Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-01

The Ind0mitable Energy of Col. Garfield
How He 1sIIoted "a Steamer ana Saved
His Men from Starvation.
The Cincinnati Times says We would
like to be informed of some honorable work
thai Col. Garfield can not do. He has been
canalItr, lawyer, a preacher, teacher, Il
SENATOR and colonel-iu the front ranks of
them, too-and now we see, by the following
letter. published in the Salem Republican, that
not all the raging waters of the OHIO flood
could stop him when lie wanted to carry sup
plies to his needy soldiers. After the victory
at Prestonburg, cur victorious soldiers were
reduced TO eXtremilieS for foud-the impassa-
Bile roads preventing supplies from following
as ast as it was meedful Tor them to press on
in order 10 meet and overwhelm the enemy.
Then the difficulties of supplies were aug.
mented aHd rendered almost nsuperable by
the late terrible flood III the Ohio and the San.
dy. While ColOnel Garfield, fOrgettul of eve.
rything but the comfort of his men and the
success OF the cause. was as cool Us wise and
as plucky on the flood as on the battle field.
the writer says -
"When our little boat, the Sandy Valley,
on Sandy, came down from Huntsville TO
Louisa, the captain was asked to drop down to
our store boat, and land. Said he, L can't
go! You can try was the reply. IN be
id if any boat can go was his reloiLder.
u,
and will put some one on board of her that
'cH take her up, or try, at least III you lose
the boat, you will have TO pay for her. Very
well one poor starving soldier is worth a
thousand such boats
Captain IL. put new crew on board, and
loaded her BY that time the water was tween.
tytive feet, and was up in the tree tops. The
heart OF the new captain failed him. Then
we tried another little boat, called the Screw
Propeller or Sallie Col Garfield told him
that 1--WE are going in this boat, and that she
must go to headquarters. as our brave boys
could not starve, after having escaped the per.
ills OF battle" lie said at was utterly imnos-
sible No Loaf could stem such torrent (!
She will be dashed into thousand pieces
against the rocks and shoals !" Col. Garfield
replied, with all the enthusiasm of his noble
/ nature, Then we shall be dashed with her,
for am going to pilot her myself aud Capt
Heaton will command her. You will obey his
ordersp
We loaded her and started upon the most
turbulent waters ever witnessed'in any stream.
The little boat trembled in all her timbers ;
but Col Garfield, being an old boatman, held
her true to the stream, making about three
miles an hour against the current NiQht over.
took US, and the captain (Moore) and his fore.
man entreated us TO "tie up" to some tree un.
I'll morning "No," said Col Garfield "eUerv
man stand to hiSPost! Those boys must have
something to eat" AT last it got SO dark we
conld not see our hands before us, and in one
OF those crooked bends in the river making an
exact elbow, the boat struck the beach with
her sharp bow. aud the earth being sort of
blue quicksand, she ran six or seven feet into
the bank aud knocked us all down Here we
were without lantern dark as Egypt We
reversed the wheel aud tried to back out, but
il was no go.
We then went into the country, got mattocks