Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-07

more disappointed
Hardly had we disposed of ourselves for
the night, when an order came, requiring
US to be ready to move at o'clock on the
following morniug, officers to be pro
vided with twelve days rations, and the
men with three, with the understanding
that the three were to be made to last for
five days. Three days rations were on
the train, making six in all for the men.
Our course lay across the country to the
south bank of the Mattapony, thence west
ward above the North Anna towards Cor
louisville and the Blue Ridge
On the morning Of the 11th we struck
the enemy near Trevillian Station, about
eight miles from Gordonsville. General
Torbert with two brigades of the 1st Divis-
ion attacked them in front while General
Custar with the lst Brigade of the lst
Division, fell upon their flank In front
they were driven from their breastworks,
/ and on the flank, General Custar charging
with his usual impetuosity, captured a
large number of prisoners and three hum
dred horses but becoming entangled in the
enemy, lost two caissons and about one
hundred and fifty men. The fight was a
desperate one, hand to hand with sabes-
AT one time the rebels made desperate
charge, hoping to capture General Custars
battle flag and in the melee one of them
| succeeded in tearing it from the
staff but General Custar shot the
daring rebel and thrusting the flag
into his boot, brought it off in safety At
night NO were In Complete possession of
the railroad, and next morning we pro-
ceeded to destroy it. This was very thor
oughly done; the ties were burned, and
the rails bent in the most approved manner.
About three o'clock in the afternoon we
attacked the rebel lines, and drove them
back to within five miles of Gordonsvillc
Here they were strongly intrenched, and
were re-enforced by a body of infantry
from GordOnsville. During the night we
leisurely withdrew our forces, and assumed
our homeward march. The enemy follow
ed y only in sufficient number to keep the
men from struggling, and, though the bush
whackers annoyed our hanl1s to some ex-
tent, we met with no obstruction to our
return.
We passed through a portion of the
Wilderness, and over the blood-stained
ground about Spottsylvania Courthouse
1t is dreary place. The long lines ofaban-
doued earthworks, the houses, fences and
trees, thickly SCARED with shot and she'll
the piles of fresh earth, denoting graves
with here and there a decaying body OF
some soldier yet unburied, gave melan-
choly interest to the scene
Contrabands came flocEing to us from
various quarters. Old worn out plantation
hands, gray and lame, but eager to taste
the sweets of freedom before they dieC.,
dusky mothers with their youngest at their
breasts and file of little ones following,
young daughters Of toll, glad to escape from
Southern lust, and stalwart men who will
yet do yeomm service in our black bri-
gades, all followed in our wake
Bress de Lord, yous cum, said one
old gray-haired mother. yves bin watch |
in and prayin for you" Let me simply !
say that We sent seven hundred of them to |
Washington at the end of our journey.
On the 18th, we reached Kings and |
Queens Court House, a heap OF ruins, |
which was once hamlet by that name
1t was burned last spring by Gene al Kill |
patrick, in retaliation 10 urder of |
Colonel Dahlgren.
Our rations had long since been exhaust |
ed, but our men and horses livedwelI from |
the stores of the enemy. No matter W re |
the corn or bacon was hid, the argus ees |
of our boys would find it, and we left but |
little that was eatable in our pa h. At |
this point the command was divided The |
9th Ohio and sth Pennsylvania, taking
charge of the wounded, the prisoners and |
contrabands, moved down to West Point,
while the main force retraced its way to
H., laroccfTfr rho ri1rar ~,
toons, moved to White House, at the iunc-
ton of the Pamunky and Mattapony riv-
ers We got our prisoners. Numbering
Cnree hundred and twenty, our contra
bands and wounded, all safely aboard
boats and made a junction with
the main force.
While General Sheridan was at Dun
kirk the rebels made desperate effort to
capture his train at the White House, but
were repulsed by the gunboats On the
23d we crossed the Chickahominy at
Jones Bridge, where a small body of
colored infantry, who had Joined US at
White House, had sharp skirmish with
the rebels, driving them from their breast
works and Furnishing them severely. We
had in our charge the whole train of the
cavalry corps as well as a large number of
wagons belonging to General Grants
army.
On the 24th the train had reached the
vicinity Of Charles City Court House, and
General Greggs Division with the excep-
lion Of two regiments, was stationed at
Ladds Farm, about four miles from the
Court House, to guard the flank till the
train reached.the river.
The rebels made repeated efforts to break
)ur lines during the day, but were inva-
'iably repulsed till about half past four
o'clock in the afternoon, when, having
brought up a large body of infantry, they
made desperate and final effort. Our 7
rOOPs were on the point of Withdrawing, c
'ur line having been called in at some
points, and our dismounted men having I
Mostly taken their horses when the attack
vas made. Against force three times as
,reat as our own, dismounted in the woods,
md we on horses in the open field, we
ought for over an hour, till overborne by
weight of numbers, when we were forced
,ack in disorder We brought off all our
annons, though the rebel infantry, charg-
ns with Rxed bayunets, made desperate
tforts to take them. i.-
The division lost some three hundred
nd seventy men in killed, wounded and
Missing. The 9th Ohio were the last on T
he field, and suffered severely Our loss
vas four killed, thirty wounded and ten
Missing. We also had upward of hun
red horses killed and wounded. Among e
hose whom we count as killed was Adju- :
ant IL. NJ. Baldwin, whom we were forced
0 leave, we think mortally wnunded, in
he hands Of the enemy. He was one of Il
ur bravest officers, and a young man of ii
reat promise. We made stand at ., o
)harles City Court House, but the enemy pi
i'd not pursue US to that point. Next :
lorning we. resumed our march to the
ames river, where we now are waiting to