Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-07-20
GENERAL HUNTER.
[FrOm ths Cincinnnti Ennnirnr

Wv VI We service This regiment was
WIN General Huntsr in his late Lynch
burg expedition. We are informed tv
gentlemen who conversed with the Off
GERS ana men on board the boat that thew
declare that General Hunter would have
taken Lynchburg if he had made The at :
tack the day he got there. lie deferred
until The next dag, and the rebel rein. !.
iorcements came up during the nioht.
lheir torce was then so large that Gener.
al Hunter ordered retreat. The rebels
pursued, and a series ngagements were
iought, in which our loss was NJ leas,
eight thousand in killed, wounded and
missing. On the retreat il is charged that
General Hunler filled the ambulapces
win negroes, to the neglect of the wouu-
ded white soldiers. His conduct is bin.
tefly denounced by all the soldiers. 1t is
also sad that General Crook has prefer
red charges against General Uunier for
incapaclty and cruel treatment of his men.
As an instance, II is charged that Gen.
hunter cowhlded man PERSONAL, for
ordering negro TO get off horse to give
place TO wounded soldier. At Cannell-
'on' the head oi navigation on the Kama
wha' 3,ooo wounded were placed on bar
ees ana lowed down the river. The suf-
iefihgs on ihe retreat were terrible, and a
halt dozen soldiers died per hour DUR no
The last two days of starvation fatigue aud
exposure. The retreat was long, horrible.
and disastrous in the extreme.
Inc following are extracts from the
letters oa which the above article from
the Cincinnati EaQuira is based:
"Ihe march TO Stanton occupied ter
days From Staunton the army passed
through Lexington, lying there two days,
and burning the Military Institute. ibe
residence OF Governor Leicher and some
houses containing stores. The army thence
marched directly 10 Lynchburg, reaching
mat city in tie evening of the Eth OF
June. That evening a line of battle was
formed, the enemy attacked, and two
lines OF breastworks were carried. after
which the division was ordered TO retire
The army that evening slept on their arms,
! On the morning OF tue 18th nothing oc-
Cured but skirmshing, except demon.
stration OF the enemy eleven lines deer,
made on our centre. Averill at the same
time made an unsuccessful effort TO burn
the bridge IN the vicinity of the city. On
me evening OF the 18th the army was Or
dered TO retreat, aud the line of march
c.-~ s.-i---s--t g. 49, IE.-..- IL. ,,-iT,
Whether or not it was retreat the mar.
rator was not advised. The army march
ed about l5S miles to Gauley Bridge
meeting n supply train some few n,iIes
before reaching .he latter place. On tho
evening OF the l7lh the army, while be.
fore Lynchburg, received its last repular
ra.lons. During the retreat lhe soldiers
received nothing except once, handful
oil shei'ed corn. The report was current
that twenty-seven men died from hunger
on the march, three dying after receiving
supplies, but from exhaustion unable 10
eat The men marched the first night
after leaving Lypchburg twenty-five miles.
ana continued the march night ard day
until reaching Gauley Bridge. A large
number OF men unableto bear the fatigue,
dropped down exhausted by hunger, hard
marching and want of sleep. The num-
Der the writer could not ascertain, but il
was very large. Nothing was found on
the road TO eat. Fruit was not ripe. not
even whortle berries. The corn, if any
in the country, could not be found. The
cavalry horses had nothing but grass 10
subSist upon, and, as a consequence. n ye-
ry large number of them fell down on the
march exhausted. 1t was unCerstood ,o
be the order of General Ayerill TO shoot
all exhausted horses, preventing them thus
| from falling into the hands OF the enemy
The army burned the Military Ipsti.
tnte at Lexington, after rifing it OF its IL
brary, which was found to be verv fine
lie has in his possession one of the books
The rail- DAD in the vicinity of Lynchburp
was destroyed to a considerable distance
though the important bridge aimed To- be-
burned was too well guarded. The sol.
diers we're informed 1y the Inhabitants
that General Lee had railroad corps.
composed OF Euglishmen, who repaired
roads with great facility. When rails are
destroyed, rails are borrowed from switch
es and unimportant roads to make .,ie re-
pairs. In this way delay of tiansporta-
ton OF troops or supplies is prevented.
The crops in the vicinity of S,aunton,
in the valley and around Lynchburg,
seemed to be very iiae. Abundance OF
cereals seem to have been sown, and the
wheat was just ready for harvesting.
The soldiers thought If General Hun
J ter's intention was 10 take Lynchburg, he
failed, Nit was TO destroy q portion of
railroad and burn the Military Institute,
he succeeded The loss of men from all
causes was very large. The loss of horses
fell not short Of four thousand.
While marching from Lynchburg some
two thousand or more of the soldiers be-
came baro-footed, and had to wrap up
their feet with pieces Of blanket. A num-
ber Of negroes were taken on the route.
A very large proportion Of the negroes
were furnished with horses or were car
ried IN wagons or ambulances. A soldier
whose feet were wrapped up with pieces
of blanket and exhausted from the march,
halted negro on horse and took pos
session OF the horse. Genera! Hunter
hearing the fact. rode up to the soldier,
ordered him TO dismount and horse-whip-
pea him, placing the negro again upon
the horse.
The retreat from Lynchburg was not in
any order. General Crook told the neH
TO make their way back as best they could.
The whole army straegled rather than
marched all The way from Lyrqhbure 10