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

out firing musket, a Company from each
Regiment was picked out to be dsploysd in
front Of its own Regiment, they, 1.-THE skir
mishers,) were to advance and bring on the
the engagement, assoon IS that was done
the charging columns were To sdvancc. bay
onets fixed, the skirinishsrs ssse n bling on
the TANKS OF their respective Regiments.
"a space Of % PAGES il left between Regi
ments in line of battle.) AT dark We got
orders that We would remain where we we're
for the night, that was glorious news for We
had stood out until We were nearly froze;
we soon had huge 6rcs burning, and the
| wagons had come up with three days ra
tions, thought never ate anything half
so good in all my life as those hard crackers.
The weather had changed to very cold in
! the evening, but with our 6res and our
'.belliss" filed with hardtack, We passed
very comfortable night. At two O'Clock
in the morning We were aroused: twenty
rounds more OF cartridges issued to the
man, and we were moved about three miles
| further up the line; at eight o'clock A. NJ.
Monday, was the hour set for the grand
charge to come off, the charging column
consisted of the "a Corps and the % and Sd
Divisions OF our Corps, all under command
Of Maj,r General Warren, of the I'd Corps
We patiently awaited the arrival Of the
appointed time, Is o'clock, the, time come,
, the hour arrived, still not gun Was to be
, heard: we could think the quiet was moth |
, ing more than the calm which preccdes the
: storm. About quarter past O'Clock the re-
3 port OF a cannon was heard away on the ex
: treme right.
. TUESDAY, Dec 8th, 1868
: Night came upon me Sunday evening
1 without candle and was prevented fin
Q ishing my l.tter Earlyyesterday, Monday
h morning WAS detailed for picket did not
/, get back into Camp until after noon to-day
II thus preventing me from finishing and send
o ing my letter sooner. As remarked above,
}. about quarter past s O'Clock Monday, tho
3 3Oth ult., cannonading commenced on the
ir extreme right of our line: following one af
Is ter another, the Batteries along our line fol-
., lowed in succession toward the left. just
i. before the cannonading commenced the
r pickets in our front were brought in when
10 the cannonading commenced our sklrmsh-
X ers advanced, but they had advanced but .
,e few rods into the woods in front of our line
X when brisk skirmishiRg commenced, the
n Rebel pickets on seeing our pickets brought
X in, advanced and occupied their position,
~ thus our skirmishers came upon them soon
er than they expected, and Of course we're
r.. not exercising sufficient caution; the conse-
40 quence was three Of our Brigade were badly
y. wounded, and one killed, (all from the S7th
h. Pnnnsylvanis.) The mistake was in bring
I'd ing the pickets in before the skirmisherl
Il were ready to go out. Every one confidently
Ar believed the great charge" had to be made
Id and believing 80, all appeared anxious fol
ad the awful movement IN arrive, that the fear
q, ful agony and suspense of mind might b
= oy.r nth IN v;aty ALL mn ..a;k kh.
in command forward when to our, no littl,
w. astonishmcnt, and our still greater deligh
he was, the 1st Division, I'd Corps relieved u
ri. and we were taken back and put into Cam
a within few rods of the spot where we hat
nr bivouacked the night before. Even il it ha,
. been nothing more than change of posi-
~. ton in the line, we would have had reaso
ina to rejoice, for exercise had almost becom
nd necessary, to keep from freezing. We ha
a stood in line almost motionlsss, from befor
he daylight to 2 O'Clock p. NJ. and the day wa
to. ono Of the coldest ever saw, and the fo
wa lowing night was extremely cold; we wer
,ht camped 10 the woods, which was quito q
me advantage, as we we're enabled to provid
,ho ourselves with mammoth fires; but eve
ali then, after making down my bed 80 close t
tbe the fire that got my blankets scorched, an
oasl burnt the pocket out Of my coat-tail, 4
bnt most shook to pieces with tho cold; abor
I . noon Tuesday it was rrmorsd that the arm
to. WAS going to rs-cross the river about
ed, o'clock P. n. our Division got marching o.
bis ders, as soon as We got started we saw lhs
me We were going directly away from the lin
Nv we had occupied; our line Of battle face
,tly the West, with the flank, q little bacl
giving the line something the shape Of
the horseshoe, we marched some five mil,
was East and went into camp. where We campe
few was about 81 miles from Ely's ford. and
no, little East OF South from the ford; durin
/, il the whole night troops, the Reserve Art
the ery and what teams had not been previou
ots ly sent over the river, kept mp .continuo'
our uprosr passing BY. We were called up
.me o'clock A. M. but did not move OFT uni
sit daylight, when every thing had passed e
the cept one Brigade OF Cavalry. they cover
ball tho retreat on that road aud We were The
,dly support, ours was the last Company Of
had isntry that crossed on the Pontocns, O
linz Company was not entirely over when q