The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-20
GENERAL HUNg FRg EXPEpITION.

HARrRB's FBRRY, July lS.--Just two months
ago, General Hunter was assigned to rommnnl
the Department Of West Virginia, his orders
being not to relieve General Sige from duty in
the department, but to take up the "raiding
force" of about ten thousand men, which had
been beaten back from NUwmarket under that
officer and to renew Sigcls advance in the direc-
tion of Staunton.
He was, IF he could to capture Sauuton and
destroy the railroad east and west of that place
II he found Staunton so well fortified and de-
Tended that to attack Il would involve delays and
heavy sacrifices Of life, then he was to hurt the
railroads ON each side OF it as much as possible,
and to keep as large a number as possible of tue
Cuemy's troops in employment. These were the
orders to General Sigel, and 10 is to De presumed
the expectations Of success were not increased
by the defeat Of Newmarket
Travelling without pause from Washington 20
Cedar creek, General Hunter assumed command
OF the beaten army, which he found demOralizel
TO % degree that could scarcely be exceeded.
Nearly two thousand of its infantry were without
shoes. About one thousand had thrown away
their arms in their flight, and had TO be relrmed
Tie appearance Of q few guerillas in any di-
r,Ctou produced general stampede, the men
having lost all confidence in their commanding
general, and expecting every moment that the
troops who had chased them from ROOd's Hill
would rcappear In force TO continue the pursuit.
How rapidly this command was rcorganzed,
and a better spirit infused would be on record In
the public mind II that mind were In a condition
Of health enabling Il 10 remember anything. In
a few days the little army was rettted i'm all par
ticulars, and within twelve days from General
Hunters assumption of command the battle OF
Piedmont was fought, and won 10y the Union
forces, Piedmont being ten miles further up the
valley than any other Union army had previously
penetrated.
tn h4I IU bp huf its ulnpn arnnly
piled by the accession to the Rebels of the COM
mand of General William L. JOnes-trOOps fully
as good and numerous ms those of Breckenridge,
and commanded by an officer universally rated
as his superior.
From Piedmont Hunters little army advanced
to Stanton, which it entered without opposition,
the enemy being too much demoralized from the
defeat ofthc day before to avail himself of the
earthworks and lines of rifle pits constructed for
the defense of that city. Here the railroad was
DESTROY cd west and east in the most thorough
manner, and vast quantities of ordnance, CONF
missary and quartermaster stores belonging TO
the Rebel Government were captured and either
issued 10 our men or destroyed. OF details
however, there will be no time TO speak in this
letter
At STAN ton Hunter was joined by the infantry
Of General Crook and the cavalry OF General
Ayerill-two officers as excellent aud dstin-
gushCd as any in the service. A cavalry di7i-
sion, under General A. N Dutie was sent to
threaten RoCkish Gap-dcicnded by Breckin-
TluEe ana linDuueu-Wllu OlutIS 10 NlONN Lut
h ne Ridge, destroy the railroad at aud around
Charlottesville and Amherst Court House, and
as far down as they could reach, and then 20
TejOin the main advance ut Lexington, within
two days.
From Staunton to Lexington our troops adj
vanced, driving be.Jre them u cavalry force OF
about 5000 men, under McCausland, who made u
stand at Lexington, under special orders from
Lieutenant General Robert f.. Lee. These orders
directed MCCausland to hold Lexington, Eat any
cost" until ne could be reinforced by troops from
Richmond, who he was assured were already on
the way to succOr him.
He made the stand accordingly; but, huding
the town directly under the guns of General
Hunters infantry advance, and that he was being
ilanked by AYerils cavalry, who had fOrded the
river higher up McCausand finally fell back,
just in time to save himself and his command
from capture.
AT this point occurred delay of two days
which resulted from General Duties having lost
his way in the mountains, on the eastern side
the Blue Ridge. He however, destroyed two
large trains of Government stores, which the
enemy were moving by this route from Staunton
to Lynchburg, and captured many prisoners
He could not, however, materially injure the
railroad at any point, being everywhere con-
fronted by Imboden's largely superior cavalry.
Here and there only did he destroy bridge
slight injuries that could be repaired in half a
day.
From Lexington the command of General
Hunter, thus delayed two days by General
via Buchanan, partly because there might be diff
hculty in forcing the James river below that
point (our pontoon bridge being utterly worth
less, as was proved at Port Repubic), and partly
because we had such information of the rein
fOrcem0nts from Richmond then arriving in the
valley that il became necessary to secure two
possible lines Of retreat other than the road of
our advance. At Buchanan, moreover, were
located some of the most important furnaces,
foundrles, and cloth mills of the Rebel Govern
ment, and these it was essential TO destroy.
From Buchanan the march was continued to-
ward Lynchburg, the country becoming barer
| and barer of supplies as we advanced, the people
| running all their stock aud stores into the noun
tains TO the right and left of us, and the business
| of fOragng becoming more and more hazardous
| in consequence of the large Rebel Cavalry force
| which enyeloped, as with a cloud, our front and
| fanks.
On the 18th of June the enemy made q reso-
| lutte stind at place variously called "Od
| Church" or Diamond Hnl," about four miles
| from Lynchburg, but after contest of some
three or four hours were forced TO continue the T
retreat Ayerills Cavalry done particularly well
| in this fight, and Crooks infantry charged,
| through storm of graPeshot, clean over the
| Rebel breastwOrks, without single pause or mo
ment OF hesitation or disorder.
On the day following General Hunter and his
| subordinate commanders learned with precision
of the arrival OF the greater part Of EwelPs corps
on their front, and brisk attack which lasted
with brief intermissiOn all day long, developed q
regular earthwOrks, well mounted with artillery,
| ana built some years ago, connected together by
In es of th Cusua Rebel rail rifle pits on which our
men had heard "thc Johnnles" hammGring and
saving all the previous night.
| We had also heard not less than Cight-sOme
| said eleyen-trains of cars arriving from Rich
mund; and from the sorties made upon our
| lines, and from what our men learned in their
two charges against the enemy'7 dcienses, it be-
! came clear by midday that we had then in front
of us force OF veteran troops Ot least equal %
| our own in numbers, and probably superior,
! operating IN their own country, and constantly
! receiving both supplies and reiutOrcemeuJs by
| railroad nom Richmond, while we were absO-
| luteIy without supplies other than a i-tlc sugar
and coffee still lett and drove o. cattle that we
! had collected in our advance up the Shenandoah
| valley.
Worse than ALL however we were short of am
| muniiion, the train expected under General
| Stahl not then having arrived. 1t was therefore
| determined in a council of war, consisting of
| Generals Hunter, Sullivan, Crook, and Averill,
| that our best course was to retire upon Salem
there being from that point two lines Of retreat
| open TO us-oue due west towards Eastern Ten
! nessce, and the other north and by west up the
! hanawha valley,
| If it be asked, why did not Hunter return
! towards his supplies by the Shenandoah route,
| up which he had advanced the answer must
| take the form Of another question: would the
! killing or capturing Of his entire command have
| materially helped the Union cause p The enemy
! had q railroad east of the Blue Ridge from
/ LynchbuTg 10 Rockfsh Gap, or WaynesborO
only twelve miles from StauntOn-the railroad