The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-02-03
73ae
CIVIL WAR
FIFTY YEARS AGO
THIS WEEK
January 7, 1862.


which left Romney the night before,
attacked the Confederates at Blues
Gap, Virginia, at daylight on January
Z. The attack was successful, the
Confederates Withdrawing with a
loss of fifteen killed and twenty pris-
oners. Wagons, tents and stores fell
into the hands of the National troops.
Petitions for the emancipation of
the slaves continued to be presented
In the United States. senate. The con-
test over the seating of the senators
from Kansas involved the senate for
time in heased debate. Representa-
tive Vallandigham of Ohio criticised
the government for giving up Messrs.
Mason and Slidell at the demand of
Great Britain. Mr.. Hutchins, his col
league, insinuated in reply that Mr..
Vallandigham's position was not sin
cere; that he had opposed the war
previously, and that he now seemed
to desire to precipitate the United
States into conflict with England
for the benefit of the south.
The Union gunboats under Com
mander Foote made a reconnaissance
down the Mississippi as far as the
Confederate batteries two miles above
Columbus, Kentucky. They were fired
upon, but escaped without damage.
A part Of the Second Virginia Fed
eral cavalry, under Col. Bowles, and a
portion of Marshall's Confederate
forces, were involved in a serious
skirmish three miles west Of Paints
vile, on Jennie Creek, Kentucky. The
Confederates withdrew before the su-
perior strength of the enemy.
Col. James A. Garfield with his
Union brigade of Ohio, Kentucky and
Virginia troops, occupied Paintsville
without opposition. The Confederates
abandoned their works in front of the
town and retreated. They were pur-
sued, and three of them were killed.
Colonel H. Aninsel defeated a force
Of Confederates thirty miles east Of
Sutton.
General A. E. Burnside was assign
ed to the command of the Department
OF North Carolina.
January 8, 1862.
A force of Confederates under Col
Poindexter were driven from their
camp at Roan's lanyard, eight miles
south of Huntsville. by Union force
under Majors Terrence and Hubbard
The attack was made late in the after
noon, short time before dusk. The
Confederates were taken by surprise,
and their leader was not able to rally
them in time to make successful re-
sistence. The fight lasted an hour
The Confederates lost tents, baggage,
and equipment. :
A fierce skirmish was fought be-
tween squad of Company B., Second
Virginia, Union, and a band of gueril-
las on the Dry Fork of Cheat River,
in Randolph county, Virginia. The
Union soldiers came upon the enemy
Unexpectedly. For an hour the field
was bitterly contested. The South
erners were finally obliged to abandon
their quarters, owing to lack OF am
nsunition. The two parties were fire.
quently within thirty PAGES Of each
other during the fight. The loss was
six or seven killed and wounded on
each side. In a scrimmage between
the same forces on the night of the
9Th of January, the Confederates had
the final advantage.
The rear guard Of the First Kansas.
on it's march from Sedalia to Lexing-
ton, Missouri, was attacked from am
bush when within a few miles of its
destination. A German sergeant was
MORALLY wounded.
January 9, 1862.
Affairs in Missouri continued highly
turbulent. The st. Louis Chamber OF
Commerce broke up over an issue in
troduced by the war. The southern
members of the body refused to ad-
NIT to membership a number of can
didates whose federal sympathies
were well known, and the northern
members of the chamber withdrew to
form another Chamber of Commerce;
purpose which they effected. The
Provost Marshal General issued a gen.
ersl order directing every newspaper
printed in the state, with the excep-
tio7 of the st. Louis papers only. to
submit to him a copy of each issue
for his inspection and censorship. Any
paper failing to comply was threat
ened with suppression.
Gel. H. Aninsel, commanding the
union forces at Clarksburg, Va, re-
turned to that place with two COM
panies Of the Second Virginia cavalry
and three companies of infantry, after
an expedition in search of party OF
Confederates that had recently seized
some military stores. He brought with
him the greater part of the stores