Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1864-07-07
A RIDE INUNcLE SANS BUGGY
Mk. SrtwAkr,
Dear Sir:

Dear Sir.
avail myself Of
the present to give the numerous rea-
ders of your interesting paper, 8
short sketch Of our ride from Mud
Bridge, to Bsrbersviile in an ambu-
| lance, but IN the first place I mnst tell
/ You how We come to take this trip.
, On the 18th of June, I started for
/ Mud Bridge, West Va. by the way
, of fGuyandotte and Barbersville, in
! company with one of my neighbors.
l all him fat John. TIE design of our
visit was to take donations to Capt.
Ripley's company, co.-F, 14lst o. N.
, G., which is stationed at Mud Bridge.
On the morning of the 18th, we en-
barked on board the steamer Clair
mont at 9 o'clock A. M she hauled
in her string and steamed away for
, Guyandotte, which place she reached
, about two o'clock of the same day,
+ when we got up in town we found
several of the boys from old Gallia,
belonging to Capt. Ripley's company,
, also the 141st o. n G.. Among them
was Lieut.. Clark from my township,
{ we encamped with the boys that night
J and next morning Capt. Ripley star
ted team with the donations for
Barbersville, under an escort of six
men for guards. We reached BARRIERS
, vile about eleven o'clock A. NJ. on
; Saturday, the 18th; there we met the
) train from Mud Bridge, and reshipped
1 the donations, and started for Mud
: Bridge, which place we arrived about
FIVE o'clock the same day, and found
+ the boys all enjoying good health and
Il you NAV guess we were welcome visi-
e tors When the boys saw the boxes
d Of pies, cakes, butter, caned fruit and
, baked chickens, sent to them By their
n dear ones at home, SOW belly and
i hard tack had to stand back. They
q soon fell to work and opened their
d boxes, and enjoyed themselves at q
r plentiful table, whicl reminded them
A of home. We staid with the boys till
# Monday the Goth, about half past six
o o'clock, we bid good by to the boys
a and started for home in company
o with four of uncles boys; one was the
!. ambulance driver, the other accompa-
m MED us as volunteer guards to- Bar
At bersville. The old ambulance rolled
along at pretty good gate we en-
r joyed ourselves very well and having
4 social chat as we passed down Mud
s. river valley, all peace and quiet until
g we got within about three miles of
'. Barbersville, when / cast my eye UP
r the hill side on our left I discovered
N three of the fiends of he'll, amhushed
awaiting our approach, a little farth-
er on there was three or four more.
As soon as I saw them l told the
, boys their was the id villains now,
but no sooner said than they opened
= fire on us and sent a voley of lead
l. en- hail down fntothe old ambulance
, among as. Reader you can better
imagine our feelings than 1 can de-
scribe; our position was far from a
pleasant one. but not withstanding
we received their salute very cool and
el calm We returned the compliment
n by giving them six shots, whether
- NuCl WCIC vi nOt VIC COulu hOt
y tell A W. Kerns a boy in his 18th
year, was sitting on the back end OF
=, the seat with hrs back towards them;
he was wounded IN the back. the ball
e, passed through his cartridge box
l. strap and into hrs back about II
ID inches and still remains there. He
)t fired two shots at them after he was
70 wounded, one with his enfield rifle
n and one with hrs revolver, in attempt
Of ing to- give Them the third shot
" the exploded cap got foul m the ham
ID mer, and white trying to adjust that
y and the ambulance going at rapid
e gate caused a premature discharge
D. and inflicted a slight wound in th'
p calf of his leg. Joseph Smeltzer wa
3. sitting facing him also on the bacl
+ end Of the other seat. He received
W three wounds two slight and one Sc
N we're, one on the breast, one in the
E right shoulder and one in the righf
b thigh. The balance of us were more
fortunate, although the scoundref:
made three bullet holes through my
coat and one through fat Johns coat,
the other two did not get scratch,
the distance they fred at us was not
more than 50or 60 feet They were
right shove US, in an old rail road cut,
there was not less than % or 80 shots
through the ambulance shout half
d passed through the top of it. 1t is a
J. mystery to me that they did not kill
e US all; the driver was as cool and
4 calm as could be in a case Of that
: kind; he had an old leather persuader
1 and the moment we discovered the
/, villains he applied it to uncles horses
as though he was determined to take
Y us out of that critical position and be
! did so. We were under their IRE
. about two hundred yards, we arrived
at Barbersville. about ten o'lOck A.
NJ. There the surgeon of the l41st
o. N. G. dressed the boys wounds.
We remained in the latter place till
about one o'clock P. NJ, Of the same
day, when we left for Gallipolis-
where we landed at IL o'clock We'd
nesiay- Dad and reached home the