The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-05-09
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
CAMP 55th RECT, Pa. Vols, !
EDIsro ISLAND, $. {.
April 9th, 1852.

limos 70 LET YOU know that Scabrook is still
gnrrishinr. which BIZ the'way is saying much
dawn here, as you will hereafter learn that it
h,sb,en in some danger, along with everything
ais, rirht arounl here. IL. Col. Bennett OF the
5fh. p. v, having been in bal health for
som, tim,, thoaght Il soolrn o. few w1ok' at
S,abrools w)lll d, him SOM gool, h accor-
dinrlv MI l. his qul:tar; there III company with
the Governm 3nt agents, Provost Mafsha!l, DC.
When got over there h, was inst aboat start
nrout on a little rle i, com2aay with Gov
crn,n,nt agent aa a Lieut.. belonging to the
A7th n Y. Vol. IL remlrAal to m, after
showing m, through The hoasc, g., that he
would only bcgoaa few hours aal hoped
would be there when he returned The same
NIGHT. about 9 O'Clock, the Provost Marshall
cam, to Can't. Dcnn,t'4 AIsrkec CT. Coils bro1
anil aslal him II the L;,at. Cll AMI party were
there B,inr toll thrtthay In lnotbaen in camp
that DIV, he sal ''the,- have been taken priso-
n,rs by th, rebels" which unfortunately has
proyed true, for they have not been heard OF
sincc-01 tho following day ut o'clock T. NJ.
companies A. G. ID. f. and /. received orders
to "scatter in ambush over the Islanl. | was
ordered to make my quarters in a house lately
occupied bv Rev. VIM. Johnson. an Episcopal
Minister, AMI on u bcnl OF st. Pierre Creek,
reached the place about dusk, threw out my
pickets and won't to basl; rem llla.l in this posi-
tion until the following i'ridqy morning, when
Col w came alonr anl ordered M to sanl IL
picket Of one $ sergeant, , corporals AMI twelve
men to two hoass aboa. II milo AMI hllt
from my quarters on the right bank OF the
stream. | obeyed orders, pos,c the pckat' my
self and the same evening scni sergeant ami HE
OF men to the pickcts with the couatersisA, &c,
About half an hour after dark the sergeant
came into my room with Just enough breath lett
TO saw that our picket hal been attacked. In
two minutes afterwards, | with the balance OF
the company, was goiag at Il double quick IN
the direction of tho picket while a Messenger
was travelling ut no slower pace to Col Whites
Head @ ttrters. Il was as dark as Egypt AMI
rs still as death, but on we went expecting eV-
cry moment to hear the rebel bullets wistllng
aroun our heals from the dense thickct on
each side Of our path, but on getting near the
first house, instead of a reception in the shape
of piece of lead, / recognized in the cry 'who
comes there" the voice of member OF co. d.
Without stopping but TO ask, had any one been
hurt how many had been SEN, and if they had
heard from the other picket, |, believing the
upper party to be in the most danger, hasteneo
on to them, leaving half Of the company at the
first, with orders to retreat back to camp II
'!Seccsh' came too strong. Found the upper
picket ti1lin q igs easy, had not seen any body,
and were reinforced by Il Lieut. and l6 men
from company G. Returned to the frat and had
not been there two minutes, whom 617J! went q
musket along the shore, down went with the
whole company, tho guard running IN, made
them fall into ranks, AMI along the shore we
went at a charge bayonat, but it was so dark
that could not soc the end of the company,
and one time while counter marching the right
of the company the left charged onthem think
inc them rebels. | stationed the whole compa-
ny in groups of fours along the water with
orders to lie down and shoot the first man they
saw moving on land or water; the order was o.
beyed as far as possible, for more quiet crowd
never sat in n church. We remained IN tins
position for about four hours when cos. IL and
X arrived with jim along. To make long
story short, we put a strong guard along thl
the stream anl found that two Of our men hao
fred at q crowd not over five steps from them
but it was so dark they couI not sec how many
or even get sight ON them TO Kill them The
next morning VIZ saw where ten or twelve hat
lanled and cone away again in Il small boat
They were rebels and their object was to cap
ture a few of our pickcts ] requested ant
got permission to move my company to TINS
point. The next evening the Col, Jim anc
company I, came to my quarters the Col. sal'
as l knew good deal about the country abou
there he wanted me to put CO. in the rott t'
NcMchaers plantation, saying the Map located
ii at the mouth of St. Perre Creek All hat
to do was to put chem in The road on the othe
side Of the swamps / should then return tt
my company, have ono days rations cooked
and in the morning start, follow up st. Pierre
find and try to effect n landing on Bailcy's Is
land. After the Col left, Jim told me it
would 90 all the wav with co. /, as he had t.
go, he would return and 90 along With him il
the morning. We started little before dark am
got back about 10, having walked some tel
miles; went to bel, y0t up carly next morning
started up st. Perfe, cam, to little creek
saw n boat on the other siJle, one OF the boy
swan over, rowed il bick went across, though
we were on Bailey's: saw company some dis
tance off, supposed they were rebels, approach
ell very cautiously, found they were all right
part of the 55th; went on and landed Mt co. G.
Quarters when we discovered we had made
complete semcircle, and were further from Bai
lcy's than when we started turned back, me
the Col. at our quarters, reported to him. Ill
said it was the only way in which we could OF
tain a knowledge of the country, or rather tn
swamps. Hada very pcaceabe time all tha
week. On the following Saturday sent ma
down to camp to try and get me something
eat, rs | had been living on fat pork and sla
Jacks made out of -four and water long {
nough He didn't succeed, but said all the Reg