mire
kneaded by the le.t Of the thousands,
pursued aud pursuing, that it flowed
uown the mountain road like thick
tar. Every rivulet, too, bt came Il
torrent, while The creeks, swollen
with the burden OF the rains, became
dashing and ioaning rivers. ln the
Laurel mountains, we found inore
evidences Oi the disorderly flight Of
the rebels For miles, tent poles,
knspsacfs. everything, indeed, even
TO personal apparel, was strewn in
an iadiscriminate litter, and Iodden
down under their flying .ect. Here
were more wagons upset. and kept
from plungins over gorges down
which 1t made Inc dizzy TO look, only
by the dense lh'ckets Of chapperel
and the trunks OF trees. Every.
where it WAS disaster following dis
aster. Occasionally we hailed, and
those so fortunate as to have them,
munched their wet crackers with as
much satisfaction as You wonId sit
down to u banquet at the Gibson
House. others stretched themselves
out along tho roa'lside, and some
were so weary that they Sat down In
the middle OF the road to rest. A
few gave out entirely.
They finally cou.e in sight Of the
enemy, and then comes.
THE CHASE
The chase now h.cane highly tx-
citing. the rebels pitched the rect
OF their camp ,qnlpsge lnto tie
bushes; the officers threw their
trunks, containing their personal
effects into the guilics and ravines,
aud the priva,es gave up the blan-
kets, knapsacks, anu cant-ens to the
incxurable necessity OF fighting OF
retreatiny, and they preferred the
latter. Oar advance pushed them
80 hard that they formed in line and
commenced u scattering fire, when
our artillery opened on them, and
they Instantly renewed tn, ir stam-
pede. This stand, however had
given their baggage train time to
get under way. The pursui. was
hotly. kept up for three miles, and
they showed as wond,rln An agility
in II ght rs PortertieId's army at
PnilliPpi.
TUE B,TrLE AT THE FORD.
Within u III 10 ui The u, xt tord, the
mountains recede on both sides from
the river. The most OF this com
psrativcly lev,l bottom land il com
prised in the farm at Mr.. James
C,rrick, and the lords are known by
the name. In crossing the fret "f
these lords To the right side of the
river (,s we were advanciny) one oi
their wagons mired, and those in
the rear had to halt until i, could be
relieved. The r, bells meantime
drew np in line on the OF posiie side
in an oat field aud, were concealeJ ID
by u rall fence and the trees and
bushes tringing that bank of Il q
river. The bluff ia from fifty TO
eighty feet high, than n . md nm