The Washington herald., 1914-05-02

were veterans. well used to the hard
service they saw among the West vir-
ginia mountains. Among their officers.
nearly all being volunteers. was one des-
tined TO become President Of the United
States-col. Rutherford B. Hayes. of the
Twenty-third Ohio Infantry.
Col Hayes commanded a brigade the
First. composed Of his own regiment and
the Thirty-sixth Ohio. the Thirty-fourth
Ohio Mounted Infantry. and the Fifth
and Seventh West Virginia Cavalry, dis
mounted.
Another brigade consisted of the
Twelfth and Ninety-first Ohio and the
Ninth and Fourteenth West Virginia in
fantry. A third brigade was composed
Of the Third and Fourth Pennsylvania
Reserve Infantry and the Eleventh and
Fifteenth West Virginia The artillery
consisted of the First Ohio Battery, six
guns.
Marching through q difficult country.
over bad roads, and up and down steep
hills the column reached Shannon's s
Bridge. on the northwest slope of Cloyds
mountain. near Dublin. on May s. Here
Ii was learned that a force of the enemy
barred the way TO further progress. This
was compsed OF four infantry regiments
from Dublin, under Brig. Cen. A. G..
Jenkins.
Oeu- SToOk decided 10 attack. and the
next morning moved his Second and
Third Brigades up the mountain. He
found the enemy holding a rocky and
wooded spur Of the summit Bringing up
his remaining brigade. the Federal gen.
eral attacked with one brigade in front.
while sending the other two, the First
and Third, to cross q wide valley and
charge the enemy's position.
Reaching the foot of the slope on which
the enemy was posted. the charging Fed
erals found in their front a sunken, mud
dy stream. waist deep. The men plunged
In and crossed. Forming under the pro-
lection Of the steep hillside. they rushed
up the hill with a yell. and. in the face
of a heavy fire. drove the enemy from
their breastworks on the summit In
their retreat they left behind their COM
mander. Gen. Jenkins. who was seriously
wounded.
In this fight. which was short. the
Feaerals lost l72 men. of whom g were
killed. and the Confederates 539 of whom
a were killed, including 10 officers, Gen.
Crook. in his report. highly commended
Col. Hayes for his zeal and bravery.
In pursuing the enemy TO Dublin, their
base. Gen. Crooks men met a detach-
ment Of 800 dismounted cavalry from the
command of Gen. John II. Morgan, the
Confederate raider. who had
recently been sent to Western Virginia.
This force had come up from Saltville to
Dublin. Finding the Federals superior
in numbers, Morgan's men made but a
brief stand.
Marching into Dublin, Gen. Crooks s
destroyed a large quantity of
stores accumulated there
and pressed on to the New River Bridge
The force defending il retreated across
he river and the Federals burned the
bridge.
Gen. Crook heard here that Gen. Grant
had met with defeat in Virginia, and
deciding that he should now retire, he
began his return march.
Meanwhile Gen. AvereTl's column had
via Logan Court House to
razewell Court House-the houte between
leading over pathless mountains and
through the beds of streams. Here he
learned that Saltville was defended by
800 men under Gems. Morgan and W. E.
Jones. Believing the place too strong
for attack Gen. Averell headed for
on the railroad, which he
reached May 10.
Here he found a large force under
Gems Morgan and Jones waiting to re-
ceive him, having come up by railroad. !
A fight ensued. which lasted four hours,
being terminated by darkness. AvereIl
lost ia men killed and wounded. That
night he marched for Dublin, where he
arrived on May II.
Crossing the New River by a swelling
ford, the Federals reached the farther
bank just as trains bearing the Con-
came up from Wytheville.
The ford was now flooded, and the enc
my could not cross.
Averell's ammunition was exhausted.
and learning by tapping the telegraph
hat heavy re-enforcements were coming
10 the enemy from Lynchburg. he started
on a rapid march to find Crook. whom
he Joined at Union. May Is. The last
thirty miles of his march were made on
foot, in single file. over unfrequented
paths. Several men and horses
were drowned in fording swollen streams
From Union the combined column re-