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FIGHT AT ROWLETT'S STATION.

the march at two o'clock in the morning. The weather was stormy, but the men had marched eighteen miles before eight o'clock. On halting, scouts reported the enemy near, who were found to be only one company. On being attacked, five rebels were killed and nine captured. From these it was found that the enemy were in line of battle near a church known as Mount Zion, with nine hundred men. The sharpshooters tried to drive the enemy from the woods but did not succeed. When they were falling back, Colonel Glover brought up reinforcements, and the enemy now broke and fled, leaving all the camp equipage and one hundred horses. The battle lasted two hours in a hand to hand contest. Federal loss, killed and wounded, was sixty-six. The rebels lost one hundred and seventy-five killed and wounded, and thirty prisoners. The wounded were well cared for.

Some days previous, a fight took place at Rowlett's station, near Mumfordville, Kentucky, between a Confederate force of one regiment of cavalry, two regiments of infantry, and one battery, and a Federal force consisting of a part of Colonel Willich's regiment of Indiana troops, of Buell's division, on duty as outposts. Owing to this disparity of numbers, the Indiana troops battled as skirmishers, and resisted charges of the cavalry by forming squares, acting on the defensive till other companies of the regiment came to their aid. Three desperate charges of the enemy were gallantly sustained, till Willich came upon the field and took the command. Before his arrival, the rebel commander was slain, and now the enemy, although four to one, being quite broken, retreated with a loss of eighty. Federal loss only twenty-eight in killed and wounded.

On the 13th, General Milroy, in Western Virginia, with two thousand men, had a severe fight with a like number of Confederates, at Camp Alleghany, on the summit of the mountains of that name, not far from Green Briar river, where Reynolds, by a bold and successful movement in October had outgeneralled Lee. On the 12th, he marched from morn ing till eight o'clock at night, and the column dividing, one body went by the Green Bank road to attack the left, while the main column took the Staunton turnpike under Milroy. The main column started at ten, and the other at eleven o'clock at night.

Milroy marched on until within half a mile of the enemy's

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camp, halted, reconnoitered, turned off, and ascended the mountain, and after much toil led his men to its summit at early dawn, and awaited the attack of the column on the left. On the mountain crest they saw the enemy's pickets, who at once fell back to cainp. Seeing that they would inform the enemy of the approach, Lieutenant McDonald advanced on the rebels with a run, found them in line of battle, and deploying his men, the battle began. The enemy, roused from sleep, did not care to fight, and soon retired in disorder, leaving their dead and wounded on the field. They rallied, however, and boldly advancing to the attack, the Federals faltered, retired, and again came on, repulsing an attempt to turn the right flank. The battle, at this point, waxed hot, and the reports of the cannon, and the continual crack of musketry, echoed from the mountain. The rebels alternately yielded to the Federal force which drove them back to their camp, and with overpowering numbers, attempted to turn, now the right, now the left flank. Each attempt proved abortive, but as many of the Federals having left their ranks for the rear, and the ammunition being almost exhausted, with the continued absence of the column that was to come up on the enemy's left, McDonald ordered his men to fall back. The reason the other column did not come up to make the combined attack, as agreed upon at four o'clock in the morning, was the difficulty of the ascent, rendered still worse by fallen trees, which blockaded the way. Thus each division had to encounter the enemy separately, and though each fought well, the attack was a failure. The Federal loss was one hundred and thirty-seven. The enemy's loss about an equal number.

The inactivity of the Army of the Potomac was now broken, on the 20th, by the battle of Drainesville, which, though less in importance than was attached to it by the newspapers, had, at least, the advantage of showing of what material the army was composed, and of rousing the martial spirit of the troops to meet the enemy.

On the 20th, General McCall sent out a foraging party in force, and having found that the rebels were in position at Drainesville, determined to attack them. General Ord received orders to advance with his brigade, while General Reynolds, marching to Difficult creek, would support him. The troops consisted of the Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, and Twelfth

102

STONE FLEET AT CHARLESTON.

