The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-12-31

| thereby endangerlng the retreat OF the OH,
or columns. Of this movement Colonel
Wells, whose command happened to be the
one that Early was looking for, was speedily
made acquainted. Of course the authori-
ties at Washington became advised OF these
facts, and on5this occasion acted with com
mendable rapidity. ~. r, 1. - = - -,
f. The finale of the affair was, that while
General Early was making for Luray Court
House, to cut off Col. Wells, column from
| Meade's army moved almost to the same
point to cut off the retreat of Gen.. Early
Thus it was that in the end Gen. Early had
/ to look out more for his own safety than the
whereabouts of Col. Wells. .-.AL-&
! .---1 ~ 81 OUR COLUMNS ALL SAFE. ---.
/ To-day the several columns have return
ed and reported their presence at points
suitable to the wishes of General Kelley
In word they are all safe. rs
CURIOUS AND REMARKABLY FACT. II z
Generally, when valuable move is made,
the correspondents hasten to set forth our
losses sin Italics" SO that the public will see
at glance Chow large" they are. Now,
and on the contrary, | am constrained, and
truly with feelings of pleasure, to place in
italics the fact that our loss in killed. and
1 wounded will not exceed twenty, to show
how small it is. When we take into con-
sideration the number of the troops engag-
ed, the great good they accomplished, the
distance they marched and the various en-
counters they met with, this fact will at
once show its own extreme remarkableness
without any further comment from me on
the subject
HOW WE STOPPED LoNGsTREEr's REINFORCE
MENTS.
At the time when our columns advanced
the rebels were about sending Jackson's
and Jones commands, with some others
detached, as reinforcements 30 Longstreet.
jackson and Jones had even started for
their destination; but when the Richmond
authorities discovered danger SO near home,
they detained and used Jackson and Jones
to try and capture Averill
THE TEMPEST IN THE MoULTAINS
All of the columns suffered severely from
cold and even hunger. They moved in the
lightest possible marching order. Nothing
but what was absolutely necessary did they
take along with them. But by far the Sc
verest suffering was attached to Averill's
command The country through which
they had to pass, even in times of peace,
was an inLos p.;.. ,'e one. How much worse
is it now, when houses are scarce and sup
plies among the things fonnd wanting!
The men suffered the most from the cold
The nights were bitter. Each chilly blast
seemed pregnant with thousands of COOL
prickly points, that pierced their way and
seemed to be seeking for shelter beneath
the very skin. 1t rained, showed and
hailed. Few persons know what a
tempest in the mountains is like. Let the
reader imagine the gathering of the dark
and threatening clouds, the twilight ap.
Iroaching, the Wild rough, romantic
scenery of the mountains, the Jagged rocks,
with icy sickles hanging down in all varie-
ties of form and manner, the wearied sol
dier and the footsore horse climbing and
scraping up the steep mountain roads, with
slipping both dangerous and laughable !;
then the descending of the storm, the water
freezing as it touched the ground, or blown
upon you by bowling winds, that made all
seem drear and wild, if not unnatural like I;
the line winding its way up one side and
down another, entering passes that seemed
to be the terminus of these mountainous
creations, and then again emerging upon
open lands, but to feel the fury OF the storm
the more severe, and anew behold its in.
creasing dismality and terifficpess, and you
can form I" a mere idea " of what was the
scene on this trying occasion 1t was worth
a pilgrimage to behold, but by no means gra'
tifying nor healthy to enioy,
ANOTHER SCENE
i 1t was the crossing of Jacksons river,
where the enemy had made much prepara-
tion to cut US off The crossing was made
in darkness. The flashes of the muskets of
the contending parties, who fought at ran
dom and in the dark, the rapid and myste
rious movements Of both forces, and espe
cially the swimming Of the river by regi
ment that was cut off through tho destruc
tion of the bridges, will not soon be forgot.
ten. The water was bitterly cold, cakes Of
ice Heated in it close and heavily, and the
wind was enough IN itself to chill, without
any additions of ice and water, This part
Of the march was the most daring and ex-
citing and remarkable of the whole retro
gressive movement.
THE GREAT IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO OUR
MOVEMENTS
can be understood by the following account
of the neighborhoods in which General
Averill and the other Generals have been
operating; and in this account propose TO
show that the taking Of Lynchburg would
necessarily involve the evacuation of Rich
mond and that any movement, even like
the present one, sending to interrupt, but
still more particularly to permanently de
stroy, one or more of the enemy's lines for
receiving supplies. is of as much, if not
more importance to our interests in putting
down this rebellion, within any reasonable
period of time, than wosld be the fighting
of great battle and the securing Of such
successes as we have been in the habit Of
! gaining, with one or two exceptions, since
the commencement of the war