Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-08-24
. TrumbuH County Soldiers
Adventures.

The following extracts from a letter
written by GeorgeB. Kennedy of Co. D,
ID. o. Y. V. c. to his parents, in Farm
ngton. will be read with interest by his
any friends in This section.
CAMP SfoSENAN, July %, 1864.
DEAR PARENFs:-When you receive this
liter. thank God that you still nave a
son to writelto you, for to him alone is
due your gratitude for my safety at this
ime. Amid all the excitement, hurry
and bloodshed abroad in the land, it
would be next to impossible for me to
escape a part in the bloody drama. My
,aving been on the move, will account
or your not having heard from me more
equently of late, for during the last three
eeks 1 / have been in four fights; one of
lem a victory and three Of them defeats.
fvo of Item being bloody, dreadful re-
Keats; l We seen men cut down before.
behind I'D On ali sides Of me, ! sank
trl.e beneath the dark waters Of the
"Snenandoha;" 1 have been a prisoner.
made my escape and to day reached
Camp Stoneman safe and sound.
But let me commence back a little and
give you a history of the trip, which l
hope may be interesting to you, because
your hoy" was along, if for no other
reason. The fourth of July was very quiz
ct and dull, nothing to relieve the usual
humdrum of camp, except the sunrise
and midday salutes from the "a FOUNDER
at the Fort, until nearly night, when we
received orders to turn over our cavalry
arms, draw muskets and prepare to march
early the mex morning for Harper's Ferry
to meet a rebel force marching against it
So without a murmur we made our pre-
p~arations, and at 8 o'clock on the morn
ing Of the 5th moved out Of camp and
were oon seated in hog cars on the B L
o R. R. The night before We had been
az work all night organizing and getting
ready, so 1 had my mouth fixed for q
good sleep, but just as it became dark and
1 had got myself fixed down for asnooze,
the train halted, we were called out and
ordered to ride on top with loaded arms,
for the Rebs were just ahead of US; so we
passed that night huddled together on
cattle cars, arms in hand and not allowed
10 speak, with the very comfortable"
idea that at every turn of the road we
~asrhk he roAf Au a r0ha1 u0llau fraDo The
darkness, or have the whole train pitch
ed down some one of the lawful precipices
always to be found on one side or the 9th
er ON this road.
We had a noble conductor, and for fear
of the road being broken, he would,
without a whistle or scarcely a sound run
ahead with the engine a mile or two and
finding all safe, run back, attach the
train and move US slowly along.
So passed the weary highland daylight
found us at Sandy Hook where our rail
road riding had an end, as Gen. Weber
had surrendered Harper's Ferry. the
bridge was burned and we had. to cross the
mountain on foot.
We fell in and without a mouthful to
eat since the morning before in camp,
started on my first infantry trip.
1t is called FIVE miles over the noun
tain and ZIG reached the valley about one
O'Clock, were given fifteen minutes to
make coffee and eat dinner, when we
were moved out in front of the enemy
and lay in the boiling hot sun where each