Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-24

Ts <0u-A A@ OF Lndtdaidns hH4ed ana
Wounded
CAr BEELEeros, Va, July Il, 1851.
Editors Of the Ssnfinel:
Knowing you all indulge the warmsst interest
in the movements of the Indiana troops, have
thought that few paragraphs from this remote
and hitherto almost unknown region of the globe
would be acceptable to your readers The Hoosier
soldiers. need hardly tell you, are making their
mark in the "Old Dominion" Step by step they
have fought their way. and demonstrated to the
most experienced military men Of the age that
volunteers are not only capable of fighting foreign
enemies, but of suppressing domestic rebellion;
they have risen far above the petty idea of gnoble
and uncultvated minds, that powder lead and
iron are not the legitimate remedies for inferno
cine, as well as exotic diseases.
The secession movement is not to be judged
by the ordinary rules OF law and ethics; il is,
prina toeie, a giant crime, which can not be
argued by any visible attorney, adiudcated by
any visible bench, or returned by any visible Jury
III the sight of heaven, and before all the tribunals
of earth. il defes the very rudinents of in
tellectua analysis the finest instincts of political
morality, and all the elements of all the even
partially successful experiments of government of
very necessity of the case il proposes to reverse
that claw whose seat is the bosom Of God, and
whose voice is the harmony of the universe" it is
not therefore entitled to 'the benefit of clergy {"
but must be met by the ultima ratio requrn
have hosts of near and dear friends through
out the North, who were hon sstly impressed last
winter by the idea that the unhappy difficulties of
our country could be terminated by "compro-
mise; | know how sincere and laudabIe was this
n al.
its basis was humanitarian-a desire to prevent
the shedding of blood, the devastation of beau
tful land, and the unmeasured increase of the
volume of the widows wall and the orphan .
tears; but, confess never could believe for a
moment that the Peace Conference" would re
suit in anything but the development of the stub
born fact of the impertinency. at any time. and
under all circumstances of opposing the fossilizei
deductions of garrett bred philosophers the deli
cate circumstances of the Learned Blacksmith -
and the vulgar pleas of the devotees of unds-
turbed luxury, to the mere animal instincts Of
unhallowed ambition.
The most important case that has been regis
tered upon the calendar of time is on trial at this
hour. As the prosecutor, We have liberty am
law; as the accused, despotsm and anarchy; as a
tribunal, the eternal, irreversible principles OF
truth and Justice; counsel, whatever of intelli
gence honor and courage remains in this poor
fallen world Such is the fest to which we are
inyited such the lofty motives which prompt
us to action; such the tremendous conse
quences, hidden only from the ignorant, the vain
and the supersttious, but which stand forth il
bold relief, like the cloud-capped mountains, be
fore that enlightened, unbiased vision which car
lift the awful veil of even early futurty. We
have no election; to retreat, is impossible: t.
"tarry in the plain" is absolute ruin; to advance
is to adopt the only which remains, and ",
shall have this consolation: our march, at every
step, will be over the newly made graves of boar,
error; our paths will be strewn with flowers, by tn,
hand of beauty; and our conduct will be ratified
by the opinions, the sentiments and the examples
of the good and the great of every era and every
cline.
We are at last in sight of the enemy. and ar,
able to report some severe diminishing, which i
would not be improper, perhaps, to signify by tn,
name of battles. The late force at Phllippa con.
sisted of the following regiments, companies, etc.
| Col Steedman, 18th Ohio; Col. Crittenden 9th
Indiana; Col. Dumont, 7th Indiana; Col Mlroy
9th Indiana Col. Bosey-"Guthrie Greys"-
9th Ohio; Lieut.. Col. Fulton, three companies
l6;h Ohio; Lieut.. Col. Dickey, three companies
18th Ohio; about four companies LIST Virginia
Col Barnetts Cleveland Artillery; Capt. Rick
etts squad Of mounted horsemen. Nearly tn,
whole of this force, amounting to some forty sir
hundred men, left Phllippa last Sunday morning
about half past 10 A. NJ The march-twelv,
! miles-was one of which no true soldier could
/ reasonably complain. We reached this plac,
Sunday morning about O'Clock, driving in som,
struggling horsemen, who fed with great pacifica
! ton, the balls from our infantry rafting abou
/ their ears at every step.
