Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-09-13
Our Army Mt Cumberland Gap-PerilOus
Condition OF Affairs.

.o,r ARMY ut Cumberland GRp-PeriIOus
Condition OF Affairs.
The following is an extract of letter from
a distinguished Union officer serving with the
forces under General Morgan at Cumberland
Cap
CUMBERLAND GAP, Tenn, Aug. rs.
We are surrounded, and our supplies are
cut off, The rebels have twenty thousand
men, Just out of cannon shot in our 'front.' and
the pickets run across the mountains from
valley to valley, up to within two miles of this
Gap. More of the cnemy's troops are now
on their way from Knoxville, and two rebel
columns have also gained our rear. One of
these columns, under Gen. Kirby Smith, is, it
is said, about to push its way up to northern
Kentucky, to attempt to cross the Ohio river,
and by the time this reaches you, if it ever
does, the whole of eastern Kentucky will,
fear, have fallen into the hands of the rebels,
and we may be isolated by distance of hun
drcds of miles from the only region from
which we can hope for succOr. We have
begged for reinforccmentS and support for
two months past, so that we might penetrate
into east Tennessee, where both friends and
supplies await us; but the authorities at
| Washington have turned a deaI ear TO our
entreaties.
| Though the rebel force is great on all sides
| of us, | do not believe they will dare to at
| tack us. They evacuated this stronghold with
| force 5000 strong, and with reinforcement
| of $4,000 within three hours march. This
was more than twice the number of the ma
tional force with which Gen. Morgan captur-
| ed the Gap, and which had no reinforcements
within distance of one hundred miles. But
the enemy is unable to cope with such de-
termined men as compose this little army. |
am assured by the highest authority here, that
IN no eeeat ctU Cumberland Gap be SU,9en-
| dered or erdcuGted. The only means the reb-
! els have of destroying us is to starve us to
| death; and | own that in this respect the
| prospect looks somewhat gloomy. If the
rebels now moving northward reach the Ohio
river, we shall then despair of relief; and by
the end of September or October, our bones
bleaching on the mountains may be all that
can be found Of Gen. Morgan's army.
| If it be in the programme Of the government
| to relieve us, a column of 20, 900 men must be
Immediately sent from Lexington. 1t can be
| done. Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky can fur
nish the troops; and if they are not hampered
| by absurd orders, the column might yet reach
us in time. Gen. Morgan says that if apprise /
of the approach of Il relieving force, lac him
self would advance to meet 1t with a portion
Of his army, and cut his way through the be-
eaguring rebels or perish in the attempt.
The enemys troops are like famished wolves.
Hunger has made them desperate. Look out
for ravages, if they get up into the blue grass
region Of Kentucky.
DAILY and hourly we look anxiously for re-
lief. We listen with sharp ears for the drum
| tap of Gen. Buell. in the southwest, or the
bugles of a Union column advancing over the
hills from the north. High on the mountain
peaks this little army defantIy upholds the
flaming emblem of the republic. God forbid
that our government should leave us to be
starved out or slaughtered piecemeal uncared
| for, in these solitudes.