The Citizen-Soldier | Page 8

on which we are encamped is, with his
family, sleeping in the woods to-night, if, indeed, he sleeps at all.
14. The Ninth and Fourth Ohio, Fifteenth Indiana, and one company of
cavalry, started up the mountain between seven and eight o'clock. The
Colonel being unwell, I followed with the Third. Awful rumors were
afloat of fortifications and rebels at the top; but we found no
fortifications, and as for the rebels, they were scampering for Staunton
as fast as their legs could carry them.
This mountain scenery is magnificent. As we climbed the Cheat the
views were the grandest I ever looked upon. Nests of hills, appearing
like eggs of the mountain; ravines so dark that one could not guess their
depth; openings, the ends of which seemed lost in a blue mist;
broken-backed mountains, long mountains, round mountains,
mountains sloping gently to the summit; others so steep a squirrel could
hardly climb them; fatherly mountains, with their children clustered
about them, clothed in birch, pine, and cedar; mountain streams,
sparkling now in the sunlight, then dashing down into apparently
fathomless abysses.

It was a beautiful day, and the march was delightful. The road is
crooked beyond description, but very solid and smooth.
The farmer on whose premises we are encamped has returned from the
woods. He has discovered that we are not so bad as we were reported.
Most of the negroes have been left at home. Many were in camp to-day
with corn-bread, pies, and cakes to sell. Fox, my servant, went out this
afternoon and bought a basket of bread. He brought in two chickens
also, which he said were presented to him. I suspect Fox does not
always tell the truth.
16. The Fourteenth Indiana and one company of cavalry went to the
summit this morning to fortify.
The Colonel has gone to Beverly. The boys repeat his Rich mountain
speech with slight variations: "Men, there are ten thousand
secessionists in Rich mountain, with forty rifled cannon, well fortified.
There's bloody work ahead. You are going to a butcher-shop rather than
a battle. Ten thousand men and forty rifled cannon! Hostler, you d--d
scoundrel, why don't you wipe Jerome's nose?" Jerome is the Colonel's
horse, known in camp as the White Bull.
Conway, who has been detailed to attend to the Colonel's horses, is
almost as good a speech-maker as the Colonel. This, in brief, is
Conway's address to the White Bull:
"Stand still there, now, or I'll make yer stand still. Hold up yer head
there, now, or I'll make yer hold it up. Keep quiet; what the h--ll yer
'bout there, now? D--n you! do you want me to hit you a lick over the
snoot, now--do you? Are you a inviten' me to pound you over the head
with a saw-log? D--n yer ugly pictures, whoa!"
18. This afternoon, when riding down to Huttonville, I met three or
four hundred sorry-looking soldiers. They were without arms. On
inquiry, I found they were a part of the secession army, who, finding no
way of escape, had come into our lines and surrendered. They were
badly dressed, and a hard, dissolute-looking lot of men. To use the
language of one of the soldiers, they were "a milk-sickly set of

fellows," and would have died off probably without any help from us if
they had been kept in the mountains a little longer. They were on their
way to Staunton. General McClellan had very generously provided
them with provisions for three days, and wagons to carry the sick and
wounded; and so, footsore, weary, and chopfallen, they go over the
hills.
An unpleasant rumor is in camp to-night, to the effect that General
Patterson has been defeated at Williamsport. This, if true, will
counterbalance our successes in Western Virginia, and make the game
an even one.
The Southern soldiers mentioned above are encamped for the night a
little over a mile from here. About dusk I walked over to their camp.
They were gathered around their fires preparing supper. Many of them
say they were deceived, and entered the service because they were led
to believe that the Northern army would confiscate their property,
liberate their slaves, and play the devil generally. As they thought this
was true, there was nothing left for them to do but to take up arms and
defend themselves.
While we were at Buckhannon, an old farmer-looking man visited us
daily, bringing tobacco, corn-bread, and cucumber pickles. This
innocent old gentleman proves to have been a spy, and obtained his
reward in the loss of a leg at Rich mountain.
19. To-day, eleven men belonging to a company of cavalry which
accompanied the Fourteenth Indiana to the Summit, were sent out on a
scouting expedition. When about ten miles from camp, on