Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-21
Our Army Correspondence-Th 7th
Indiana i'm Maryland.

IblIoh oINIiNFf- "iitc foth t't' tfeatrc
il is the nearest place to the army where you can
find a place To sit down. Yesterday week the
9TH Indiana, among others, left Patterson Creek
20 find Gen. Jackson and his army. accom-
panied il as a volunteer aid TO Col. Gavin. We
travelled on the b. 4 O. X r. some twelve miles.
and disembarked AZ placecaIled Freuch's Store.
Here the entire command under Col Tyler. of
the Ohio 7th, struck out ia the direction oil Win
chester. and travelled some four miles when we
bivouacked for the night, without tents or any
other comforts but secesh rails About twelve
O'Clock scouts reported an enemy in advance.
and the entire column orlered to move.
which they did going far place called
Willis tan yard, eleven miles from the railroad.
Here il was halted and remained during the
greater part of the day. BY this time a large
number of additional regiments had come up.
aud our force consisted Of between six aud sight
Thousand mer. BY this time We discovered there
was nobody 10 fight, and which way to turn or
what 10 do no one seemed to know.
For this entire force there were no tents, no
provisions and no transportation, not one wagon.
Col. Tyler sent courier 10 the railroad to tele-
graph Gen. Lander his situation and the General
replied bv telling him TO draw on French's store
for provisions, distance OF only eleven miles
and but little 10 eat after you got there. The
order being given To march down the hill we had
just ascended, ! managed 10 get my United States
horsehesh past this column OF more than a mile
in length, us il was strung round the narrow road
IN the mountain, and DO suspect made one Of
the mo I "masterly advances" made during the
war. We arrived at the railroad a little after
dark, and ordered some men 10 20 out and press
teams 20 carry provisions, and they only had to
20 nine miles, aud succeeded in finding two
Fortunately, a. unexpectedly, train having on
board IN Ohio regiment, had also wagons and
horses, which by midnight we're unloaded, laden
with eatables and sent on, 90 where our hungry
soldiery we're encampel. This was one week ago
to-day, and / learned but few moments ago,
the 9Th still where they were. ard without
their tents. | know they we're yesterday it
was only then | concluded | would come up
here and STAY until there was n chance 10 live
or have fight. have eaten with niggerS-slept
with my feet in the ashes rs well rs on the wet
ground with no covering but an old horse
blanket, until i came TO the conclusion if there
was white settlement / would try and find it.
As To partaking OF refreshments with the Afri-
can population do not mean We sat down at
table with them, for. in the first place. there was
nothing to sit ON, and in the second there was no
table; but democratic Lieutenant Colonel and
myself snatched corn eIkes of a skillet and
off gridrOn with young and old niggers, aud,
by the way, the best corn bread ever ate II
all seemed to 20 natural enough with my friend,
but it was little hard on me
Troops still continue going down the road
night and day, and will, suppose, for the pres
ent encamp at Big Cacapon. SO miles from here
Ii they advance further, il will be toward Win
chester, which Is nearly as far frum Cacsqpon as
IT is from Patterson's creek. think there is a
determined disposition on the part of General
Lander to- make an attack, and the officers and
men ust furious in their ardent desire to make
battle. There are a great many rumOrs afoat
which might give but desire to state nothing
which have not seen, or learned from the most
reliable sources. We are unfortunate in
keeping our own secrets than anything else, and
had il not been for this we would have bagged
the entire force left at Romney 10y Jackson since
we evacuated il. The force very eonsid-
cradle one near ten thousand men, under com
mard OF Col. Loving. of the rebel army. A
Captain of cavalry told me a few nights since
that when the order was given last SUNDAY week
at 10 o'clock A " at Camp Kelley to he ready
70 march az IL O'Clock NJ, the news was in Rom
ney at O'Clock Z. VI. That night the enemy
commenced moving. and the next day evacuated
the town, after destroying all the munitions OF
war he could not carry with him Had they not
resolved this Intelligence. wewould have inevita-
bly, captured him by interceptlng him at Blues
Gap.
The number of sick here is almost incredible:
they now numUer between fourteen and fifteen
hundred. and every day brings fresh supply.
The women of Cumberland are interchangeable in
their efforts to render the hospitals pleasant as
possible. They. IN conjunction with the Chap
lainS--a number of whom are here where they
should be- are working by system, and have
undertaken the arduons task of cleansing the
bel clothes and wearing apparel OF this great
number OF iHvalids. Tie mortality is not so
great here rs elscw here, We; the deaths are from
three to tive per DAY. y very large portion OF
the iumateS are improving. aud during the past
week some have returned to their regi ment.. but
the number = small
The general feeling among officers and soldiers
seems much more buoyant during the past few
days, for they all seem to look forward with con
hdence not only in the result OF the approaching
hight. but for an early advance.
To morrow morning ! leave for Paw Paw
where the army are now said 90 be, and il | do
not hnd them. thought | would go To- lecturine
To the straggIers Of the Il0th Pennsylvania, and
the 18th Indiana on the rights OF property Moth
ing wrong about the regiments. but they haVe
confused ideas as 20 the right of possession
Yours II F. h