Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-12-24

Mr.. Nicholas Cooper has permitted ss to
print the following interesting lslter from
his son-a soldier In Company B, l26th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the Army OF
the Potomac:
CAxr Srxr E,vry STATION, Va,
| t Doscinber oh, ls03
Dear Father: wrote q note yesterday
| that you might know that we still lived. In
II we Acknowledged the receipt OF your let.
ters of the 24th and 10Th ult, and also OF
the gloves.
Wednesday, 25th ult., our company went
out on picket, expecting to remain out As
hours, but early on the morning of the 26th,
we were or.ered to report 10 Camp, that the
Army wss moving; whoa We got to Camp
our Regiment had gone, but by hard march
ing we came up With the Regiment in about
two hours. We arrived at the ford, Jacobs
Mills about the middle Of the afternoon;
here we expected to encounter considerable
resistance to our crossing, but the Johnle's
had nothing there but picket and they
fed on the firing of single velIey; we thea
crossed over ION a Pontoon) and advanced
about two miles out from he River when
we about faced and marched back to the
: River and went into Camp for the hight:
' the object in making that march, suppose
. was to feel for the enemy; it was about 9
O'clock when we got into Camp, after we
: crossed the River we proceed very cautious
Q ly, we hardly moved at all; the night was
y cold and fuel scarce, but we got encoueh h gath
cred up to cook supper with and then we
lay down tn - freeze: next morning, FRI
o day, We proceeded very cautiously, we had
r gone but short distance when the advance
-four Corps commenced diminishing with
the enemy. ('rhe I'd Division was 10 front,
" al aoI H.. I.t, - H. nnr
Company was out as fankers: about two
e O'Clock tho musketry firing grew pretty &C.
n we're, about half an hour after the Aankers
, Of our Division was ordered in to join their
!. respective Regiment, our Division was
l. thrown in line on the left Of the I'd Division,
ot our Brigade on the extreme left, our Bri.
s. gade was formed IN a hollow, on line near
=, ly at right angles to the rest of our line, the
= object in giving US that position was to flank
" the Johnies while taking our position; the
Ut bullets few over US and around us as thick
As as hail: eur line was barely formed when
rs Beal ii. Bryan Of our Company was struck
= by ball in the leg the wound was pretty
n severe, but not serious.
- As soon as the line was formed our skir
n, mishers advanced up the bank when they
became brisky engaged, the line was imme
diately ordered to follow, but just on reach
NIX tnc Top VI tue DHuk duu UoiOTc We uhC
a.. fred single shot it was it was discovered
49, =. that the Johnies were fanking US, the ords
," was given to fall back, which We did in goot
nd order considering the kind ofground We hat
to fall back over. The whole country wa
pe one dense wilderness, except little clearot
h patches here and there; the object was il
10 one of those patches, the Johnie, occupy
i've ing the woods on one side, our forces tn
ms woods on the opposite side, except our Bri
ant gade which was posted as before described
as When it was ascertained that We were bein
GER fanked the object was to about face US, a. G.
BUR our Brigade, and wheel US around until "
ity would reach tho prolongatiou of the lin
by formed by the I'd Division and the lyt an
,on move was impossible in such . place, th
,S ,s under-brush was so tangled and knollsd t
gether that troops could not possibly NOV
re- together, they could not even keep in sigh
,rs of each other When we come out into on
an, Of those little patches our Company and tn
lhs two on the right of it X, & e. were q
in that could be seen of our Regiment, tn
he other part Of the Regiment had come acrol
itv. path and marched of by the flank, b,
~ tho two parts Of the Regiment were but
A. short distance apart, and we were soon Il
'hc gerber, as soon ~ all things were righte
to our Brigade took position again, but tb
uhe Wnere nv uu'o's ncw' anu ny INC un
nm we got formed the second time il was gro,
ter, ing dark. too dark to sse objects distinct
ow, at any distance. 3-. .u.e,d. Ii,
ail All the time We were engaged 10 Il
nan above describod movements the fighting v
4. terrific, all nusketry or nearly all, very, Il
,n,, shots were fired with artillery, il could n
.", be done, it could not DO got in position,
'D' -" must have been full six O'Clock when Il
ub. firing ceased; our artillery fred few she
an. about dark: Just after We had taken o
I.N second position,A twelve pound ball cat
i'd. over our Regiment, Major Ebright was s
ore. ting on his horse about eight l,aces in 4
My rear OF the cfn'or .: 'ne ncsIinsnt' .he
a. str9ck the ues VI n's ssau'e proke y pao
row, and tore his bundle, Of blankets that he b
aics tied on behind, all to pieces. In fall
c,d back through the woods, the Adjutaut
mid. our Regiment and thel'd Lieut. ofCompa
IJn- g, were either killed or captured, the q
ash. eral suppostion is that they were killed,
80 tho .Iohnies poured in yOllev after yOlley