Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-05-19

people Of the State to remunerste aotiv
rebels for the value Of their slaves. Thi
he considers wholly wrong.
Itis very greatly to the honor Of the Viz
ginis Legislature that they have prompt,
passed Q bill repeating the obnoxious code
and thus . great abuse is wiped from tn
statue books Of the Old Dominion.
From Gel. MitcheIps DIvIsIOu.-A brief re-
view Of what Gen; Nitchell has dOme--
ls emphatic Ordors---sEirniah neal
EDs. LHADHR;-Ths Third Division of th,
Army of the OhiS" has been almost ss er
ratio and uncertain IN its movements al
those comets whose course it was the whilom
occupation Of our Commanding Genera,
/ 10 trace out and report upon tC
the scientific world. The marvellous seeml
to attend our footstepsi friends and enemy
are full Of incidents and anecdotes of what
has been attempted end performed by Mitch.
ellis Division. We have been astonished
and amused upon reading reports in the Pc
pers of achievements performed by this army
in all sorts Of odd places ct impossible times
We have been reported in Tennessee, Ala
bsma, Florida and Mississippi at one and the
same time. General Mitchell, by his untir-
ing energy, shrewdness, and almost unheard
Of rapidity of his marches has obtained q
reputation for boldness and daring unequaled
BY any other oflcer in the service.
BE is fond Of sensation, dash and sur
prises. His blows have fallen on Hnsuspeet.
ing places ct unguarded moments, confound-
ing and bsWildering the enemy, and making
his own troops iubilant. There is not q
Commanding General in the army, we be-
heye, WhOlabers 90 constantly, assiduously,
aud ullelallg ~ e. i1llearils H0 plans 40
expeditions with great skill and forethought;
studies the country minutely for its gsograph-
ical and typographical character; makes use
of all practicable and authentic information
from whatever source obtained; learns the
force and defences OF contemplated attack;
the proclivities and antecedents Of the in
habitants; keeps his own counsels, and, q.
nally, when the plot lie rips for execution,
sstonishes and dsIEles all by some brilliant
and successful maneuver, which to the unin-
itiated, looks like unadTised and needless
rashness, but which is, in reality, only the
development Of q carefully planned and ma
turely considered scheme.
After the conquest of Bowling Green and
Nashville, and the retreat Of the rebels to
Oorinth, it became the duty of this Division
to seize and destroy the Memphis & Charles
ton Railway, the great military road of the
enemy, the connecting link for supplies and
reinforcements between the grand army on
the Potomac and that ct Corinth It was
decided that the blow should be struck, and
the grand artery cut, at Huntsville, Alabs-
ma. The task was accomplished with q c.
lerity which completely took the enemy by
surprise, and resulted not only in the pos
session of the road, but the capture o. an i'm !
menss amount of property in machine shops, |
engines and rolling stock, with many pris. |
oners. In less thsn three days the army was |
in possession Of Stevenson on the east of |
Huntsville, and Decatur and Tuscumbia on /
the south, extending the front Of operations |
on the railway more than one hundred and |
twenty miles. It will bs apparent to the |
merest tyro in military science that the hold |
ing of this great road is an object Of vital |
importance TO the Government. It will be
Is Obvious that the enemy will not relinquish |
their principal thorOugbfare without e fierce
struggle 70 regain possession Of it. Gen. |
Mitchell found the road between Stevenson |
and Decatur abounding in bridges, which if |
destroyed BY the enemy, would completely /
cut Of the scattered brigades Of his COM
maRd, render reinforcing impossible, snd |
leave the different forces ct the mercy Of any
considerable force which the enemy might /
send against them. Col Sill of the 35th /
Ohio, commanding the 9Th brigade, with
LOOMS battery, was ordered to Stevenson
Col. Lytle's brigade, with EdgRrtOn's battery 4
to Decatar, and Dol. Turehin's sth brigade,
with Simmonson's Michigan battery, |
70 Tuscumbia. With this distribution of |
bis division, comprising only about 1900
men, with large dstachments scattered along /
the whole line Of the road to protect bridges }
and crossings Gen. Mitchell reported pro-
RresI and called for reinforcements to enable
him to hold the important points In the
meantime the enemy was not idle. BE COM
mencsd gathering bis forces ct Chattanooga,
twenty miles from Stevenson, and in the VI
cinity of Tuscumbis. Sharp skirmishing
sugued on both tanks. The looked-for re-
Inducements came not and Gen Mitchell
ECluet4AAAI NoAA " vi el-AA AA1 FAH14
Of operations, which be did by ordering the
forces from Tuscrmbis and Decatur to Rban-
don the south side of the Tennessee river,
destroy the magnificent bridge, AID put half
q mile of water between the belligerent
lorcss. Gen. Turchin commenced the retreat,
followed by Gen. Lytles brigade, With 3D.
cartons battery, protecting the rear. The
battery had barely crossed snd the bridge
been fred, when the advance guard Of the
snemy appeared on the other side Of JOr.
isn." A couple Of shells put them TO their
heels. During the night the retiring forces
we're forwarded to Stevenson, where an en-
zspement ensued, and the rebel forces re.
armed to Chattanooga.
Gen. Mitchell was also obliged to open
he Decatur 4 Nashville railroad for the pur-
pose Of obtaining supplies from Nashville.
The Eighteenth Ohio, Col. Stanley, was de-
.ailed 70 guard the road, with head quarters
1t Athens. On the lst inst the regiment
vas attacked BY Scott's rebel cavalry, six
hundred men and three pieces Of artillery.
fhe regiment had only two hundred and
ifty elective men when the attack was
made, thersmaindeE being engaged in guard I
ne bridges. The regiment retired IN good ,
,rdsE, aad waited toF Eo-infOroomsnts fom /