Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-04-08

FERRtBL1H SUFFERINGi ORA GAL,
hANT BAND OF PATRIOTS.
story that Ought to sink Deep int.
Every American Heart,
REPORT OF TIIE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL
TO THE.sECRETARY OF WAR.
Judge 4dv. Gems once, JLdrch 81, 1858.
il SIR: have the. honor to transmit TO,
your consideration the accompanying de.
2 positions Of: 5 y Hih
]. Corporal William Pittiuger, Company G,
Second Regiment Ohio Volunteers:
Private jacob Parrot, Company X, Thir-
ty.third Regiment Ohio Volunteers
Private Robert Buffum, Company II,
Twenty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteers
Corporal William Reddick, Company B,
Thirty-tbird Regiment Ohio Volunteers
and .s.s
Private William Beuninger, COMPANY g.
Twenty 6rst Regiment Ohio Volunteers:
Taken at this office on the 25th instant.
IN compliance with your written. instruc-
uons, from which the following facts will
appear:
These uon-commissioued officers and
priyates belonged to an expedition set on
foot in April, 1862, at the suggestion of
Mr. j. j. Andrews, citizen of Kentucky,
who led it, and under the authority and,
direction of Gen. o. N. Mitchell, the OBJ
lJect OF which was to destroy the communi-
cations on the Georgia State Railroad, be-.
tween Atlanta and Chattanooga.
The mode of operation proposed was to
reach - point on the road where they could
seize locomotive and train of cars, aud
then dash back i6 the direction of Chatta-
nooga, cutting the telegraph wires and.
burning The bridges behind them as they,
advanced, until they reached their own
lines. The expedition consisted of twenty.
four men, who. with the exception of its
leader, Mr, Andrews, md another citizen
OF Kentucky. who HSted lon the occasion as
the substitute of soldier, had been se.
lected from the different companies for
their known courage and discretion. !
They were Informed that the movement
was to DC secret one, and they doubtless
comprehended something of its perils, but
Mr.: Andrews and Mr. Reddick alone seem
to have known anything of its precise di-
rcctlot or object. They however, Volun.
tarlly engaged in it, aud made their way.
in parties of two and three, in citizen's
dress, and carrying only their side arms,
to Chattanooga, the point of rendezvous
agreed upon, where twenty-five out of the
twenty-tour arrived safely. Here they
took passage, without attracting observa-
ton, for Marietta, which they reached al
II o'clock on the night of the l1Ih of April.
The following morning they took the
cars back again toward Chattanooga, and
at a place called'Big ShentY, while the en-
glneer and passengers were breakfastiug,
they detached the locomotive and three
boX-cars from the train and started ut full
speed for Chattanooga. They were now
upon the field OF the perilous operations
proposed by the expedition, but suddenly
encountered unforeseen obstacles Accord
ing to the schedule 0fathe road, of which
AIR. Andrews had possessed himself, they
should have met but a single train on that!
| day, whereas they met three, two of them
being engaged on extraordinary service,
About an hour was lost in waiting to al
low these trains to pass, which ennbled
their pursuers to press closely upon them
They removed rails, threw out distractions
on the road, and cut the wires from time
to time, and attained, when in motion, a
speed OF sixty miles an hour; but the time
lost could not be regaIned After having
ron about one hundred miles, they found
their supply of wood, water and oil ex..
hausted, while tho rebel locomotive which
had been chasing them was iu sight. On
der these circumstances they had no al
ternaIive but to abandon their cars and fiy
TO the woods, which they did, under the
orders OF MF. Andrews, each one endeayOr.
ing to save himself as best he might.
The expedition thus failed from causes
which reflected neither upon the genius by
which il was planned, nor upon the intre.
pidiiy aud discretion of those angaEed in
conducting II. But Tor the accident OF
uooung the extra trains, which could not
have been anticipated, the movement would
have been . complete success, and. the
Wholo aspect Of the war in the South and
SoalhWeSt would have been at once
ehasGod. The expedition itself, IN the
daring OF ttS conceptions, had the Wildness
OF = romance; while 10 the gigantic and
overW helming results. which it sought and
was likely TO accomplish, was absolute
y sublime.
TIE estimate Gifts character entertained.
% the South will be found fully expressed
u "a editorial from the SouttefR QSRftder.
osVs prominent rebal journal, under date
81 the lstA of April, aud which is append
ID % aAd adopted as = part OF SIR. Pet
tongerS deposition. The editor says -
''tha mind aud heart shFink back appalled,
~ the bare contemplation Of the awful
eonsequeneos which would have followed
the sueeess Of this one act We doubt Il
the victory Of Alanasses or Oorinth were
worth Ns much 70 as as the Illustration of
this grand corp detdt II Is not by any
means certain that the AnnihilaIion of
BSaureRAtd's whole army Al Corinth would
be go tatala blow TO Us as would have
been the: burning Of the. e.bridges al the time
by these men" "a li
So soon IS those composing the expedf
ton bad left the cars, and Dispersed them
selves In the woods, the population of the
county around turned out in their parsuit.
employing for this purpose the dogs which
are trlined 20 hunt down the fagitiye
slaves OF the South. The whole tWenty-