The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-06-22
Army CORRESPONDENCE.
CANE McGINNIg, June IS

and letter, you may have gained the partic-
nlars, and it viii be needless for me TO give
the general details Of the affair. Some facts.
however, which have gained, may be Of
interest and I will give them.
The distance to the rebel hole, Romney,
from Cumberland, is rising thirty miles
We took the cars, however, for New Creek
Bridge, Rome, twenty miles to the West
ward, thereby saving some six miles Of trav-
ell, and coming upon the town by route /
that would not be expected. We left the cars I
at IL o'clock Tuesday nj ght, and with the
assistance of two faithful guides, started on
the route. The roads were such as India
ana boys were not accustomed to travel :
being over steep and rough mountains
Still our boys kept up well under the in
tense excitement of the march, coupled with
a great desire TO g clean out the rascass-
Deploying scouts and pickets ahead, we
moved on in silence. Imagine our feelings
only a few days ago among friends, where
all was peace and seeurity-but now plod-
ding our way over the toughest road in
Virginia, in a rebel country, passing
ravines and gaps, with steep cliffs surround
ing us on either side, where a dozen men
could, with trusty rifles, pick as off with
no chance at all of retaliation, and render
ing it almost certain death to attempt to
every secret recess, place of concealment, or
pass for a retreat. ! cannot find words to
express my feelings on that march, which
was the most perilous that has been made
this campaign. The news that the rebels
were l 900 strong, with two pieces of artil-
lery, did not brighten us (although we
numbered only 500 fighting mem, but rath-
| err prepared each for the fight, and increased
| our courage. After marching abou; twenty
miles, daylight appeared, and we could
move with more comfortable feelings
| When about four miles from the village, we
captured a man on horseback, who was
| thaviDg deserted us) hurrying on to inform
| the rebels of our approach. lie cried some,
and complained bitterly of his poor sick
mother, but his whimpering was OF no avail.
| We have him yet-Major Yandiver, d no1'p-
rious rebel, and the terror of his section
| The people (Union) thanked God we had
! him, and hoped we would not let him 60
| We shall not let him slip, rest assured Of
that. Our scouts fired upon three pickets a
/ mile or more this side of town, and retreated
back to our main body. From that time on
we were exposed to a struggling fire from
/ the mountain side, but budding close to
| the hillside which had been cut down for
the road, it furnished protection We had
! to enter the town by long covered bridge,
4 which, having been first tested, our men,
| (although having marched eleven hours),
| ran whooping and yelling through. As the
| first company reached the other end, We
were welcomed by volley of thirty shots
| from house not one hundred yards distant,
! The bullets few thick around US, only one
/ l. a lrba NJ
of Company A. He was miracuously saved
from instant death by the ball striking the
heavy buckle upon his suspender, causing
| it to glance off. Responding to the fire, we
pressed on, and, deploying our men, entered
the town. The rebels ran az usual picking
| up what they could, and also taking their
cannon The inhabitants broke for the
woods, and we found the town perfectly de-
serted. There proved to be about tive hun
bred of them, although the niggers, who
did not run, declared that there was
thousand. We followed up the rebels and
killed several and wounded seven others
Col Parsons horse was captured while he
took to the woods. A secession flag, sever
al horses, wagons, tents, mess chests, mus
kets, surgeons instruments, cartridges,
clothes, &c, were among the spoils which
we brought back to Cumberland.
We remained in Romney some two or
three hours, and started back to Camp Nc
Ginnis Had we got chance at them, we
should have chronicled the most brilliant
victory achieved in the campaign. Never
| theess it was some satisfaction to drive the
rebels and capture their camp equpage
! The march back was terrible as the ex-
citement had disappeared and our feet from
the night tramp up were excessively sore.
/ Our Colonel in the advance, marched on
foot at the head of the column, and on the
| return kept in the extreme rear so that
none of those tired should be left behind
1 Such attention to his men, has silenced
many of those disaffected, and they begin
to appreciate their leader. We marched
| forty-nine miles over this rough road in the
space of twenty-three hours, which, taking
into account the fact that we had not rested
| twelve hours after our tedious ride from
Evansville, should be placed high to the
credit of Hoosier courage and endurance
The Confederate States made brilliant
| Z" coup de etat, when they worried Virginia
out of the Union, for a more formidable or
advantageous battle ground could not have
been found. When the rebels are driven from
the mountain nights, passes and gaps of the
Old Dominion, they win have to yield the
game. These passes are almost itnpregnable
Notifications Of themselves and if they are
taken advantage OF Dy Sunclent number
of rebels, no force can dislodge them Our
policy of battle would be a siege to cut off
supplies, to make them surrender
We are prepared to retreat to Pennsylva-
MIA, at any moment, as we have a reliable
report that 1000, Of the retreating for
ces from Harper's Ferry, with heavy artiI-
lery, are advancing npon US. Although
we are brave, it would be verse than folly
to stand against such force.
If the muskets captured are any test of the /
arms of the rebels, they are certainly very
poorly off. The stories of impressment go .
ing the rounds are too true. Even boys are
enticed away and seized. This is one reas-
on that they run. They are mostly impress
ed men, who are dissatisfied with this IN
natural allegiance, and won't fight the fed +
eral troops There have been several deser-
tions to our camp. The people of Virginia,
toward the central part, are in a terrible po-
sitition, and have to be seeessiouists to save