Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-10-25

mare. even. lie ate the housewives
breakfast too, and took his ease with the
good man till dark, when he again sci
out and rode through the night in safe.
ty. After that his route was beset with
perils. The Providence which so Won
derfully guarded his way out seemed to
leave him to find his way in; or as he ex-
pressed it, O. Y see, the Lord, he keered
more fur the dispatch nor He keered fur
me; and twas material lie should; case
my life only counted one, while the dis
patch, it stood for all Kaintuck."
Be that as it may, he found his road 8
hard one to travel. The same gang which
followed him out waylaid him back, and
one starry midnight he fell among them
They lined the road forty deep, and see-
ing he could not run the gauntlet, he
wheeled his mare and fled backwards
The noble beast did her part but bul.
let struck her, and she fell in the road
dying. Then-it was Hobson's choice
he took to his legs, and, leaping fence,
was at last o1t of danger. Two DAYS he
lay in the woods, not daring to come out
but hunger finally forced him to ask for
food at a negro shanty. The dusky pat.
riot loaded him with bacon, brown bread
and blessings, and at night piloted him
to a rebel barn, where he enforced the
COnfscation Act, to him then " the high.
er law w"-necessity.
With his fresh horse he set out again
and after various adventures and hair.
breath escapes, too numerous to mention
and too incredible to believe, had not
similar things occurred all through the
war-he entered one rainy midnight,
1.-THE 9th of January,) the little log hut,
seven miles from Paintville, where Col.
Garfield was sleeping.
The Colonel rubbed his eyes, and raised
himself upon his elbow.
" Back safer" he asked. Have you
seen Cranor ;"
"Yes, Gin'ral. He can't be NOR n two
days ahind o. me, nohow."
"God bless you, Jordan You have
done US great service" said Col. Garfield,
warmly.
4" 1 thanks ye, Gin'ral," said the scout,
his voice trembling. "Thet's more pay
n expected"
To give the reader full understanding
of the result of the scouts ride, / must
now move on with the little army. They
are only fourteen hundred men, worn
out with marching, but boldly they move
down upon Marshall. False scouts have
made him believe they are as strong as
he-and they are--for every one is hero,
and led by a General. The rebel has five
thousand men,-forty-four hundred in
fantry and six hundred cavalry besides
twelve pieces of artillery,-so he says in
a letter to his wife, which Buell. has in
tercepted and Garfield has in his pocket.
Three roads lead to MarshalPs position
one al the east, bearing down to the riv-
er, and along its western bank another,
a circuitous one, to the west, coming in
on Paint Creek, at the mouth of Jenny's
Creek, on the right of the village; and a
third between the others, a more direct
route, but climbing a succession of almost
impossible ridges. These three roads are
held by strong rebel pickets, and regi-
ment is outlying at the village Of Paint
vile.
To deceive Marshall as to his real
strength and designs, Garfield orders a
small force of infantry and cavalry to ad-
vance along the river, drive in the rebel
pickets, and move rapidly after them as
if to attack Paintville. Two hours after
this force goes of, a similar one, with the
same orders, sets out on the road to the
westward and two hours later still, an
other small body takes the middle road.
The effect is that the pickets on the first
route, being vigorously attacked and
driven to retreat IN confusion to Paint
vile, and dispatch word to Marshall that
the Union army is advancing along the
river. He hurries off a thousand infantry
and battery to resist the advance of
this imaginary column. When this de-
tschment has been gone an hour and a
half, he hears, from the routed pickets
on the right, that the Federals are adj
Yancing along the western road. Coun-
demanding his first order, he now directs
the thousand men and the battery to
check the new danger; and hurries off
the troops at Paintville to the mouth of
Jenny's Creek to make stand there
Two hours later the pIcKets on the CEN
tral route are driven in, and, finding
Paintville abandoned, flee precipitately
to the fortified camp, with the story that
the Union army is close at their heels
and occupying the town. COnceiVing
that he has thus lost PaintVille, Marshall
hastily Withdrew the detachment of one
thousand men to his fortified camp; and
Garfield, moving rapidly oyer the ridges
of the central route, occupies the aban-
doned position.
So affairs stand on the evening of the
9Th of January, when a spy enters the
camp of Marshall, with tidings that Crs-
nor, with thirty-three hundred (l men,
is within twelve hours march at the west
ward. On receipt of these tidings, the
" big bOy,"-he weighs three hundred
pounds by the Louisville hay-scales,-
conceiving himself outnumbered, breaks
up his camp, and retreats precipitately,
or burning large portion Of
his supplies. Seeing the fires, Garfield
mounts his horse, and with thousand
men, enters the deserted camp at nine in
the evening, while the blazing stores are
vet unconsumed. He sends Off a detach-
ment to harrass the retreat, and waits the
arrival of Cranor, with whom he means
to follow and bring Marshall to battle in
the morning.
In the morning Cranor comes, but his
men are fOotsore, without rations, and
completely exhausted. They cannot move
one leg after the other. But the canal
boy is bound to have fight; so every
man who has strength to march is order
ed to come forward. Eleven hundred
among them four hundred Of Cranor's
tired heroes-step from the ranks, and
with them at noon of the 9th, Garfield
sets out for Prestonburgh, sending all OF
his available cavalry to follow the line of
the euemy's retreat and harass and delay
him,
Marching eighteen miles, he reaches at
nine o'clock that night the mouth of Alb
bott's Creek, three miles below Preston
burg,-he and the eleven hundred
There he hears that Marshall is encamped
on the same stream, three miles higher
up; and throwing his men into biVouse,
in the midst of sleety rain, he sends an
order back to Lieutenant Colonel Shell
don, who is left in command at Paint
vile, to bring up every available man.
with all possible dispatch. for ne shall
force the enemy to battle in the morning.
He spends the night in learning the char
acter of the surrounding country and the
disposition of MarshalPs forces; and now
again John Jordan comes into action.
A dozen rebels are grinding at mill,
and q dozen honest men come upon them,
steal their corn and make them prison
ers. The miller is tall guant man, and