Year: 1861

VI lllC hlll OslSh O4 i1Oi Ioi1 tOhIC
shop. We came by there yesterday, but
we were not fired on. We were little
too sharp. We had men all through
the woods ahead of US, scouting. Oul
boys saw one Of the scamps right at the
point where the Lieutenant had been
killed, and shot at him, but did not kill
him, and he gave them the slip in the
brush.


A part Of the 36th Ohio Regiment is
with us, and they are frstrate boys
Major Slemmer is here, and little chap
that was Adjutant of the Zouaves, and
was all through the Bulls Run fight.
He is stirring little fellow. I had al
most forgotten to mention that our boys
on this last trip caught a Secessionist,
that had been shooting at the citizens of
this place. l suppose they will pass
sentence on him to be shot, and think
some more of those who we have got
will go the same road. L think we have
fifteen prisoners in all.


The Sd Va. sRegiment boys are des-
perate since they lost their Lieutenant.
They had prisoner, and the guard was
sent out with him to the woods, as he
wanted to retire. But the boys never
brought him in again. They say he got
away from them, but the general sup
position is that the boys were afraid he
1couN be s,corn and turned loose, and they
thought they had better make sure Of him
aoAtze they had chance. 4nd I think
they shot him.


l will close, as I have no more time
1 will give you better account at some
future time.


The following letter from j. V.
Stevens, of this County, to his wife, ha
been handed to US for publication. 1t
was received too late for last week issue


SPENCER, Roane Co, Va,


Sept. 14th, 1861.


:; =: !: 4;


am now in the midst Of an enemy's
country, and begin to see some Of the
sterner realities of war. There are
three individuals in the Hospital now,
suffering from the effects Of wounds re-
ceived by secreted foe. Mr.. Martini,
with his arm shot of close to Eis shoul-
der, AIr. Gibson, shot through the
lower jaw. MI. Weldon, shot through
the brest.


The mode of warfare carried on here
is actually more dangerous to Union
men than that Of an open enemy, par
ticularly to officers. We never know
when we are safe here. The Rebels
secrete themselves in clefts Of rocks, a2d
behind trees, in thickets, and every
place that will afford security, aud tlke
deliberate aim with the unerring ride,
at the object they may see proper to
select, which is generally an officer. \
Lieutenant Of the 81 Reg't Va. Volun-
teers, was shot in this way few days
ago. Col. Kelley was also shot in this
same way.


Our Colonel denominates it the most
"damnable mode Of warfare that white
men were ever engaged in" [ have
seen it often reiterated in papers, that
the secret Of the Rebels success is in the
fact Of their being SO united, and their
determination to fight it out to the bit
ter ends But look at it in an entirely
different light. There must always be
some good cause to prompt reasoning
men to any acts, and there is no reason
able cause or foundation for this re-
bcllion with the masses of the people in
the South. Consequently, these hearts
cannot sympathize with the movement,
My opinion is, that the foundation of
this whole matter lies, in the fact that
the Constitutional guarantees Of the
freedom Of speech and the press has not
been carried out in the South for the
last forty years. And, consequently,
the "upper-crusu" have assumed and
maintained a SORT Of petty dcspottsna over
the masses. The people only want q
favorable opportunity to burst the
fetters and show their hands and become
loyal to the Union. The disasters to
the Union army, arise, not from the fact
that the Rebels are imprcgnable, nor
that the Union troops lack courage, but
from the want Of good commanding and
strict military discipline. Talk about
the South being united! What have
they to unite them, but fendish pur-
pose and a traitors cause? Jefferson
has said that, God has no attribute
that can take sides with such an un-
holy cause, and that he ''trembled when
he reflected that God WAS just, and that
his justice could not always slumber. -
While On the other hand the Union
men have everything that is dear to the
heart Of a true patriot to unite them and
contend for. We have the principles of
eternal truth and justice on our side,
and when God is for US, who can be
against US.


cannot say that I have ever re-
GREETED entering into the service Of my
country, although must confess that
miss your society very much, and when