The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-12

cessful in capturing Lynchburg we would
probably have to eat the mules before We
could reach our supplies. The supplies for
Gen. Lees army Of Northern Virginia
were stored at Lynchburg. and I suppose
Gen. Grants idea in sending Hunter on
that hazardous expedition was all right.
Had we been successful, and captured all
that ammunition and Quartermaster's
stores. the war might have come to an end
SIX months sooner. But it was not so to
be-. The battle Of the next day was fierce
and very destructive, but Hunter was out
generated, and in the evening the retreat
was commenced and ordered across the
mountains to the Kanawha Valley. al
ways thought that I was good in geog-
raphy, and could name all the mountains
of my own native State, but we crossed
mountain after mountain that had never
heard of before. / remember Potts Noun
tain, Middle Mountain, Big Sewell Noun
tain, Little Seweil Mountain, Hawksnest
Mountain and many more that / cannot
now mention, and as we passed over them
with empty haversacks and a victorious
enemy on our heels, picking it into us ev-
cry time we would halt long enough to get
needed rest, one can imagine about
how much We enjoyed the scenery. More
than once have l been punched up" by
the bayonets of the rear guard and begged
them to let me alone, which if they had
would perhaps have been there yet.
l must not forget that awful sight when
Gen. McCausland rushed down the noun
tain road and destroy I'd our artillery. Two
batteries were watering their horses in The
creek. 1t was near the town of Salem, on
Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. While
Mudwal1 Jackson was attacking Us in
rear, McCausland's cavalry came down a
by-way and killed 142 horses of these bat
forioo Thov or toh
but just cut them in the head with sharp
axes. They blew up the caissons while
some of the cannoneers were still on them.
The sights were knocked off the cannons
and many of the spokes of the wheels cut.
The destruction was complete in very
few minutes. When we got to them many
Of the horses were still living. and wal
lowing in the water, still hitched, with
harness on; the creek was running red
with bloody water.
Now, let US go on through the noun
tains. l remember how we stripped the
birch trees white and chewed the bark;
how we ate the little red berries of tine
Mountain Tea, and eagerly devoured the
pretty red roses, which grew in the yards
of the houses as we passed.
When we arrived at the summit Of the
Allegheny Mountains we found q mill,
with some flour, and each man got his
ration of -four. That night we made flap
jacks and baked them on fat stones before
the camp fire. We had about four apiece.
Capt. Smily in some way secured a ham.
He divided it among the company. 1t
made few bites apiece, and we devoured
it raw; trichina had no bad taste to US in
such a time as this. counted 81 horses
and mules that were killed as we passed
up one side of one mountain-Little Sew
ell; they had given out, and were ordered
to be killed.
We passed through Fincastle, Lewis
burg and White Sulphur Springs, and still
nothing to eat. Rations sent out from
Charleston met US at Meadow Bluffs, and
here We enjoyed our first square meal for
about two weeks. We were a sorry looking
set of soldiers; hadn't had a good wash
with soap for a month. We washed our
clothes in the Gauley River, where we
camped few days at Gauley Bridge, at
ter which we marched to Soup Greek, and
were loaded on steamboats, and went down
the Kanawha River to Point Pleasant,
and up the Ohio to Blennerhassett's ISL
and, where we stuck fast in the river, and
had to wade out on the Ohio side, and
marched up and crossed to Parkersburg on
July 4, 1864, where we shipped on the Bal
timore & Ohio Railroad over the mount
aims to Shenandoah Valley. We could get
no farther than st. Johns Run, the rail
road being torn up. We marched down on
the Maryland side through Hancock and
Williamsport, crossed the Potomac at
Shepherdstown, passed. through Harper's
Ferry and on to Berlin, where we forded
the Potomac and drove Early's army
through Leesburg and on through Snick-
er's Ferry, that had whipped US at Lynchf
burg more than a month before. During
this month we had travelled more Il Ian
/ 900 miles.
Early's troops, after the victory, at
Lynchburg, struck out for the Shenandoah
Valley, crossing into Maryland at Will
Transport and Harper's Ferry. They en-
Gen. Lew Wallace at Mono
cacy Junction on July 8. After a hard
fought battle Wallace was forced to re-
treat toward Baltimore. Early then
seemed to head for Washington City. But;
The arrival of the other division of the
Sixth Corps was just in time to prevent
that contemplated attack.
About this time Gen. Hunter was re-
lieved from this command, and Gen. P. II.
Sheridan was sent by Gen. Grant to COM
mand what was then called the Middle
Military Division, composed of the Sixth.
Eighth and two divisions Of the Nine
teenth Corps, and every school boy knows
what Sheridan did in the Valley, and it
was done well. Never after Oct. 10, 1854.
did the Confederate army operate IN the
Valley, with the exception of Mosby's
yuerrilias, who sometimes made raids on
wagon trains, and Harry McNeit's band on
he north of the Alleghanies, who threat
,ned Cumberland and New Greek.
Whenever we met any of Early's men, J
Ind they ask, "Was you ut Lynchburg"
We reply, "Yes. Was you at Cedar Creek"
md nothing more is said.
We very much doubt if there ever was
/ raid made by Union troops during the
,ivil war where there was as much real
suffering and loss of troops, and as little
as the Hunter raid to
Lynchburg.-J. N. WADDELL, Co. D., 18th
". Va, $40 s. Webster street, Taylor
The VALUE OF CHARCOAL