The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-01-08
LHr9Ex FROM KENTUCKY.
OF the RICHMOND DIsrAzoH..

GASP or THE s4Sa Va. YoLuxrxsRs, J
Nssr Pain ~ lite, KY, (2io miles below I
civiiizAtion,J Deem Der 20, 1851.
] have written two letters TO you bu. 4,
being cut on from civilization, cannot say
wnetnsr or not they were published. / have
seen bat one or two numbers CT your paper
siacs left home, and they were torwaro cd
TO me ~ q speciat mes spnger. We advanced
from Pikeviiie TO Pres tOnsDurk, and 1ia ding
that the regiment, or rather the hal, bri.
K sde, could not be subsisted ct that place,
O0r u snerai (Marshalib ordered US forward
10 Palntviii~, the county seat Of johnson
county. TINS place Is but thir ". two miles
above Loaisa, W here It is reported the Yam.
KEYS are In large force. We arrived at
Paintville four days before Christmas, and
remained until Christmas day. During our
stay there We were kept constantly on our
guard by the frequent reports that the enc
my were advancing. At day light ON
Christmas morning nessen ger arrived At
headquarters with the news that five thou.
sand Yankees, composed VI infantry, cavai-
~, and twelve pieces OF artillery, were ad-
vancipg and were driving our pickels in.
The 6sne rai ordered us 10 strike our tents,
pack up, aud get eeady for 1ignt in twenty
minutes. BY the time given by the General
tor the above duty, our regiment had every
particle OF baggage loaded, sent Of, and
were in line OF battle, with guns loaded
and ready for q hgnt. At this time, we
hear0 the firing OF several guns below us,
and thought the ball had opened. Tho men
marches out and formed with the GOODNESS
and precision Of veteran soldiers. The staff
was compiete, with the exception of our
Lieu who has been absent
tor upwards OF q month. Why, Icannot tell.
All tho officers belonging to the regiment
below The grade OF field officers were pre-
sent except three Lieutenants, who are alb
sent because of sickness and detached ser
vice. i, therefore, take great pleasure In
saying that neither SAW an excited man
nor officer In the regiment.
One little fact, connected with the Mont
gomery 7th. company Of eighty-tve m en-
com m anded by James q. Taylor from Chris.
unnsDurg, Va, will further show the reso-
luton OF the men. The day before Christ
mas, eight Of Captain Taylor's men were on
sick roll, but when the news arrived that the
regiment was making ready for q fight every
man sho uldered his musket. The Captain
enquired Of them whether or not they could
stand it TO fight. Their reply was, that they
would follow their "Uaptain to the devil''
II he could stand 1t, they could do so. So he
had n y sick men that morning. The news
pt0ved 70 be false, after standing in line Of
battle for two h ours the General ordered us
to fall back three miles above Paintville,
where we are now busily engaged terrifying.
This is q hard section of the country. The
inhAbitants are mostly unfriendiy to us, and
until more decisive change takes place in
the political character Of TINS State, do not
see what good will flow from keeping us in
these mountains. A erea ter curse could not
be inflicted upon all YAnkeedom than TO
force them to invade Virginia through this
section and across the Cumberland noun
tains. FEr0.