The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-07-27
kets which the fugitives ran away with
under Col Pegram at night.
THE BATTLE OF CHETr RIVER.
CARRICK FonD, Va, Julp Is

| ;.
certained 1T the village of Leadsville that
! that the rebels after proceeding nearly to
Beverly, and timdIug the rebels blocked
| by Mcclellan > advance, united with those
that had been routed at Iich Mountain,
ana turned back and struck OFT on the
Leading Creek pike. half mile this side
OIL Leaussi!ie, and were moving IN the dI-
rect.on OF ST George, Tucker county
We had tracked thus tar easily For
three miles from their camp the road was
literally shugled with caids The trumps
were against them, and they had thrown
down their arms. Every lew rods We
found stacks OF tcnt-poles, tents, blankets,
ana other camp equipages, which they
had thrown out OF their wagons and OFT
their shoulders, 10 Tighten their burdens
and facilitate Their retreat Several wag-
ons had got otf the track, and were found
/ upside down IN the gorges Of the noun
aus.
; The right of our column turned off On
/ the road the rebels had taken, and after
proceeding some Two miles halted for the
night HE rear came up IN "A couple Of
/ nOurs, with only four provision wagons.
In the haste OF starting, most OF cur troops
( had lett their nayegaacks behind. The
supply oi crackers averaged about one to
each man; u little salt pork WAS served
out, the ni,n generally uttIug 1t in thin
slices, distributing IT as far IL would 20,
and eating II raw with Their Crackers
hundreds, however, went superiess 10
Their biyOuac III the bushes, llIng down on
! then arms and sleeping sound!y.
We were under WAY III the morning by
three clock. The sky Was overcast and
the weather cod \ DRILLING INST com
menccd falling which. III ;.n hour Two,
q =. - ir 5.tIT
. clouds pouring down their burden ia such
torrents us you are accustomed - iii =
Juue thunder shower. We iU!ucd Lead
lAg Greek vice, aiId by the tsnie we rragn-
cd the miserable Httlc village Of New In
i,rest, AZ the foot OF Laurel Mountains
+ tanother range OF the AI.ecIaUIc>, from
which The Laurel i!iii - merely IL spun,
there WAS Gut = dIy thread in oar c!otii-
ILs- Every H.ir on cur heals became IL
4 cOIdU : fJr the descending bounty of Ju
. piter .iuyius Passing t..e village q lev
miles, We s,ruri: directly over the mouu-
t.iu> for Cheat RIVER, ~ a by-r0~d wA,cn
the yete.s had taken. II was cI the .vu.rt
4 description. Al every step tne mud grew
deeper AID the way more difficult. and
Que iSii - though somebody was tG-g.ug
at his hs!.s 20 IU.I C.I .l- -Aye>. y "
s.!yp.u. Gown INTO the mud now p.uuG-
lu- IH,n poo, knee deep, sta ..E-I.nc about
IN the m.r- ike druhAeu men. tue sol
dier., eiated with the prospect OF fight,
pushed steadily ana biavvIy Oh. So tho
roughly MAS tie mud ka-auvi - tue lee;
OF lhe Thousands. pursued aud puIsu.u-,
. that it flowed down the mountain road
like thick tar. Every rivuiei, too became
a torrent, while the creeks swollen with
the burden OF the l-li,, became da>hIu-
and ioanins MYERS Ia tne Laurel Noun
taiu- ". found more evidences o; the dis
orderly IL ght oi the rebels For miles.
tents, tout poles, !.n-psacks, everything.
indeed even 10 prf>onas appalei, was
s;rswn III AN Iud.scg!niluate litter, and
trOdden down under thcir flying iret-
Here were more wagons upset, and Kept
from p.uaglng over gur,es down which 10
made me aIzzy To look, only by ,he GCUie
Ihlcke;> o! ch.rpa!el aad the tIUuks oi
Trees. Everywhere It yv.,~ dI~a- ter follow
ing upOu disaster. Occasionally v halted
and those 80 fortunate - 10 have them.
mt ID their wet Crackers with a. iuuc.i
satisfaction IS you would ST uoWI - {.
banquet 1t the Gibson House O.heI,
stretched themselves out = oug the road
side, a'd some were "a weary that they
sat down in the middle oi the road 10
rest. \ lew gave out rnt.Icly.
At last We emerged ilom the Laurel
Mountains. and came cut un the Cheat
River at Kahlers Ford. about twelve miles
from. and due south from SU George Ii
WAS then noon. oar advance consisted Of
the ONO l4Ju, Col. S,ceuu.au, 1JJ; Col.
NIlroy Yth Indiana, BOO; Dumon;> 1th
Indiana, JJt, and t"o piece, OF artillery,
with ~ m"T--the total Icing SO. The
reserve WAS an hour or more beHiud their
march being doub!y weaIi.om. b. cause Ct
the necessary hsits, and roads maze worse
10y those WHO had preceded them
! Tho boys were glad 10 plunge into the
ford, rs the swift flowing waters OF the
Main Cheat pu.ged them OF heavy loads
of mud with which most were plaster ed
10 their Wristbands Emerging from the
ford our advance came III sight OF the
rear OF the fugitive army at the second
. ford below, where their baggage train WAS
at rest aud their infantry drawn up 10 pro
tecI il. Ine advance regiment halted till
Dumonts and the artillery came I'D to
their support, when the uuiucky firing of
q qua Uy one OF our inca set the whole
bo'y in motion.
the chase now became Li.n.y exc;tnc
The rebels pitched the rest of their camp
equilare into the bushes: the officers
threw their trunks, con aiming their per
sonal effects, into the gulles and ravines,
and the prlva,es gave up their blankets,
knal.Sacks aud cauteens to the incXurahle
necessity OF fighting or retreating, and
they preferred the latter. Our advance
pushed them so hard that they formed
into line and commenced a scattering ire,
when our artillery opened upon them,
and they instantly rer ewed their stan-
pede. This stand, however, had given
their baggage train time to get under way.
The pursuit was ho,ly kept up Tor three
miles, and they showed as wonderful an
agility in flight us Potteiteld's army u.
, Phillippi
W,tnn a nile of the next ford, the
mountains recede on both sides from the
river The most OF this is comparatively
level bottom, and is comprised in the farm
! of Mr. James Corrick, and the iurds are
known by his name Ia crossing the first
=, OF these lords to the ri-ht side of the river
= (as we were adyancing), one of them wag
j ons mred, and those III the rear had t.
halt until il could be relieved The rebels
meantime drew up in line on the opposite
! side, in an oat field, and Were concealed
! ty rail fence and the trees and bushes
, iringin. that bank of the river. The bluff
. is from fifty to eighty feet higher than the
/ land on the opposite side down which the
! Ohio Fourteenth was advancing, with
, Capt Now S company thrown out rs skiy'
misiIers. AS the skirmishers pressed or
towards the ferd, the tcamsters cried out
Don't shoot don shoot We are going
{ to surrender" The Captain then called
i. to the Colonel, Come on Col St, edman
f they are going to surrender; and the regi
5 ment was ordered to advance at a double
E quick. AS he came opposite the bank
I where the rebels were dawn up. Gen
! Garnett cried, Three cheers for jeff Da
| Wis and that instant the whole line wa:
. a blaze of light as they poured destruc
) tive voliey upon the Fourteenth Th'