The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-01-04
zss-%ga@g WHEELING, MONDAY, JANUARY a, 1864.

aone side, and Gen. Imboden on the other,
Gen. Averill should have deceived and ell
uded both till he was entirely beyond their
reach, and the latter, especially believing
that be was actually confronting him q
short distance west of Staunton, and threat
ening that place, when a telegram from Gen.
r. E. Lee brought us the humiliating intel
ligence there, that he was at salem, three
days ahead of Gen. IT, calculations. I'M
mediately, we were ordered to march to
Lexington. Leaving Mount Crawford, six
from Thursday to Friday roerning to Lex
ington, fifty two miles. This march was
made through as severe spell of weather
as have ever seen troops endure on march;
and yet the usual fortitude and zeal Of our
gallant. cavaliers were fully equal to the
task, their illustrious leader animating them
by his personal presence and participationiI1
their hardships.--
Reaching Lexington, information was re,
ceived that the enemy, retreatiDg by the
same road by which he had come, had been
arrested in his retreat by the high waters
After feeding and resting little. we were.
ordered to march twelve miles, to Golfers
town. in the direction of CovingtOn, to cut
off the retreat Here we camped for the
night, and would have easily intersected
the road by which the Abolition band pas
sed on the next day, before they could pos
sibly have escaped u.s. had we not received
during the night, unfortunately, false and
erroneous dispatches to the effect that the
enemy, impeded by swollen streams, had
been compelled to return to Salem, and
would necessarily march by way of Bu-
cbanan, thirty miles east of Salem, to cross
the James River; or west of fCbristiansburg,
Blacksburg, &C., in order to make good his
| escape.
These dispatches were accompanied ny
such instructions from Gen. Lees superior
in command Gen. Early) as required him
10 change the line of march again to Bu-
chanan. There we learned, greatly to our
| disappointment, that the dispatches, which
seemed entirely credible, were utterly erfo-
neous; and that the enemy had with great
difficulty gotten across Craigs Creek on
Friday night, and gone on toward Sweet
Springs, in the direction of Covington, and
| were about two days ahead of us. The
Yankees, however, were reported to have
lost all their artillery ammunition in cross
ing deep waters, and most Of their small
/ arms, ammunition, and provisions. The
hope that their march would be retarded by
troops under Gen. Echols and Col. Jackson
and, by their crippled condition, induced
| Gen. Lee to pursue. We passed through
Fincastle, in Botetourt County, Sunday af
ternoon, and passed on beyond Newcastle
Sunday night, On Sabbath [ was permit
ted to leave the command and come to this,
the scene of their depredations. Since that
time our noble band of patriots have press
ed bravely on. | fear, however, that this
terribly severe expedition has been fruitless.
Some disasters have befallen the Yankees
at Jackson's river. Several hundred have
fallen into the hands of our forces, command
ed | believe, by Col, Jackson; a number OF
negroes and horses stolen from this place
have been recovered and have already re-
turned here under guard. The negroes seem
bat too happy to have been captured; say
I the experiment is entirely satisfactory, and
If they can be forgiven 1T shall neyor be re
peated. They say that several OF their
number were shot for expressing their de
sire and determination of turning back
One eff their comrades was given quart Of
whisky and made drunk and abandoned.-
He was found dead on the road from the eff
fects of the liquor and the cold. great
many borses were stolen, besides those cap
tured at this post belonging to the Govern
ment and several hundred we're killed along
the route, being partially disabled. Many
| of them have seen. Hopes are still en-
rertained that Ayeril will be overtaken,
| G en-. Lee being but Is mills behind them
when last ueagd from. If it had been pos
',ble for him to have accomplished the task
8 eaching them they would unquestiona-
VI -, :, we been captured. No commander
ao,y aor troors To- could have done and endured
rnnrs m", 70 attain the end than has been done
by this admirable onee' anu '''' "o ies' e0
mrable soldiers.
Supplies both in the Qua, ,'e.n'a..e, h"'a .a. aIe
Commissary's Department ha''e oeen sa'nr
cred here, chiefly, u meet the r."anus vi
the Western Virginia and East Ie.''"eS'e'
D apartment.
The OQartsrma of the post is, u
questionably, of the most enerSet,c ano Fha Ell
lerprising officers in the service Inc
night before the arrival of the raiders, LIE
received telegraphic dispatch from Gen.
Jones, commanding this Department, tna'
the enemy was advancing in tai: dlTecnGas n1;as
and ordering him to move all his supplies
Immediately to the depot, about three
quarters of mile from the town, for snip
ment on the cars. With all the transpor-
tation he possessed, and additional wagons
and teams from the community, they toiled
all night and the next morning, ana sue
ceeded in getting everything to the ra'l
road in time to have had already tor trans
portation and run off, but, despite dispatch
es, and every effort of the officers OF the
road. cars enough did not arrive IN Tune
The wagons aud teams were deta'n d al
the depot to the last moment, with the
intention of running of as much as posi-
BILE bv that means, upon the announcement