The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1865-07-12

Penn, as they passed through the city.
To receive the volunteers who were
coming into Columbus by companies, Camp
Jackson was established ard Gen. Cox
placed in command. This camp served /
but temporary purpose. II was soon
manifest that u larger area OF ground was
necessary for the organization aud instruc-
ton of the recruits who were pouring IN /
10y the thousand. Then IL was that the !
well-kuowu military rendezvous Camp |
Dcnnisonl was selected On the 30th OF |
April General Cox. with the llth aud part OF |
the 2d Ohio Infantry, took train from Co
lumbus and landed at the new camp. The
color line was formed on the west of the !
railroad, in corn aud wheat fields. a train |
load of the lumber WAS quickly transferred |
from the cars to the ground upon the mems
backs, tools were distributed, and before
night barracks wero nearly completed. An
old barn subsequently used for q hospital,
became tIe Quartermaster and COmmlss'
ary depot. mess kettles and paus were is
sued, and the Ohio soldiers began their
| first experience in real camp tte, cooked
rations having been issued in all previous
/ places of rendezvous. That night still fur
ther iRducted the raw recruits into the
/ perils and difficulties of soldiers life,
/ heavy rain having converted tho light,
; loamy soil of the camp into - sea of liquid
/ mud--a soft bed to be sure, but terribly
uncomfortable one to the untried soldier,
I who was wholly ignorant of the ingenious
"vnedieuts Of the veteran campaigner.
| The rwo regiments above named were
| quickly followed by the 4th, 7th, Sth 18th,
| and 9Th; and a few weeks later General
! Bates brought in his brigadc---ihe 9th, 9th,
! gth, and 10th Regiments which had been
organized at Camp Harrison, near C.ncin-
natl. These completed the contingent OF
Ohio under the first call for troops, and
until the latter part of June TIE time was
proltably and induStrioIsly employed IN
fitting them for the field, Al that time the
organization for the three years service
was commenced. All of the original rogi-
ments at once re.enlisted and General Cox
was appointed by the President Brigadier
General of United States Volunteers, TO
rank from the 18th of May, 1861
On the 9th of July General Cox was or.
dered by General Mcclellan to take a brig
ade, consisting of the llth and 18th Ohio
and | st and 2d Kentucky Infantry, to the
mouth Of the Great Kanawha River, in West
Virginia. where they would be joined by
tho 2lst Ohio Cotters battery of light ar
tllcry and PGau's Cincinnati troop of horse.
The valley Of the Great Kanawha was formed
command Of wli,h General Cox was as
signed
Upon arriving at Point Pleasant, oppo-
site Galipols the General received orders
to advance toward Charleston aud Gauley
Bridge. From the rugged nature of tue
country operations weTo necessarily con
fined to the immediate vicinity of the river,
thus giving tho enemy great advantages
over an attacking force. The rebels were
commanded 10y that arch.traitor and long
winded politician & neral Henry \. Wise.
On the l7th of lly brisk engagement
occurred at Scarey Creek between the 18th
and a detachment of tho 2lst Ohio and the
rebels who had erected carthw0rks OF the
south bank Of the river covered by tho
creek, which was unfordable at the time,
the bridge having been destroyed by the
enemy. Our troops, under Colonel Lowe, OF
the 18th Ohio failed in the effort to make
crossing of the creek, a,lA the recomuos-
sancc established the fact that the position
of the rebels was too strong 10 attack III
front aud as il commanded the river, wagon
transportation for supplies would be needed
before the principal column could advance,
as originally intended, on the north bank
of the river. Supplies had hitherto been
carried in small steamers which had accom-
panied the march of t troops along the
stream A week later, wagons and animals
having been received, the advance was re-
sumed, and General Cox crossing the Poe
taligo, aud making detonr to tie left,
turned the position at Scarcy Creek, as well
as another fortlication at Tyler Mountain,
on the north bank OF the Kanawha, seven
miles below Charleston. The enemy find
ing themselves threatened in flank and rear,
hastily rotreated, after burning steam
boat load of their supplies. On the follow
ing day, the goth. General Cox again ad
vanced and drove General Wise out Of
, Charleston, the rebels, in their retreat,
burning the fine suspension bridge over
the Elk River at that place. During the
night the engineer company of the llth
f Ohio, under command OF Captain T. +. Lane,
of Cincinnati, built bridge of boats and
the chase after Wise was resumed on the
following morning, Wise being closely
, pressed, did not venture to stop at Gauley
River, but burning the costly turnpike
bridge at that point, continued his flight to
Lewisburg. Here General Cox received
, orders from Mcclellan 30 stop and fortify
his position, the little column having ad-
/ vanced as far as was considered prudent or
necessary, in order to cover the approaches
to West Virginia through ihe mountains.
{ The trophies taken by Gen. Cox i'll the pur-
suit of Wise, was ono piece Of artillery and
t fifteen hundrod stand of arms, together
r with large number of prisoners, who, ac-
a cording to the practice in vogue at that
timo, were paroled and sent home.
General Mcclellan having been ordered to
, the command Of the Army uf tho Potomac
, was succeeded by General Rosecrans in the
! Department OF West Virginia.
Q Floyd having Joined Wise with heavy
T. roiuforcements and assumed command oi
the rebel forces in West Virginia, ordered
a a new advance early in August, aud during
( the whole month General CoX's lille army
: wagod an unequal conflict with neatly four
, times its own numbers. Tho various de
: files leading out from Gauley Bridge were
o tho scenes of almost daily cdnhats and
4 s;irmishes; but, although the rebels several
II times penetrated to the Kanawha River be.
low The posts occupied by our troops, they
did rot succeed in getting per naneni
i loDthold, or IN stopping communication
4 with the Ohio River below. Meanwhile
G General Rosecraus WAS pushing forward
# his preparations for uniting with General
;. Cox by a considerable column from Clarks
6 burg, by way of SUNNI, ryil- 10 the Gtuey
l. After various maneuveTs Floyd fortified
J. himself at CaruileX Ferry, where GcneIa
q Rosecrans attacked him, with an indeoi
d sive result; but Floyd retired from his po
5. sition during the night Immediately after
e the retreat of Floyd, General Cox advanced
= upon Wire, who retreates 20 Dogwood GaF
~ 4