Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-07-13
From the sixth ohio cavalry

| OAAA tAS SAAeAA OAAAO SoN
Bucks LANDING, JAMES RIVER. Va,
June %.
Eds. Chronicle :-Once more, after the
heat and WEAKNESS of long marches and
hard fighting. have the privilege of ad
dressing you.
We left our encampment at Bottoms
Bridge, on the 9th inst, and stopped for
the night just across the Psriunky river
on fertile plain of bottom land. Rumor
said that we were to stop there for some
days to rest and recruit; never were men
more disappointed. l.
Hardly had we disposed of ourselves for
the night, when an order came, requiring
US to be ready to move at o'clock on the
following morning, officers to be provided
with twelve days rations, and the men
with three, with the understanding that
the three were to be made to last for five
days. Three days rations were on the
train, making six in all for the men.
Our course lay across the country to the
south bank of the Mattapony, thence west
ward above the North Anna towards Cor
louisville and the Blue Ridge.
On the morning of the 11th we struck
the enemy near Trevillian Station, about
eight miles from Gordonville. General
Torbert with two brigades of the lst Di-
vision attacked them in front, while Gen
eral Custar with the lst Brigade of the lst
Division, fell upon their flank. In front
they were driven from their breastworks,
and on the flank, General Custar charging
with his usual impetuosity, captured a
large number of prisoners and three hun
dred horses; but becoming entangled in
the enemy. lost two cassions and about
one hundred and fifty men. The fight
was desperate one, hand to hand with
sabres. At one time the rebels made a
desperate charge, hoping TO capture Gen.
Custar's battle flag, and in the melee one
of them succeeded in tearing it from the
staff, but General Custar shot the daring
rebel and thrusting the flag into his boot,
brought it off in safety. At might we were
in complete possession of the railroad, and
next morning we proceeded to destroy it.
This was very thoroughly done: the ties
were burned, and the rails bent in the
most approved manner. About three
o'clock in the afternoon we attacked the
rebel lines, and drove them back to with
in five miles of GordonVille Here they
were strongly intrenched, and were re.en-
forced by body of infantry from Cor
donsville. During the night we leisurely
withdrew our forces, and resumed our
homeward march. The enemy followed
US only in sufficient number to keep the
men from struggling, and, though the
bushwhaekers annoyed our lanks to some
extent, we met with no obstruction to our
return.
We passed through a portion of the
Wilderness, and over the blood stained
ground about Spottsylvania Court house.
1t is dreary place. The long lines of
abandoned earthworks, the houses, fences
and trees, thickly SCARED with shot and
shell, the piles of fresh earth, denoting
graves, with here and there decaying
body of some soldier yet unburied, gave
a melancholy interest to the scene. -
Contrabands came hocking to US from
various quarters. Old worn out plantation
hands, gray and lame, but eager to taste
the sweets of freedom before they died,
dusky mothers with their youngest at
their breasts and file of little ones fol-
lowing, young daughters of toll, glad to
escape from Southern lust, and stalwart
men who will yet do yeoman service in
our black brigades, all followed in our
wake. A
"Bress de Lord, you's cum;" said one
old gray-haired mother. Yves bin watch
in and prayin' for you" Let me simply
say that we sent seven hundred of them
to Washington at the end of our Journey.
On the 18th, we reached Kings and
Queens Court House, heap of ruins,
which was once hamlet by that name.
1t was burned last spring by General Kill
patrick, in retaliation for the murder of
Colonel Dahlgren
Our rations hadlong since been exhaust
ed. but our men and horses lived well
from the stores of the enemy. No matter
where the corn or bacon was hid, the ar
gus eyes of our boys would find it, and
we left but little that was eatable in our
path. At this point the command was
divided. The 9th Ohio and sth Pennsyl-
vania, taking charge of the wounded the
prisoners and contrabands moved down
to West Point, while the main force re-
traced its way to Dunkirk and, crossing
the river on pontoons, moved to White
House, at the junction of the Pamunky
and Mattapony rivers. We got our pris-
oners, numbering three hundred and
twenty, our contIabands and wounded,