Pennsylvania Reserves, the first rifle regiment, and Easton's battery. Lieutenant-colonel Kane, brother of the explorer of that name, and commander of the Bucktail rifles, held the advance, with part of the First Pennsylvania cavalry and Easton's battery. The enemy was encountered near Drainesville, at half past one o'clock, and the battle began. It took some time to find out the true position of a part of the rebel force, which the thick woods concealed, and the woods were shelled by the artillery. An advance was now made by the enemy in order to turn the left, but this design was frustrated by General McCall, who, with his staff, was now upon the field. He sent to Colonel McCalmot, who commanded on the Federal left, to warn him of the enemy's attempt, and the troops were so disposed of as to baffle the design, and the foiled rebels returned to their position. On the right and centre of the Union troops, the battle was now raging, and the Ninth infantry, commanded by Colonel Jackson, had met and overcome the rebels. Meanwhile, on the centre, Colonel Ricketts, with the Sixth regiment, and the Bucktail rifles, under Lieutenant-Colonel Kane, were charged by the enemy, who were handsomely repulsed. The rebels retreated, the Federal troops kept advancing, and the rout became general. Two regiments were ordered in pursuit, but the enemy could not be overtaken. The Federal loss was seven killed and sixty wounded. The rebels acknowledged a loss of two hundred and forty. General Reynolds' brigade did not arrive in time for the action.

Nothing of importance, during this month, took place in the Army of the Potomac, though there was a brisk action near Newport News, on the afternoon of the 20th. The "stone fleet," being sixteen old whaling vessels, laden with stone, was sunk to the bottom, off Charleston harbor, to render the blockade efficient. Many were dissatisfied, and it seemed as if the harbor of Charleston was about to be totally destroyed. England remonstrated, but the British Minister was told that it was only done to do away with the need of guarding so many channels in the harbor, and that since the ships were sunk, English ships had run the blockade. The rebel Captain Lynch cut out a schooner under the guns of Fortress Monroe, which was humiliating, and made the public indignant. Drayton took the Bay of St. Helena and Tybee roads, and Commodore Rogers went up

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Warsaw sound within ten miles of Savannah. On the 16th, Drayton explored the North and South Edisto rivers, and saw only deserted plantations and numerous slaves, and some batteries which he could not approach. Mr. Ely, member of Congress from Rochester, New York, returned to his friends from imprisonment. He was captured at Bull Run. Congress was now weary of the inaction of the army, and opposition to McClellan began to appear more plainly. A party was formed against him. The President, however, still relied confidently upon him.

Perplexing questions now came before Congress, and the difficulty of dealing with the question of slavery was in no way diminished. The abolitionists demanded that the course of the army should be followed by universal freedom, and the conservatives insisted that war should place the States in statu quo as of old. These opposing elements embarrassed the President, but, fortunately, he took a practical view, and determined to suppress the rebellion first, and dispose of these points of controversy afterward.

CHAPTER XI.

JANUARY, 1862.

NEW YEAR AT THE CAPITAL-AT PENSACOLA-FORT PICKENS BOMBARDEDFIGHT AT PORT ROYAL-MILROY IN WESTERN VIRGINIA-JACKSON TEARS UP THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD-FIGHT NEAR HANCOCK-FIGHT AT BLUE'S GAP-BATTLE AND VICTORY OF garfield, at MIDDLE CREEK KENTUCKY-POPE IN MISSOURI-MATTERS IN KENTUCKY-THOMAS MOVES AGAINST ZOLLICOFFER-BATTLE OF MILL SPRING-BAYONET CHARGE, AND VICTORY OF MCCOOK-CAIRO EXPEDITION-BURNSIDE EXPEDITION -SAVANNAH-FORT PULASKI CUT OFF SECRETARY OF WAR CAMERON RESIGNS-MONITOR LAUNCHED.

WHILE all remained quiet around the Capital, and gaiety prevailed at Richmond, the new year was ushered in with the roar of artillery on the southern coast. A rebel steamer, seen from the direction of Fort Pickens, flaunting defiantly the Confederate flag, and on her way toward Pensacola, received the fire of the fort, and under the storm of shot and shell that assailed her, had to retire as quickly as possible. This brought on an artillery duel between the fort and the rebel shore batteries, which continued all day. Each being well acquainted with the range of the other, the firing had great precision, and while shells were hurled within the fort, and its massy walls stormed, its own powerful guns sent forth a dreadful storm on the enemy's batteries. Nor did night end the combat, though the fort now used only its thirteen inch mortars, while the enemy played all his batteries. The scene was one of terrible grandeur. During the night, the navy yard was fired by the Federal shells, and the lurid glare lighting up the midnight heavens, was reflected so as to be witnessed forty miles off at sea. In this great expenditure of ammunition, no important result followed. In South Carolina, the enemy had concentrated near Port Royal, with the purpose of driving our army from Beaufort, and our land and naval forces, on New Year's morning, made a combined attack to frustrate his design. The naval force, commanded by Captain Rodgers, was to protect the debarkation of a portion of the troops under General Stevens, at Haywood's landing, cover the route to