Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-22
The Enemy's PIzeson Canard.
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We have learned from authentic source the full
particulars of the affair between cur troops and
those Of the enemy last Friday week, beyond Pike
ton, Kentucky. We will premise that the enemy's
General7a notorious debanehee, orsggart coward,
and liar By the name Of Nelson, an ex>lieutenant
(the STAT heutenant'0 of the U. S. navy-is q man
whose fort lies in magnificent inventions of the sort
embodied in the dispatches on our fret page giving
the pretended details Of his performances at Pike
ton. A few weeks ago he had q similar story of an
encounter between some Of his force and our men
near West Liberty, in Morgan county. where it was
represented that he killed hundred and fifty rebels
took fifty prisoners and put his foe to igncmnious
flight The facts of thst affair were simply these
An indOmitabe and enterprislBg man by the name
OF Jack Msy took accompany of seVenty-four sharp
shooters with him and waylaid the enemy in q f.
vor2ble place on the road near West Liberty. On
came the enemy in full fierce into the trap. Nay
and his men let fly ct them from their conceaiment
and moved them down like sheep. The enemy fell
into dismay and confusion. Jack and his sharp
shooters let fly at them q second round, and then
dispersed 70 make their way through the woods to
s rendezvous agreed upon.
| Jack May did not lose man. either kill ed or
wounded. Fifty graves can be seen, and have been
counted, Of the enemy's killed. The number of
their wounded of course cannot be known So
much for Sow Nelson's first victory, which was
telegraphed and published all through Kentucky to
suppress the aFdor and discourage the spirit of her
secession population This affair occurred last
I
Now for the grand affair at Piketon. which came
of last Friday week, Nov. Sth. When we say that
it was another encounter of Nelson's Dutch picked
up in Cincinnati, with Jack May, we already tell
the whole story. The fight occurred few miles
beyond PiketOn, on the Leuisa river, lust west of
the mouth of Ivy creek, which empties into the
Louisa from the Nerth side. The road along the
river, beyond the mouth Of the Ivy, is over steep
bluff, rising thirty feet perpeRdicularly from the
water.
Along the side of the road, four or five hundred
yards west of the mouth of the Ivy, which was
spanned by high bridge, the mountain rises to
great height, by very precipitous ascent, thckly
covered with ivy, laurel, and other evergreens.
Into this covert along this steep ascent, Jack May
placed his sh2rp-shOoters, now increased to three
hundred men, short time before the advance col
umn Of the enemy came up He then set fire to
the bridge. The Nenemyis advance soon came up,
suspecting nothing, and seeing the bridge on fire,
supposed that our forces had Fereated the ether
side. When the four or five hundred yards of the
road below him was filled with men, crack, crack
crack, went the rifles of Jack May and his shsrps
shooters along the whole distance. They continued
to lead and fire for several rounds; and then at
signsl they vanished around the mountain, and up
Ivy Creek to temporary crossing, which they had
taken care to provide, and which they destroyed
after they had crossed over.
Jack May did not lose man until, during the res
treat, the enemy, getting sight of his men in the
distance, fired upon them, killing only two and
wounding fifteen. Every wounded man was brought
away, and lot gun was left behind. As to the
loss OF the enemy our men said they left the road
piled up with dead bodies. Standing in file not
only one man would be killed by each shot from
the mountain side but as many as four or five be
either killed or wounded. Five or six hundrad
would, they think be low estimate, therefore, of
the loss Of the enemy in killed and wounded in this
affair.
Jack May then rejOined Colonel Williams, who
with his force of only fifteen hundred men, to
prevent flank movement of the enemy estimat-
ed at probably 8,O00, had fallen back to the juno
ton of Pound Gap and what ia called the Grape
Vine Creek Road. Colonel Williams is now in
the vicinity of. if not Immediately at, the Pound
Gap. General Marshall is at the Gap of the Louiss
river opening from PiketOn into Tazswel county.
Gentlemen Of intelligence just from the country
entertain no fears of the perfect feasibility of our
holding the mountain; and General Marshall only
wishes such small reinforeements of men and
arms as will enable him to push through and pros
coed against Nelson.
Paris, Kentucky, is more distant from Piketon
than Wythville, Virginia. and the circuitous route
taken by the news of Nelson's victory is sufficient
to disprove the story. These magnificent falHe-
hoods have become systematic business in KEN
lucky, intended to suppress the secessionst feeling
When the news of our victory at Springfield reach
ed that State, their journals put rebels" for "Fed
erals" and "Federsls" for "rebes" in the accounts
of the battle and spread the counterfeit news all
over the State. All that is needed for the speedy
redemption of Kentucky is to put in the hands
of the people Send enough arms and smmuni-
ton into Eastern Kentucky, and there are scores
of Jack Mays who Will soon settle the hash of
Nelson and the Dutch in his Kentucky regi-
ment