Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-05-06

Il :
and gained the river above, they had our
men completely surrounded. From his
4 position en- the heights to the rear and
Immediately overlooking the spartan band.
the commanding General called out. tWhy
the hill don't you surrender?" Our bows
/ send back a defiant response, when he i'm.
4 mediatelJ commanded his men to Orally. u
4 Then began one of the most desperate and
unequal contests of this or any other war.
4 For some time the rattle of musketry Was
i incessant. Our men were in open mead .
ows, protected somewhat from the fire in
front by ravines, but exposed to the rebel
sharpshooters behind rocks and trees on
the right bank OF the river. Inch by inch
were we forced back to within two hun
dred yards of the bridge, all the time coolly
loading and firing for the most part after
deliberate aim at the cOwardly rebels, who.
Notwithstanding they had twenty to our
one, fought Indian fashion from behind
whatever would conceal them. Finding
further resistance utterly hopeless and Just
as the rebel cavalry were ready tor grand
charge, which must have resulted in the
total destruction of the gallant little band,
white flag was raised from house near
by and the firing ceased.
Scarcely had the formalities of the capt..
ulation been completed when two pieces OF
| ordnance from Mulligan's command at
Grafton opened on them from the opposite
side of the river, They then double quick
ed the prisoners off the field and placed
them in the Court House, where they were
paroled about 8 o'clock at night. The
rebels on the left bank of the river were
soon shelled out of range, but those on the
same side as the battery made desperate
effort to tear up the road in the rear of the
battery to prevent its return They took
up one or more rails aud piled several cords
of wood on the track, but after u sharp en-
gagement they were driven off by eighty
men of Company B, LOG New York, and a
few rounds from the cannon. While the
train bearing the battery was behind the
hill protecting itself from being cut of and
captured, the rebels commenced the de-
struction of the Railroad bridge which was
doubtless the finest structure of the kind
in the United States. 1t was made of iron,
supported by four piers of massive stone
work and was about nine hundred feet
long. The iron work was above the piers
and was supported by tubular columns of
cast iron. In these hollow columns, they
poured kegs of powder which they had
brought along for the purpose, and in this
way, the noble structure was blown from
the piers into the river. The whole cost of
its erection was $496, 900, two thirds of
which was expended in getting the piers
above the high water mark owing to the
great depth of water and mud above the
solid rock. The destruction of this bridge
is one of the most serious losses this Rail-
road has sustained during the war Months
must elapse before even a temporary
bridge can be erected.
The battle we have endeavored to de.
scribe, was fought on Wednesday, April
29th, and was in many respects the most
remarkable in the annals of warfare. The
great disparity in the numbers engaged
the obstinate, determined resistance made
by the Unionists the length of time they
held out; and, stranger still, only one
killed and four wounded on our side, while
the rebel loss, according to their own adj
mission, was fifty or sixty. Indeed, Gen.
Jones told Captain Chamberlin that we
had killed and disabled about hundred
OF his men.
BE, as well as the rebel soldiee, compli-
mented US on'the gallantry with which we
maintained our various positions. Where
allwho took up arms did SO well, it would
be einvidious to particularize individual acts
of heroisn
Capt. Chamberlin, of Co. F, lO6thN Y.
Vols, had command of the post. Major
Parish, of the militia, and each citizen SOL
dier commanded himself, aud as many
more as would obey him.
Every store in town was robbed of eve
rything the thieves faucied. The home
rebels pointed out the private property
they wanted destroyed, and it was done.-
A valuable steam saw mill, beloniug to j.
N. Cromwell i Co., was burned. The Na-
tionaG printing Office was destroyed because
it has been uncompromisiugly Union, while
the butternut concern in Morgantown was
uninjured because, as the traitors said, it
was on their side and was devoted to their
cause. The law and private libraries of
Gov. Peirpoint were carried into the street
in front of his office aud burned every
horse in town and the easurrounding coun-
try was taken. At least Eve hundred horses
were taken out of Marion county alone.
Fortunately, the Union men had moved
their hsrses out of the neighborhood,
while the Secesh relied upon their OPPOSE
tion to the Government, which has always
protected them, for security. Hence in the
loss of horses they are oy far the greater
sufferers, as the raiders we're no respecters
of persons in making their selections
Some men who have all along been very
desirous to get their " rights" have had
little foretaste of what their rights are in
the estimation of traitors. The miserable
COpperheads who have been opposing the
war, aud growing about taxes, have lost
more by the men whose rights they are SO
jealous of than the Government expects
them to pay as taxes for the next ten years.
Aside from the loss of property, we have
no doubt this raid will have a good effect.
1T will open the eyes of the people and of
the Government to the necessity of adopt
ing far more rigid measures with home
rebels, who act as spies, furnishing the in
formation which enable these raids TO sue
cessfully enter aud escape from our lines.
Weused to hear a great deal about contis-
eating their property and leaving them as
poor as church mouse; but as far as our
observation extends, the rebels in West
Virginia are getting rich by the var.