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FALL OF LEXINGTON,

General Rains in person, with nine pieces of artillery, but he was gallantly repulsed with such heavy loss that Price was compelled to change his tactics. In consequence he rolled hempen bales, saturated with water, to the breastworks, to protect his batteries. Mulligan burnt the old town, and sent to Jefferson City for reinforcements. The messengers were captured, as were others on a different route. Four batteries, of thirteen pieces, made a terrible assault, while sharpshooters rained a shower of balls from every tree. The rebels, notwithstanding the six pieces used by Mulligan, gained a large brick house near the river and opened a galling fire, but a platoon of Federals cleared them out with the bayonet, and now night fell on the combatants.

Price receiving ammunition on the 18th, occupied the brick house, took possession of the river boats, and seized and fortified the heights during continued fighting. The garrison, now shut out from the river, endured much from thirst; the beasts were suffering from the same cause, and the enemy rolled down a great number of hempen bales on the breastworks. A sheet of flame ran along the pile of bales, and the numerous sallies of the brave garrison could not ward off the coming doom. Retiring to the inner works, the home guards would fight no longer. The place was intolerable from the stench of dead horses. No reinforcements came, and the brave Mulligan reluctantly surrendered two thousand six hundred men and five hundred of the home guard to the enemy. Thus fell one of the most important posts in the State.

The public now uttered loud complaints against Fremont, who declared that he had sent reinforcements which were not received. His enemies charged him with fraud in arms and supplies for the Government, with incapacity and mismanagement, and never ceased till they obtained his removal from the command.

The Legislature of Kentucky called on the rebels to leave the State, and this Polk promised on condition that the Federals would do the same. This condition met with no favor, Grant occupied Paducah, but more rebels flocked into the State under A. S. Johnson. Floyd could not cope with Rosecrans in Western Virginia, and Wise and he gave place to General Robert E. Lee, who with nine thousand men

FIGHT AT CHEAT MOUNTAIN.

71

alvanced against General Reynolds, who held position on Cheat Mountain.

One column advanced by the Staunton turnpike, and the other by the Huntersville road to Elk water. Lee tried to get possession of the path behind and to the rear of Elkwater, but four companies of Indiana troops checked an advance which might have been perilous to Reynolds. When night fell, the communication between our two posts was cut off completely. A mountain bridle-path separated them at a distance of seven miles. Three hundred men on the mountain-top were cut off. Colonel Sullivan, with the Thirteenth Indiana, was sent along the main road. Part of two Virginia and Ohio regiments went by the bridlepath. They were to make an attack at once, and reach the men on the summit, who, ignorant of the movement, determined to force their way to the main body. They soon encountered the enemy, and opened such an effectual fire, as strewed the place with dead, and drove him off in dismay, leaving a large quantity of guns and clothing behind. The two columns arrived when the engagement was over, and the mountains echoed with loud hurrahs, which greeted their approach. The provision train on the summit was secured, and communication lay open. Lee now advanced on Elkwater, and kept at a respectful distance from Reynolds' artillery. He fell back further on hearing of the mountain fight, and having attacked both positions next day, he was driven back with great loss, and then retreated ten miles. The Federals lost nine killed, the enemy one hundred. Colonel John Washington, of Mount Vernon, was among the rebel slain. The rebels never succeeded in Western Virginia, where victory always fell to the Federals, and defeat to their enemies.

The monotony of camp life in the Army of the Potomac, was occasionally varied with the exhilarating exercise of skirmishing with the enemy. Life and spirit was infused into our troops, and the lines extended to Lewinsville on the right, and in front, took in Munson's hill: our troops at the latter place fired into each other. Had it not been for a knowledge of this movement, betrayed to the enemy by parties unknown, ten thousand of the rebels would have been captured. The rebels were informed of every movement. Nothing transpired that was not made known to

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THE NATIONAL FAST.

them, but how or by whom will probably never be ascertained.

