The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-08-09

the People DIoccasin Rangers -
Hunters Their Arms, their d" Uni
FORM and their Breaking
Ranks, and Failing in-Punishment
Scouts, Spies, and Guides.
The entire Guerrilla organization in
the counties Of Tucker, Barbour, and
Randolph, is supposed to be under the
management, and subject to the orders,
Of man named Bill Harper, Of Tucker,
where he owns fine farm, just above
St. George, on the Cheat River. He
has always been a restless desperate,
and in he congenial element which this
war affords him, he has s.Comc out
strong" At present he is said to be
leading in person a parry Of from seven
ty-fve to Il hundred picked men, whose
fayorlte haunts are in the Cheat Noun
tans.
On the 18th of last month Harper
made decent upon party Of Union
men who had assembled at New Interest,
in Randolph county, for the purpose
of forming a Home Guard. He killed
one, wounded three, captured fourteen
horses, with their saddles and brides,
and was back in his mountain strong
holds again before the alarm could be
given. Since then but little is known
of his movements. A detachment Of
Capt. Joseph NJ. Godwin's Company Of
the 9Th Virginia Regiment from Oak
land, together with deail of Captain
Halls men from Cheat River, were
ordered on the y h of June to the
mouth of the dry fork Of Cheat, to scout
for Iiarper's fellows, but returned with.
ont having at any time got on the scent !;
wherever they went ,hey where met
always with the same story" Harper
was about fifty miles off"
Among Union officers who arc not
familiar with the coun ~, the very
natural impression prevails that Harper
is protec ed, i'll fear or favor, by the
Seccsh and bogus Union people Of his
region bu, those who know well the
topographical difficulties of the country
are agreed upon Il different theory
They say that the natives Of the lIar
per Dcpartmcnt-Scccsh and Union
alikc-stand in mortal terror Of the man,
and would unanimously rejoice in his
capture but they are a most uncou h
people, profound IN their ignorance, and
IstIcs as to all that concerns the world
Of valleys and towns, and tradc-thcy
neither know, nor wish to know, any
thing; all their care is to cat and sleep,
and be let alone. AS for their country,
it is a region of solitudcs, and inacccs-
sible Businesses Of lonely huts, and wild
birdie paths, and lean patches, few and
far between, of garden ground dozen
eggs, balanced upon their butts, would
accurately represent the face Of it.
Yet to llarpcr's men these same soli-
tudcs and Businesses ana bride paths,
are as familiar as to the deer whose free
homes they are. Harper himself has
been a great hcrdsman and breeder Of
cattle; and his occupation has led him,
year by year, in the footsteps of the
deer, and to the very nests of the wild
turkeys. No wonder that the primlve
and ignorant mountainfplk "nevcr
hccrd of the man " or only knew that
@ he was here, and is gone, thank God"
The signal lights that, fr2m to time,
have been seen at Grafton, are unqucs-
,ionable flashes Of the Harperian genius.
But llarper's guerrillas, and their
delcctable allies, the "Moccasin Ran
gers" were for months " chased with
sharp stick" by an equally eccentric
local organization, known as "Snake
Hun crs." These were stalwart, rugged
forcsters, mountanecrs and j." original
backwoodsmen "-shrcwd, wary, and
daring, as they were athletic and active
fleet Of foot, nimblc climbers, and per-
feet in the use of knife and gun. They
were enlis ed at Wheeling, and mustered
into the Union service there, under that
most half-horse-half alligator-and-thc-
Observation-Disclosures of human beings
since the demise of the lamented Col.
David Crockett, Capt. Baggs, who beat
every county in Western Virginia for
the right breed, and sem them to Wheel
ing as fast as he found them to be licked
into the shape required to cons itutc a
snakc-hunter in good standing. They
were recruited for noun ain scvico, and
were usually kept on the trail of guer-
rillas, and for other independent enter
prises; but when attached to an army,
their business was to " trot" i'll the cx-
IRENE front, in the capacity Of guides,
scouts, and spies. For while they
were with Rosecranz's Army of the Kan
awha and Gauley, and came often in con-
tact there with their Rebel rivals, the
Moccasln Rangers.
AS to their arms, the only peculiar
feature l. believe was their variety :;
each separate snake-hunter being at
liberty to indulge his fancy, and consult
his early habits, the training of his hand
and eye, in the choice of his weapons
But in their & toggcry everything was
peculiar, a magnificent contempt for
uniform distinguished them, and motley
was their only wear no two were got
up alike, and rarely did he accomplished
snake-hun;er permit himself to be seen
two days in succession on parade Gf
their extraordinary system of tactics
included such a dandyism) in the same
eccentric combination of g duds."
But most peculiar Of all was their
drill. Every movement was acconp-
lishod on the doudle-quick or in a run.
They acknowledged no {" common time"
I