Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-08-27

Il
BEVERLY, Aug. 10, 1862.
Editors IntsHigsncer:
In order 10 keep your readers posted in
regard to tue progress of the war in this
portion of the State, will drop you a few
lines to show them its latest phases and
developments. The late call for additional
troops aud the order for drafting have pro-
duced great commotfon amongst the peo-
Pile of Vest Virginia Asfar as the knowl-
edge of the writer extends, and whilst the
loyal people of many counties are respond
| ing nobly TO the call for volunteers, the re-
bellious portion are fleeing in CONSERVATION
from the draft. have pretty reliable in
Formation that not less than four hundred
rebels have left the counties of Harrison,
Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, and Randolph
These go with the purpose of joining the
guerrillas. Some ofthem have gone through
Pendleton by the Seneca route to join Inn
hoden, taking with them all the good hor-
| SEES they could lay their hands on; whilst
Others are concentrating in Webster coun-
| ty.
Eighty men left Hackers Greek on Thurs
day night last in Que company, under the
lead OF one Isaac Benson, who, on the day
before leaving was arrested and taken be-
! fore the commander of the post at Weston,
| when he took the oath and was discharged
This company WAS well mounted, and may
be looked upon as promising company of
marauders is embryo. All they lack is
arms aud equipments, ammunition, &c. Two
of them had swords, six had guns, the bal
auce were without arms. They have uni
ted with others from other places,
aud now number one hundred aud fifty.
Their place of rendezvous is in Webster
county, and they are compelling all they
come across to join them. When they left
Hackers Gre9k and had been seen passing
through UPshur, Capt. Marsh, who is in
command of the post at Buckhannon, no.
titled Col Harris who was at Beverly, by
telegraph of the fact. The Colonel at once
organized party of cavalry and infantry
and started with view of interceptiug
their progress under the idea that they
would try to make their way through to
the rebel lines. He marched up the valley
by the Huntersyille road, dropping squads
OF infantry at every road that came in from
the direction from which they were cx-
pected to come, whilst he with the cavalry
penetrated Pocohontas to the distance of
iitty-six miles from Beverly, making the
march in about twenLy-six hours and
placing guards on every rohd leading in
Il from Webster county. After waiting in
vain for two days for the approach of the
party, the Colonel was compelled by want
of provisions, forage, &C., to return. Start
ing on Monday morning at one o'clock with
IL fine moon, the return march WAS made
with so much facility that by eleven o'clock
A. NJ. the Colonel had gathered up the
last squad of infantry guards which had
been left on the road on going out. The
return march was commenced ut so early
an hour to avoid the danger which the
Colonel had reason to apprehend from
bushwhackers on his return. By three
O'Clock in the afternoon the whole
party had passed the last point at
which danger was apprehended, and
having gotten into nice open country in
the vicinity of Huttonsville, with large
farms lying along the road, and farm houses
being seldom out of view. The colonel
seeing he would have time to reach Bever-
ly with the cavalry by shutdown, and APP
pretending no further danger began to adj
vance more rapidly, leaving the infantry 10
| follow at their leisure. The hOWitzer team
being faded and several of the horses being
tender footed from having lost their shoes,
| it was not cared for aud also LETT behind.
The column had advanced mile or two,
and having arrived within two miles of
| Huttonsville, everything going free aud
and easy, when crack went rifle near the
head OF the column, and then another and
| another, and mdny others, to the number
of fifty or sixty in rapid succession from
the front to the rear of the column. Colo
mel Harris was riding ut the head of the
column with Lieut.. Myers of tue RinggoId
Cavalry, and a citizen by the name of
Pharis, who had accompanied the expedi-
ton, at his side the colouel being on the
side nearest the guerrillas. Seven or eight
of the first shots were evidently aimed at
tine colonel, striking his horse aud various
objects about him, several of the balls
barely missing him, yet, strange to say.
TINT Notwithstanding the distance of the
| guerrillas from him was not more than
thirty PAGES, not ball touched his cloth
ing or his person. His horse being very
severely wounded became unmanageable
aud went plungiug over the road in spite
of all the restraint of the bit 20 tile distance
of one hundred and fifty yards from the
scene of action, when the shoulder blade
which had been weakened by one of the
balls which had struck him suddenly gave
way when he began to break down on that
Ileg, although he still continued to plunge
for u rod or two further when the Colonel
dismouuted he saw the blood spouting out
in stream as thick as his thumb from a
hole made by minnie ball in the rump.-
The horse, fine dapple grey, being the
same on which Gen. Mcclellan made his
campain in West Virginia last year, was
then stripped and abandoned, the Colonel
mounting a horse which just then came up
carrying an empty saddle. Several of the
boys by this time came up bringing the in
telligence that two of this Ringgold boys
had been killed. Several horses were Sc
yerely and several slightly wounded. 0ue
man had a buckshot lodged in his forearm
whilst many of them had holes in their
clothing the balls grazing in some iustan-
ces the head, the feet, and in various other
parts of the body. One man found rifle
ball in his boot but was urhurt by it. The
position of the guerrillas had been very
skilIfully taken, being the rocky top of a