Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-02-26
From the Salems Republican.
Successful Energy and Courage Of
Col. Garfield.

The following exeracts from private
letter, is full of thrilling interest Our
brave officers and soldiers have to encoun-
ter other dangers than those of the battle
field, and those none the less appalling
After the victory at Prestonburg, our vic
torious Soldiers were reduced to extremI-
ties for food. The impossible roads pre-
venting supplies from following as fast as
it was needful for them TO press on in or
der to meet and overwhelm the enemy
Then the difficulties of supply were aug
mented and rendered almost lnsupeiaDle
by the late terrible flood in the Ohio and
the Sandy. The work of supply was IN
the hands of our energetic fellow citizen,
Capt Jacob Heaton, who, as on other oc-
casions, proved himself in resolutfon and
executive power, equal to the emergency.
While the brave Col Garfield, forget
full of everything but the comfort OF
his men and the success of the cause,
was as cool, as wise and as plucky on the
flood, as on the battle field. The writer
says; when our little boat, the Sandy
Valley on the Sandy came down from
Paintyille to Louisa, the Captain was ask
ed to drop down to our store boat and
load. Said he, 4 can't co. You can
try was the reply. 1 will be d-d If
any boat can CO. was hisrejoinder. Then
said Capt. Heaton, leave the boat and l
will put some one on board that sriH take
her up. or try at least He replieds If
you loose the boat, you will have to pay
for her. Very well, one poor starving
soldier is worth more than n.0nsa'ld such
boatsp
Capt. H. put new crew on board, and
loaded her BY that time, the water was
twenty-five feet, and was up in the tree
tops. The heart of the new Captain fail
ed him. Then we tried another little
boat, called the '.Screw Propeller" or
'sSaIlie." Col Garfield told him that ''we I
were going in his boat, end that she mast
40 ,tD TO headquarters, as cur brave boys could
not stsrye, after having escaped the per-
lis of the battle" lie said II scas utterly
impossible! No boat could stem such torTeat4
She would be dashed into thousand
pieces against the rocks and shoals ]! Col
Garfield replied with all the enthusiasm
of his noble nature. Then we shall be
dashed with her, for Gn1 going to pilot hsST
RlYseIf, and Can't Hea,oa loiH command heT.-
You scM obey las orders - We loaded her
and started upon the most turbulent wa
tiers ever witnessed in any stream. Tho
little boat trembled in all her timbers;
but Col Garfield being an old boatman,
held her true to the stream, making only
about three miles an hour against the cur
rent. Night overlook us, and she Cap
tain tMoore1 and his four men, entreated
us to site up" to some tree until morning.
''No," said Col Garfield, ''cguy man stand
70 kis postI Those boys must have some
thing to eat" At last it got so dark We
could not see our hands before US, and in
one of those crooked bends Of the river.
making an exact elbow, the boat struck
the beach with her sharp bow, and the
earth being sort OF blue qUicksand, she
ran six OF seven feet into the bank, and
knocked us all down. Here we were,
without a lantern, dark as Egypt. We
reversed the wheel and tried to back out,
but it was no 20. We then went INTO tho :
country and got mattockSan shoTels and
lug round her bow. Tried again, but
With no better success.
Then Col Garfield ordered the skif low
cred and run over the river to pull her
back by the capstan and line. The suIor
;aid, .Yeu can't reach the shore IN safe
-y.' The waters rushed much like those 2
below the Falls of Niagara. Then COL
l6dpeQ INTO the DOAt, anu AAteelC-
the sailor get in with him, and rowed ov-
sr to the opposite side, but they were car
red half a mile down the stream before
hey reached the opposite shores they
hen came back, but could not take tho
'ope over, the current was too swift. We
hen tied one end of the rope to tree,
md the other to the bow of the boat and
made what is called French windlass
With two rails, and after working for two
hours, we got her afoat again The cur
ent was so strong, rushing out of mount
in gorges, that we had to stop every half
lour to get up an extra head OF steam to
tenn the current. After working all
light, neither giving sleep to our eyes nor
lumber to our eyehds, we arrived at our
amp at Paintville, on Monday about 9
'clock.
You cannot immagine, nor can des-
ribe the joyful countenanees Of the boys
Then they heard US coming. They ran
own to the river, shouting. peal on peal,
nd leaped into the air, frantic with Joy.
nth tears of gratitude, God bless yon,'
-ere shouted from a thousand voices
We had to guard the boat to keep it from.
eing literally eaten Hpl Col. Garfield 10
immensely popular with the troops-aH
ie with each other to do him honor"
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