Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-08-14
Letter from Gen. Buell's Army.
Correspondence Of the Delmon, Chronicle.
CAMP AT BATTLE CREEK, Tenn, |
T,,l.. ontk 1occ'

DEAR CHRONICLE l will write something
to THE CHRONICLE, if it be nothing more
than to say HAIL! ALL HAIL upon the
part of my fellow-soldiers here from Old
Belmont, to the coming dawn. y Friends
of the Union. in Belmont, in Ohio, every
where, the "soldier boys" begin to think
this ,edr will be terminated sometime. Tho
President and his Cabinet are getting their
sleepy eyes opened at last; even our old
fogy Generals are beginning to realize the
situation of our beloved country, and, bet
ter than all, the peopte-all powerful in our
free land-are beginning to know their con-
dition. The army has felt for some time
that our enemies were at ,odr with as, for
whilst we have been peltiug them with grass,
they have been hurting rocks at our devoted
heads.
In proof Of the grass part Of the above
assertion, let few facts be submitted tn
candid world. - Il believe the quotation
about "facts" is from the Declaration Of
Independence, paper drawn up by one
Thomas Jefferson, and might be read to
some purpose ny some people in Belmont
County,)
Gen. Buell. organized his army in Ken
lucky last Fall and Winter. The Rebels at
that time had possession Of all Tennessee.
and Kentucky, South Of Green River. The
grent majority of the people in Southern
Kentucky and Middle and Western Ten
nessee were rebels, and in open hostility to
us; aiding the rebellion with their persons
and property. Since that time our army
occupied that portion of Kentucky and Ten
nessee, and have driven the rebels out, or
rather their organized armies; but how
have VIC hurt or crushed this rebellion ? how
have we dealt with treason? This Division
has marched on foot from Camp Nevin,
Kentucky, to the Tennessee River, to Cor
inth, Mississippi, and from Corinth through
Northern Mississippi and Alabama to this
point--several hundred miles-and in all
that time, through all this long march, the
foot. sore, tired soldiers have stood guard
around the palatial residences in Middle
Tennessee and Northern Alabama, guarding
and protecting their property, although our
Generals ksie,o the owners Of the property
were in tho Rebel army, and that every dol
lars worth Of the property we were guard.
ing, would, if possible, be made use Of to
further this accursed rebellion. We left the
Rebels behind US in possession of all the
: means of injuring us with which we found
, them. More than this, our presence was,
: Of coarse, annoying to Rebels, and no mat
ter how terrible the weather, we were uo
allowed to quarter in their barns or out
houses, even to protect us from the pittiles
storm and this, too, when we had no tents
I remember we'll one remarkable instance
, and so, think, does every man of the Sixth
, Brigade, who was along: We entered tn,
+ city of Nashville after dark, and in the cold
: est rain ever felt. There was no enem!
0 within a hundred miles Of US; the city wa
full Of vacated houses, the property Of reb
els who fed at the approach Of the Uniol
army--the houses, warehouses, publi
buildings of all kinds, churches that hat
been desecrated by such creatures as "Ar
magedden Baldwin, " yet we were marched
through the city, four miles on this side
J. and left to shiver and freeze through tn
. long winter night in an open field This
> the manner in which we treated the Rebel
} Of Nashville and 30 have we treated then
everywhere.
And what is the result of this "gras
policy? You know, thank Heaven, tn
! people are beginning to learn, and the Ad
:, ministration has taken the hint. These YER
, Rebels whose property we have protected
whose feelings, even, we have consderatel
+. spared, are forming into guerrilla bands
under such leaders as John Morgan, burn
/ ing Rail Road bridges, capturing trains
, cutting off our supplies and crippling ou
y operations here. The Army Of the Obi
, have been on half rations for sixteen days
!, just because we have left these cursed scoun
+. drel. behind us, with all the power to harm
a they ever had. We have "sworn tho rat
a tlesnake" and turned him loose, a~a W
now feel his fangs in our heels. We mus
troat rebels here as enemies at par pith u,
We must suliugate them. That q the WORD
) Take their property Of epery kind, and tur
. them loose beggars upon the face Of tn
!. earth dig up their potatoes, use their corr
!. and take their cattle and horses from them
. If We do not take their slaves, the slave
h. will be ugly customers for them to deal wit
\ when. they both get hungry. ] do MT car
N how soon the negroes Of tho South oct hu,
Ar cry. Nothing would end this Rebellion q
soon; and, before God, l believe we woul
q be justified in resorting to any means in OF
- power, short Of actual barbarity upon OF
!, part, tosend it. If the people Of tho Sout
h. find themselves and their slaves getting n
n. duced to half rations, they will soon ask f
m mercy with uplifted hands.
n The end Of this war will come, and speec
NJ ily come, when we commence stripping thel
m Of all their property-their means Of ca
Ia rying on the struggle. We hail tho Conf
al cation laws Of Congress as good omon-