Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-02-06
From the 1884.

STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Jan. Goth, 1868.
DEAR P:-I suppose that you feel some.
what uneasy about me, because you don't
hear from me oltener. AS usual, / am well
and hearty, and you may be t'uy surprised
when / inform you that l am rather heshy.
We are havlrg "high old times" of it here iu
East Tennessee. All is life and excitement
Since my last letter which was mailed at Nor
ristown, we have had what the soldiers call
nasty cid retrea. Of it," Our company-B-
was cut off from Knoxville when Longstreet
laid siege to it. We had to retreat to Cum
berland Gap, with scarcely anything to eat, we
lived on parched corn chiefly, with now and
then little fresh pork.
But there is no use OF worrying you with
our sufferings for you hear enough of the suf-
ferngs of the army in East Tennessee. AS
soon as the way was opened to Knoxville we
got permission 10 join our regiment, for which
we WAS greatly thankful. We found them al
This place, but remained with them but one
day, when our company was detached as pro-
vost guards for the 81 Division, so we got rid
of great deal of hard marching, for we only
move when the head quarters move.
At the siege of Knoxville there was forty
killed and wounded out of the l03d; most OF
the wounded died. Our regiment behaved no.
bly, and led the brigade.
| We are just having one more grand retreat
for the last three days. Longstreet's head
quarisrs are in the mill at Morristown, his lines
are about two miles from ours.
About four days ago we sent large force
up to Danridge, with the intention of routing
Longstreet, but he did not give them chance
to make the attack. Day before yesterday his
skrmiShers drove in our pickets; he engaged
US all the afternoon aud drove US within quar-
ter of mile of town. The order was giveI
to retreat. aid one grand retreat they made o
it too. Everything was mixed up and in con
fusion, infantry cavalry aud wagons were mix
ed up in Que large coDglomera,ed mass, the
mud you can hardly form an idea OF, unless
YOU compare it vita SO much glue, and that
over a foot deep. The troops have been pour
ing 10 here ior the last Two days in acompresseC
mass. The rebels took great many prison
ers. mostly stragers. But the troops canno
be blamed for struggling, fJr they had nothing
TO eat aud no way OF getting it for more thar
two days, and great many went without lon
ger than that. Every one has to lookout To-
himself, is terrible!
The report is now that Lougstreet made =
leint on our center merely to break our lel
and take down the valley and be off. He ha
been Reinforced aud suppose that he intends
to lay siege to Knoxville again Ii ne does
( am afraid be will be successful, for the arm.
could not subsst long, nay but few days, be
fore famine wou rule the day This is mere
ly what might happen, but hope that it ma
never transpire.
The troops in East Tennessee number lou
: corps, aud no way uuder heaven to get proyis
- ions. only as it comes up the river, aud tina
!. supply is very scanty. hardly enough to suppl
one. fourth the number OF troops here. Sine
5 we have been in East Tennessee, we have live
J. mainly on the couutry but now the country
& entirely cleared Of provisi )ns so much so, tina
y the citizens see starvation staring them 10 ID
i, face Something must be done aud that quicki.
. There is no army in the deld that has O.
Il perienced SO many hardship as the army her
/. not even the rebel army. tell you that Il
e brave boys that accompanied Burnside in
l. campaign into East Tennessee, will have 50
e tale TO tell when they reach home. Talk
'e crossing the Alps, it is not patching to III
campaign. There is no winter quarters 4
= :, the troops here, they are very poorly clad al
= in fact clad in nothing but rags, aud MAJ
n barefooted.
Il, suppose you would like to know what
al have to eals for breakfast We have corn cal
Of made from unsiiled meal mixed with Wat
and baked over the fire in frying pa