The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-01-29
heeser from the 5ath pa. vols
NonrH NouxrA1x. Va. Lanu. ls. 1859.

/ -NOhI -dOCAtAiN, VA, OGfY. 10, 1000
Correspondence of The Alleghanian.
Since my last letter, many events wor-
/ thy the pen Of the historian have occurred,
wherein this regiment has played the con-
| spicuous part. True, / cannot write yon
Of "battles fought and victories won" yet
L may be allowed to narrate a small part
of the trials and troubles we have expert
ented among the ragged hills and the
sequestered wales Of the Old Dominion,
where the hawk-eyed Specials" of the
daily papers never come. Left to our
! selves when the powerful armies OF the
! Rebels, under their best Generals, had
crossed into Maryland, we have expert
enced trials and tribulations that would
astonish many Of the kind friends we have
left behind did they but know the plain,
unvaruished facts
From the date Of the surrender Of Har-
per's Ferry to the FIRST OF November, this
was the only regiment Of Union troops on
/ the Sacred soil" between the South
Branch of the Potonac east to Harper's
Ferry. Let the render take the map of
| Virginia, and he viii see at a glance the
position we we're in. With a force treble
ours pressing us from the east, with I'm
ooden IN our rear, no support on the west
eud of our line, and the Potomac IN front
of US, we were in a position neither pleas
ant nor satisfactory. To add to the perils
| of our already insecure situation, Stuart
made his raid into Maryland and Penn
sylyania, crossing the Potomac within sight
of our pickets on the east, leaving it ex-
treuely doubtful at What point he would
recross, and thus compelling Us to picket
the Maryland side of the river. And
here let me state that Col Campbell tele-
graphed the first news Of Stuart's raid TO
Gen. Mcclellan; but for some reason or
other his information was not acted on
until some ten hours had elapsed, whereby
Stuart was enabled to make good his
escape,
Ali these perils, combined with the fact
that we had not a single wagon to trans
port our effects, nor single cavalryman
to scour the country and give warning OF
the approach of the enemy nor single
piece of artillery to resist attack, with our
single regiment Of infantry spread over
.fJiy.Si.c miles of broken, mountainous .
country. each company out of supporting
distance Of the other and isolated from
the rest Of the world, as it were, make mp
a chapter OF difficulties and dangers which
viii surprise our friends and astonish even
our enemies
But we lost somewhat in the underta-
king Imboden captured the whole Of
Co. 3 and the larger haf Of Go. X, and
Major Linton, Wirh sixty-six men, was
compelled to fail back from Back Greek
before force sufficient in number to have
captured the whole regiment, losing three
prisoners aud the most of the camp and
garrison equipagc Of the balance These
disasters were but the result Of the vicious
practice Of the Government in attempting
to s,uround the Rebels, placing detached !
parties in isolated places, where they must
fall an easy prey TO the superior concen- !
tration OF The enemy Oar army IS bro !
ken up in fragments, and scattered here
and there, whilst the active enemy IN the 7
center leisurely calculates the force re
quired to capture any one part, and, hav-
ing his entire army well in hand, can aud
always does defeat Us by superior nun-
bers His purpose accomplished, he falls !
bacI. 30 his grand center aga;a, ready to
pounce upon some otheTs weak outpost,
where the policy OF carpet generals has
seen Sit to locate it.
y single company OF our troops are
stationed at Paw Paw Imbnden comes
in aud captures it, and falls back to his
centre Of operations. Another company
is then sent forward 10 take It's place-
and undergoes the same treatment. And
thus 1t is all over the country. We inya-
riabIy fight the Rebels with inferior NAM
ber~, not bccause oar army Is smaller than
theirs, but by reason thlt when the deci
sive moment arrives they always have
lheeir entire force concentrated ut thc scene
Of oDer9:io;is, whilst oars. On the contrary,
are eeuoral.y scattered al! over the conn
try, yainly endeavoriDg to pen the bui
iu the RUG
O., the 22d December, last, We received
The very welcome order To concentrate the I.
regiment a.G proceed 70 North }ora;,,;n
We obeyel with alscrity, coming hore aa
part OF Gen I<elley's bgieale iiarly
had we 50, seated IN cur new caarters ere
inb0dan made dash on Col Muii@an.
Of Lexington nosoricty, at Norefsll, and
We .5cre ordered to proceed by railway to
Green Spring and there await orders -
We moved at : CLOCK in the nigist;iue,
arriving at Green Spring the dag follow
ing, (January q Here we laid in the
ears un.ii after midnight. when orders
we're received to march wi:h iivc compa-
nius hv a rOuadab1ut read 10 Ron..:cv