Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-10-27
A Panoramic View of HOODS
ARMY. r

E.
From an officer captured by HOOPS army
at Dalton, and who was retained by the
rebels for several days, the following incl
dents were obtained by correspondent;
In the morning, while the rebel army was
leaving Villanow, the promise to release the
officers of the regiment captured Mt Dalton,
was fulfilled. Before, however, permission
To 90 was received, the whole rebel army
passed along-one portion taking road to
the south, while another pressed west, in
the direction of Lafayette. Anopportunity
was thus afforded Colonel johnson and his
officers to review, as it were, Hoods whole
force--a privilege probably given by acci-
dent, and one OF such rare admission, tnat
the information thereby gained haspeculiar
interest.
Several officers counted the number of
Infantry regiments, and in the three corps,
found the aggregate to be about one hum
dred and seventy. The regiments will
average two hundred men. Some have less
than one hundred while few others, hav-
Ing apparently escaped the general wear
and tear of the campaign, run up to four
and five hundred. Cleburne's division was
counted, and footed up about 3,7OO, rank
and file. Each division had four guns, the
whole number of the latter being reckoned
between fifty and sixty. The wagon train
was lUng, but had more of capacity for
holding supplies than of the supplies them
selves. The rebel soldiers talked a great
deal of train of supplies of four hundred
wagons, which was momentarily expected
from Blue Mountain. The rumor was
abroad that it had arrived. The three corps
of infantry were closely calculated, and
footed up about $4,000.
During the time our officers were in cap
tivity (three days. they received one ra-
tion of corn-meal and fresh beef and in no
Instance did they observe any other article
of diet among the rebels, except when they
broke from the ranks ON the marches for
persimmon trees and aple orchards. Yet
every thing in their language and bearing
indicated that they were determined to
fight awhile longer. Their elation over
the fancied fatal trick upon Sherman, re-
lieved the fierceness of their conduct toward
our prisoners, but deep-seated, indignant
hatred was never invisible. They were
ragged and thinly clad, having, as a general
thing, only pantaloons, shirt and haiti their
inventory of clothing-the first two greasy
and tattered. the last shocking affairs, in
multitudinous variety. AS general thing,
they were tolerably well shOd, though in
one of Stewards divisions one of our Off
GERS counted over three hundred barefooted
privates. Not more than one in ten have
blankets, and much suffering must have en-
sued through the keen frosty nights now
prevailing. Their marches were conducted
In three parallel columns, moving rapidly
and compactly, and without struggling.
Three hours, from four to seven, A. NJ, on
the morning referred to, were occupied in
passing given point by these three col
umns.
In the line, distinction, as to apparel, be-
tween the officers and men, was nearly OBJ
liberated. Regimental discipline seemed
little loose, and privates appeared to COM
ment upon the commands of their immedi-
ate officers with an JUNCTION and broadness
of diction which has always been native to
the taste and instinct of the highly polish
ed, intelligent, and aesthetic lower orders of
the South, surnamed the sunny.
The guns were nearly all Napoleons, of
the average calibre. The public animals
were in pretty good condition-quite equal
70 pulling along light field batteries, empty
wagons, and careering under the wiry, not
over-fat, grizZled and besmirhed cavaliers.
Hood is described as a thin, stopping
man, with physical tournure embelished
by a wooden leg and wilted arm. My in
formants dwell upon the dreary, wearied,
baleful expression of his gray eyes-lack-
iuster, unspeculative orbs that tell of over
wrought nerves, sleepless nights ard set
tied melancholy. His speech Is slow, and
marked by courteous gravity. "He could
never smile" am told, "without facial
revolution" t.rgr
The General was well mounted, and was
closely followed by an Orderly, bearing his
erutch. The salient features of his dress
were a sloutch-hat and an enveloping gray
coat, lined with flaming red.
Cheatham is robust florid, and, together
with his staff, is better dressed than other
Generals-that is, his uniform was, proba-
bly,, donned last spring. Cleburne looks as
Irish as st. Patrick 0'Plenipo, but talks
without Hibernian accent. A faded cap,
lot over large, was held OIL his head by the
land being reversed, and taking reef
round the malevolent organs-including
mativeness-at the back of the head In
let, so peaked and largely developed is
hat portion of Pat Cleburne's skull, oppo-
te his pronounced snuff-tray, that those
sho see him for the first time reckon 1t his
iost appreciable and Jrdppant physical
oint. His division, by-the-way, seemed
cry anxious to assault the fort at Dalton,
nd would have formed the storming col
mn. When the garrison marched out the
I leburnes could hardly be restrained from
| wing at the ssdamned white niogers." as