Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-10-11

I o little maQe Dy meal grated from new
corn. And now that is done away with.
Corn is all gone. There is a scanty supply
of beans and rice in the cOmmissary, but
that grows smaller by degrees and beauti-
fully less. Yet, the troops appear compar-
atively cheerful, and day after day per-
form heavy picket duty and labor at the
defenses. As I write, thousand or more
picks and shovels are working away at
mother earth. Stronger and stronger
grows the place, and more haggard and
gaunt grow the troops.
d" A Union paper Of a later date than the
! 18th Of August has not been seen in the
! division. Now and then a rebel sheet finds
! its way into the lines under a flag Of truce
in the exchange Of prisoners. 1t was from
one of them that we first heard of the bat
| tie near Manassas, and of the doings in our
rear. We know of nothing that is going on
/ in the outer world. As to any intelligence
/ Of anything beyond our own limited lines,
we are no better off than was Alexander
! Selkirk on the Island of Juan Fernandez.
| No news from loved ones at home-no glad
| tidings, no letters, that by the soldier are
ever so eagerly sought for, and always so
gladly received, ever reach the prisoners
Of Cumberland Gap. Rip Van Winkle-
like, save in our activity, and the conscious
ness Of what is transpiring in ourimmed-
late presence, we are asleep to the outer
world; and when we again emerge from
our prison into the light of day, and stand
as conscious spectators Of the movements
of that world, we may be amazed at the
changes that have taken place.
IA very large number Of the troops here
are almost entirely without either socks,
shoes, drawers, shirts, or pants. For the
last two months a great many Of the men
have been compelled to go barefoot and in
their drawers In view of the fact that
this occurred before we were cut of, we
lay the blame upon Major CARRIER, the Di-
vision Quartermaster, or Captain Brown,
the Post Quartermaster at Lexington.
HNEAR MANCHESTER, KY, Sept q, 1862
"On the 18th, at one clock A. NJ, the
evacuation of Cumberland Gap was begun.
The 23d Indiana, the 9th Ohio Battery, and
all the ammunition left at that hour. On
the night after that morning, all the divi-
sions left at eleven o clock, except the pro-
vost guards and blockading squad, who
we're left behind to finish the work Of de-
struction, and obstruct the road so as to
retard any movement Of the enemy against
our rear. At about two o'clock the maga-
zine was blown up, and the flames Of the
burning commissary building lit up the
valley for miles. Cumberland Gap was
left a mass of smouldering ruins. The
tents were all destroyed. Nothing but am
munition and a few Of the most useful
cooking utensils were brought away. No
officer brought away any of his property,
save what he carried on his back, or his
horse. Quite large quantity of bacon,
beans and rice were destroyed. Of guns
/ that went the way of all the earth, there
were a few thousand old ones unfit for use,
and four 30-pounder PARROT cannon, with
a large amount Of ammunition and accou-
terments for small arms 1t is impossible
/ to form an estimate Of the value of articles
/ rendered useless. But it made my heart
sick to witness the destruction. Tents,
cooking utensils, clothing, wagons, gun
carriages, rations, ammunition, arms and
/ accouterments, in two days time, passed
| from a useful and well-ordered stock to
miserable mass of ashes and broken frag-
ments. And all this was done while we
were in the possession Of perhaps the
/ strongest place in America. But we were
nearly $50 miles from assistance, with q
large rebel force between us and our
| friends, and we had been warned that if
we waited much longer we would hardly
| be able TO live at all.
"We are about fifty miles from the Gap,
in Clay county, at the Goose Greek Salt
Works. The last Of the division got in last
evening We leave in the morning, and
will direct our course toward the Ohio
River We have lived pretty much on
fresh beef and roasting ears, and expect to
forage our way through. Water is the
great desideratum. We march for miles
without seeing a drop. Goose Greek, which
in the wet season bears upon its bosom
hundreds of hat-boats laden with salt, is,
in many places for miles, as dry as the
streets Of Cincinnati Day after to-mor-
row we will have to make a march OF
eighteen miles, without meeting a drop Of
water on the road. But as l expect to
finish this some day within the pale Of
civilization, shall not anticipate. ! may
say, however, that in a general order pub
lished yesterday afternoon, it was stated
that we should, from this time forward
travel road hitherto considered imprac.
tcable. But an order has just come for
the men to CRATE their corn, and be ready
to march Immediately. may be on civil
lied soil before 1 write any more.
GREENUPsBURG, KY. 4, 1862.
Last night, the rear guard of the last
brigade came into this place, after days
march OF twenty five miles. This morning
I washed my face in the Ohio River. The
division has-been in motion ever since
wrote last. Night and dday, have the weary
troops ploded along. They have forageC
all the way. Nearly every man carried
with him his CRATER, made Of a tin plate
and he grated his own meal for bread ol
: mush. A halt has hardly been made, i
only to allow a train TO move on, but tha
: the men would have out their mills and b,
at work. One of the principal sources o
J trouble has been, that owing to the very
7 long line on the road, and the necessity o
= keeping it motion the regiments have nevei
known when or how long they would b.
= halted, except now and then when a gen
eral halt has been made.
: We have travelled between 225 and 25(
miles. John Morgan, with force of abou
1000 cavalry, has hovered around US nigh
: and day, annoying US both in front an,
5 rear, destroying mills and grain, and block
J aiding in front Of US, and picking up an,
} hungry soldier whose hope Of getting som
, fruit, potatoes or paw paws tempted hir
. fron the roadside We have had to di
0 new roads around burned bridges, cut on
t trees for miles, dig and dam for water
8 and bivouac for nineteen nights without
r solitary tent No property has been un
: necessarily destroyed, but the road benin
d US has been left barren Of provisions. Tt
= most unfortunate thing for an army t
d travel through country and not be reg
d ulsrly supplied with rations.
f Very few accidents have occurred. Al
t the troops have come through in excellen