Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-01-22


thrown few shells into his struggling rear
to hurry them towards their front. And
here again, the commander Of the expedi
ton, instead of pushing his advance
had rested well the night before-immedi.
ately over the river, as he should have done,
in pursuit Of the enemy, quietly went to
bed, even before his forces had all arrived,
although it was yet but the middle OF the
afternoon. We were ordered to prepare to
continue thu march next morning at 80.
clock, A. NJ, although everybody felt salts
fd that pursuit under such management
was worso than folly. The order, however,
was changed, and part Of the forces, the
Kentucky troops, were ordered, about 9
oclock, to prepare to move. These troops
took the wagons above referred to, except
nine or ten Of them, and started over the
river, and after they had all crossed aud
were up the hill on their way to Columbia,
the 34th brigade was ordered, at about 2
o clock, A. NJ, to move immediately. We
took the nine wagons left and with our own
regimental wagons commenced the crossing
of the river. We succeeded, after having
very rich time of it, in getting over and
started on our march by o'clock. After
marching about four hours we overlook the
wagon train and cavalry about two miles
North of Columbia, and went into town with
them at about o'clock, and learned that
Morgan had left there ut Ii o'clock the
night before, after getting supper and ta-
king all tho good horses he could find in the
neighborhood.
About noon Col. Woolford arrived with
three thousand cavalry from Elizabeth.
town, where he had been waiting for over
twenty four hours for information from Col.
Haskin of the movements Of Morgan. COL
Haskin did not send courier to him until
after Morgan crossed Green River, and then
advised him to go to Columbia, instead of
sending him to Burkvile, 2S miles further
South, aud about the same distance from
Elizabethtown that Columbia was.
Col. Wolford followed a short distance on
The Burkvile road, and soon learned that
Morgan had crossed the Cumberland, when
he returned to Columbia. Aud thus ended
the chase, and escape of Morgan, tho most
ridiculous thing on our part and the most
impudently successful thing on his part,
that has occurred during the war.
For fear of rise in Green River, the in.
Gil l.a ~ n
here the Colonel in command of the oxpedi.
tlon for the first time manifested some little
degree of energy, in matter in which he
appeared to be far more interested than in
the catching of Morgan. During our march
a contraband had found his way into our
brigade and had been employed by an of
licer in the 50th Ohio Regiment. The
owner made complaint to Col. Haskin, who
wrote an order directing Col. Reid to turn
the contraband out of his camp, and gave
it to the repnted owner of the slave, who
with six or seven other loyal Kentuckians
went to Col. Reid and demanded that he
should turn the negro. out SO that they could
get him. Col. Reid did not manifest the
amount Of diligeHoe in the matter that
Col Haskin thought the subject demand
ed, and he ordered him to report to his
quarters Immediately, and wanted to know
why Col. Reid did not obey his order. The
Colonel informed him that, although he had
always been Pro Slavery Democrat, he
had not entered the service for the purpose
of catching negroes, or returning fugitive
slaves.
On the 7th we left Campbellsville for this
place, travelling about ten miles n day,
through one Of the roughest aud most des
olate looking countries we have yet seen in
Kentucky, arriving here yesterday about
noon.
In the rough country which we passed
there were but few slaves, the people ap
peared to be very ignorant, and as they had
never seen an army, thought that our bri
gade with its train was an immense affair
II was really amusing to ask them questions
about the country and tho distance fiom
place to place, TO see the amount of ignor
anco manifested by their answers. One of
them would toll you that it was twelve miles
to tho pike--the next would have it twenty.
One man, nearly forty years of age, when
asked how far it was, said he did not know,
us he had never been thar, although his
father aud mother were there once.
The 9sth has been nearly Ave months in
the service, and has had rather rough
time OF commencing with the Lexington
and Louisville retreat, that was more des.
tructive to it than battle would have been
tho heavy work on the entrenchments at
Louisville forced march without water
after Bragg's army to perryville--the Per
ryvile fight, in which one. third Of the ef
fective force Of the regiment was killed and
wounded--the march to Crab Orchard and
back to Lebanon--the marches from Leb
anon to Columbia, from Columbia to Leb.