The Federal forces at once encamped, and pre-
pared to reconnoiter the surrounding region
Beelington, of which so much has been WRITER
of late, is miserable little village, containin,
about half dozen little frame and log houses
| Our camp reached one mile-from Beelington Z,
Mr. Elliott's, at whose house Gen. Morris had Is
tablished his headquarters. One mile and hal
in advance of the village, is the entrenched CAM
of the enemy. The location is the foot of Laurie
Mountain. and is one of great strength. We Sc
cured, from the summit of a lofty hill in thu
vicinity, a tolerably good view of its defenses
among which appears to be n breastwork, ten o.
twelve feet in hight. The situation is an admi
rable one, but the rebel troops-some four or fiv,
thousand strong-have strangely neglected Il
fortify the preciptous hills in the vicinity, which
will, if the resort shall ever be necessary, be sur
mounted by cannon by the Federal soldiers. From
this camp the rebel scouts issue every day anC
| night to watch the movements Of our forces anC
| plumber the loyal Virginians of Tygart's Valley
| When we reached this place we found the wood
full of the traitors, and immediate steps were ia
ken to capture drive them off. Sunday fore
noon, Captain Moody, Of the 9th Indiana
| n
cent hills In short time, he fell in with thre'
or four hundred of the enemy, from whom h
received brisk fire. VIM. Girard, one of hi
men, was shot dead on the spot and Capt
Woody, finding it impossible TO continue the figh
in the dense forest, retreated to the camp. TIL
| pickcts were then placed on every side. and
firing commenced between them and the rebel
| (the latter concealed in the woods which contin
| ued without interruption, night and day, unit
| n nh ANN
forty or fifty of our men made a dash at then
| in their hiding places, and pursued them tn
summit of the ridge, supported by shells from
our batteries. the assaulting party drafte;
| from the 18th Ohio, the 7th and 9Th Indiana an,
one of the Virginia companies. i never saw vet
eran troops acquit themselves more CALAMITY
and none could look ut these young men, who haC
never even witnessed fight involving the use o
fire arms, without satisfying himself that th'
volunteers engaged in this war are destined 4
| prove themselves worthy the noble cause il
which they have staked their lives, their fortunes
and their sacred honor. Corporal Boothroyd, o.
the 9th Indiana, in the assault of Monday night
received mortal wound in the neck; John X
Smith, of the 7th Indiana, was shot through
the breast. and instantly killed; young man o.
the l4th Ohio WAS severely wounded.
Yesterday afternoon, company Of scouts, be
| longing to Col. Milroys regiment, yeRtured into
the immediate vicinity of the enemys camp. A
heavy fire was opened upon them, and privat,
John Auten fell dead on the spot, having beer
pierced by a musket ball i'm the breast. Severa
of the volunteers have been missed within few
DAYS, while quite a number whose names hav,
not mentioned, are severely wounded. The fol
loving are the locations of some Of the mel
killed since Sunday morning: William Girsrd
9Th Indiana, White county, Indiana Cor. Booth
royd, 9th Indiana, Delphi Indiana; John X
Smith, 9TH Indiana, Shelby county, Indiana
| John Auten, 9th Indiana South Bend. Ind.
Ii is strange how soon the American character
accommodates itself to the most extraordinar,
emergencies. The instances of personal DARN,
anu cool, Spartan courage which have slread,
characterized this frsternal strife, truly ann
zing.
Private A. G.. Bierce was near Corporal Booth
royd when the latter was shot, and though th
balls were flying like hail, caught the wounded
man and carried him 20 or % rods. in full view o
the enemy, bringing also both his own and hi
comrades gun Smith, of Col Dumonts regi