Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-09-19
The Retreat of Col. Liehtbr1rn


: tense interest and excitement for t
last few days. News, in the form of
n thousand rumors, reached us, of Il
u marching of the rebel forces into Il
III hanawha Valley--thc battles at Fa
+ cite, Gauley and Charleston, aad the r.
= treat Of our forces. We had both :,
q. mics victorious, and both slaughtered
al oozen times, by rumors not profitable
repeat
,. so far as we can get at the facts, the
t. seem to be, that very severe engage
ment between our forces, and an owe,
whelming force of the enemy, occurre
at Fayette, in which our troops exhib
tied bravery not surpassed during tn
war. Tley suffered severely in tn
d hight, but did most terrible executio,
:, upon the enemy. The particulars W,
y are unable to give. They held the su
: perlor force of the rebels at bay unit
night, and then retreated in good ordel
and Joined Col. Lightburn at Gauley.-
The Colonel, satisfied that he could no,
withstand the superior force of the en-
emy, and determined to save the i'm
mense train left in his charge when Cox
was Withdrawn, fell back upon Charles
ton, fighting all the way From there he
sent the train across to Ripley, holding
the rebels at bay at Charleston until it
was fairly started. Ordering the bridges
on the Kanawha between Charleston and
Point Pleasant to be destroyed, and the
roads obstructed, he commenced his re-
treat in the rear of his train. Some
sklrmlshing occurred on the way, but it
was brought safely to, and across the
Ohio, at Burlington.
During all this time, the most exciting
rumors reached this place. The Home
Guards OF -Pomeroy, Middleport, Mi
nersville, &C., turned out to meet the
Colonel at Ravenswood. They had
gone no farther than Racine when thew
were met and advised that their services
were not needed. Some returned, and
some went on upon their own hook
Safely upon the Ohio side, the train
commenced its movement toward PIT.
Pleasant, which brought it through this
place. We don't know the number of
teams, but were told that the train oecu.
pied eight miles in length It was such
show as was never before seen in Pom
eroy. 1t occupied good portion of
tuesday and Wednesday in passing
through town. 1t was followed by a
lost OF fugitiyes, both white and black \
For two or three days they have been Y
'esting themselves in groups under ev l
ry shade-tre along the road. Many Il
II the soldiers had not an hours rest S
or four days and nights, and the fuei- a
ives, had none for more than half that "
lme. They might well be weary. Scores r
+ old men and women, scarcely able to S
ak and little ba1cfooted cildren, from
1ree years old and upward, walked all N
1e weary march without stopping to II
eep. We passed along the road from 81
lis place to Racine on Tuesday morn o.
g, and found it literally lined with al
lese weary pilgrims: who had laid them W
own to sleep and rest on the free sol, IL
Ohio, which, to them, was a land of OF
lnaan, reached at last. We stopped OF
ID talked to many Of them, aud heard al
les that the novelist could never COIN ell
ON his fertile brain to grace his fe al
IN. We may recall some of these s''
reafter ha
The retreat was undoubtedly mas 20
'iy movement, and does great credit to
Il. Llghtburu. The rebels were un
ubtediy apprised of he immense -
IN OF horses, mules and wagons left g
the charge Of Col. L., and of the in az
equacy of his force to protect it. 49,
e bait was tempting one, and worth -
'' "a Peui'iou IL IL cCuiu be cap -
ed. With this train. and the Kan
l., :, wr
ha salt works in their possession, thev ~.
lid return to Dixie with salt enough 20
winters supply. The mastery re- No
at of Col. L. disappointed them in ~ ~
ir prey. A large amount of Govern e..
Mt stores at Charleston, which could 49,
be brought away, was destroyed, so -.
t the rebels will have their raid iva
tty much for nothing. True, they t
strip the Valley of what is left in -.
nd will leave it desolation, but it will -:
Id them neither friends nor, in large III
ount, the material of war. Unless H.
y make raid into Ohio, we think ~
y will not find supplies enough to 49,
them long, at Charleston. Will
attempt to cross the Ohio? We - =
not say. But it behooves the citi- =,
to perfect their military organiza- 49,
at once, and be prepared for the -
st. anu
tabl
he reports Of the destruction Of the will
works on the Kanawha are untrue
y are not injured. And we rather GC
ect the rebels will spend the next A
tn in making and transporting salt Ohio
Dlx1e, instead of invading Ohio - glori