Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-08-06

this county Is the same as it is in ever
southern and western county i'll Missouri
6 | haveyet seen. Originally, very larg
! majority of the inhabitants were for tn
old Union, but the rebel Governor place.
: the arms in the hands OF the minority
and then commenced a war of extermin
alton against all Union men. They wer,
] powerless and had TO fly for their lives
leaving their families TO the tender mer
: cies of these outlaws. You in your peace
full homes in Ohio, can little imagine tn,
, more terrible phases of this unholy rebel
hon, the privations and sufferings of poo
Union families, the outrages committed
upon innocent women and children. On
ly heart of stone would fail to be moved
by the rehearsal of the wrongs of these
prosecuted patriots. / have felt sad that
our government was so powerless to pro
protect them. Gradually, however, as the
Union army moves south, these exiles re,
turn to their homes with arms in then
hands, determined to protect them with
their lives. Then commences that kind
of individual warfare, that is more savage
and unyielding than that of any of the
old Scottish clans of which Scott wrote.
They hunt each other on the hills like
wild beasts. asking and giving no quarter.
One fighting for domination, for power.
for the perpetuity Of wrong and tyranny
in the shape of slavery the other for his
Government. for freedom. for his home
md his family. Thus it is ever. and shall
be world without end. wrong and outrage
at war with principles of truth, justice,
and Gods omnipotent right.
While in Neosho | visited frequently
! in company with DR.. Smith, the house
where Lieut.. Hutchins was laying sick
with the bilious fever. In room up
stairs, just over Hutchins' room, Law man
about forty-fv or fifty years OF. age, who
was shot the day before we came in, while
sitting quietly on his own door step. sur
rounded by his wife and children. His
only crime was love for the Gov ernment
OF mis- fathers, He had remained quietly
at home, cultiyating his farm. and taking
no part whatever IN the contest. relying
upo n the purity of his former life and mis-
present intentions, for safety; he had re-
manned at his own freside, but that was
powerles to save him. He had been shot
at twilight, and had no idea who did the
deed. His wounds showed tina; he had
been shot by shotgun loaded with slugs
and buckshot. One ball had entered the
left arm above the elbow, shattering the
bone and entering his breast on the left
side, passing along the breast bone and
lodging on the right side. Another ball
had entered the left arm below the
elbow and lodged in the right arm above
the elbow. DR.. Smith thought he might
possibly recover, and did all he could for
him while we renamed there. The Dr.'s
heart is a mirror of kindness and philan-
thropy.
Twice while at this place, our pickets
were fired upon, and we formed, dismount-
ed, for night attack, but the enemy did
not come.
On the morning of the 9th, four COM
panies of the 9th Wis, infantry, and one
section of Rabb's Battery Joined US, and
on the morning of the 28th, at 3, A. NJ,
we started to join the other forces COM
posing the Indian Expedition, conceutra-
ting at Cowskin Prairie. From then un-
til now, resting only on the 4th and 5th
insts., we have been constantly on the
march. The weather has been, without
one moments cessation, the hottest ever
saw; the thermometer ranging from SO TO
l06 in the shade. The intense heat and
the clouds of this fine, black, prairie dust
rendered our marches almost uncomfortable. !
Many, very many of our poor fellows have
l seen drop down by the wayside, from |
the effects of sunstroke. shall never for
get the Sth inst. On that day we were
up in the morning by 2, A. NJ, and off at |
8, with the intention of marching Is miles |
and encamping, as Col. Weir said, in a |
very pleasant place, to rest and recruit |
few days. 1t was one of the hottest and |
most sultry of these hot days. You can
partially imagine one Of these marches, |
by thinking Of long, 4th of July process
sion, moving along in "close order" on |
the hottest day you ever saw; increase the |
heat 10 degrees, and the dust four fold |
continue that march, or procession, from |
3 in the morning until 3, P. NJ, with only |
one or two intermissions of thirty minutes
to Craze horses, and you have our march |
of the Sth inst, aye, and of many other |
marches of the I'd 0nio. All day long we
marched without one drop of water, and |
when we at last reached camp, what did |
We find? nothing but pool of putrid,
sinking water, that was 80 nauseating and /
repulsive to both taste and smell, that our
famished horses would scarcely touch it.
| tried to drink some of it, but the first
draught sickened me, so that did not
try it again. You will think this pretty
hard for strong men, but what will you
say for those who were sick2 / rode back
up to the summit of hill where we were
to ercamp, and there were the ambulan-
ces containing the sick of our regiment.
Their appeals for water shall never for
get. have been vexed and angry a good
many times since | have been in the SER
vice, but never more so than when learn
ed that Col. Weir had been informed-bv
a reconnoitering party sent out to ascer-
tain the fact-that there was no water at
this point, and yet he pushed US on. We
soon learned that we were within three or
four miles of Grand River, and set parties
TO work hauling water from there as our
only salvation. The next day we moved
to our present camp on the banks of Grand
River, where we expect 10 remain several
days recruiting our horses. Whittier bound.
Or what we are TO do, no sane man would /
hazard guess. So far, our movements
under Col. Weir, have to say the least OF
them, possessed the quality of novelty, in
q military point of view. Here we are.
l50 miles from our base Corporations, (Ft.
Scottl all the way, you may say, through
the enemy's country without single in
post, without any force on the
route 10 keep communication open be-
hind US, and only thirteen days rations
on hand, and which must, think, be ex-
h.usted before more supplies can reach
Us. We are here between six and seven
thousand strong; counting the two Indian
regiments of thousand each. and which
in regular engagement would be of about
as much service as so many woodchucks,
and about as easy to keep in line or to-
gether. 1t would amuse your readers could
give you few incidents of our attempts
TO make soldiers out of ' Lo! the poor In
dian," but have not time or room.
Some of our scouting parties have been
At Ft. Gibson, and report it evacuated a
few days ago, but three miles from there,
At the junction of Grand and Arkansas
rivers, the rebels under Gen. Pike, have
erected new and quite strong fortifica-
ton, called Fl. Davis. This Gen. Pike is
the Poet, Albert G. Pike, of Ark. His
borcei is estimated at eight thousand there