The army remained inactive in front of Washington; whether to submit the soldiers to the necessary discipline before an advance, or to protect the capital, which was now surrounded with forts thirty-two in number, was not discovered by the commander, who now had an army every day improving, and augmenting by troops fully equipped, which crowded railway cars, poured in from all parts of the North and West. This immense army extended from Alexandria to the Potomac, some fifteen miles above the capital, while drill and discipline were going on with great diligence.

The end of the month was marked by fasting and humiliation, in which, it is to be hoped, the nation humbled itself before the Creator. Trust in artillery and an armed host was found to be nothing without the Divine blessing. The help of the Lord of Hosts was humbly invoked to aid our preparations, and all classes looked up to the Almighty arbiter of events for a prosperous issue to the great contest now about to be waged, when it was hoped our honored flag would once more float in triumph over a happy land, and misguided citizens return to their duty and allegiance.

OCCUPIED-WESTERN

CHAPTER VIII.

OCTOBER, 1861.

THE GREAT ARMIES-PENSACOLA-PRIVATEER CAPTURED SHIP ISLAND VIRGINIA-GREEN BRIAR CREEK FIGHT-THE ENEMY'S ATTACK AT FORT HATTERAS-SANTA ROSA ISLAND, SURPRISE OF WILSON'S ZOUAVES-REBEL RAM MANASSAS ATTACKS BLOCKADING FLEET AT MOUTH OF MISSISSIPPI-FIGHTS AT LEBANON, MISSOURI-AT FREDERICKTOWN-AT BLUE MILLS FERRY-BATTLE OF WILD CAT CAMPUPPER POTOMAC-FIGHT AT BOLIVAR-BATTLE OF BALL'S BLUFF-GENERAL STONE-PEOPLE INDIGNANT-MCCLELLAN-COLONEL LANDERCHARGE OF ZAGONYI.

Two mighty armies now confronted each other, and expectation arose to a high pitch on both sides. The North hoped that disgrace would yield to victory, and the Confederate flag to the "stars and stripes." Beyond the Mississippi, the defences were subject to no regular rule, but east of it the rebel fortifications ran on, with a single interruption, between the Blue Ridge and Alleghanies to the wide expanse of the Atlantic. The line extended from Columbus, across the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers to Bowling Green, and from that to the Alleghanies; from thence to the Blue Ridge, there was a space in which there were no rebel works, after which, on a line with the Potomac, the fortifications ran on to Fortress Monroe. The three hundred thousand men which, for a thousand miles, had their well chosen stations, in all the panoply of war, along this line, had for foemen half a million Northern troops, preparing to contend with them in deadly battle strife.

The combatants were not ill matched, for the defenders of intrenchments can cope with a larger number of assailants, and the rebels had the advantage, in a high degree, of railway concentration. The rebel fortifications were now of the most formidable character; Beauregard spared no labor and skill to make them almost impregnable.

Public attention was now drawn to the expected battle at Fort Pickens, in Florida, and many patriots distrusted the ability of the administration to carry affairs on to a prosperous termination. An excited, angry, and feverish condi

74

FEDERAL SUCCESSES.

tion characterized the people, and the main stay of the nation, at this dangerous crisis, was their implicit confidence in the patriotism and sincerity of the President, who was widely known as "Honest Old Abe."

The news that the privateer Judah, off Pensacola bay, was destroyed by a boat expedition on the 18th of September, afforded some consolation. A hundred men, sailors and marines, were made ready, and while two boats attacked the privateer, the third was to send out her men to spike a shore battery. The design was carried out at half-past three in the morning, with complete success, and was one of those brilliant actions which have made the Federal navy renowned. Only three men were killed and twelve wounded. Lieutenants Russell, Blake, and Sproston were highly praised for their gallantry and skill.

News came, at the same time, of the capture of Ship Island, and favorable accounts arrived that General Reynolds, in Western Virginia, on the 2d of October, had left his camp at Elkwater to reconnoitre Lee's position on Green Briar creek.

With five thousand men and a large artillery force General Reynolds left Cheat mountain, sent Colonel Kimball, with the Fourteenth Indiana, to attack the enemy's front and right, and drive back his advance at the same time that Milroy would drive in the pickets, deploy to the left, and force the enemy into his intrenchments. Milroy found Green Briar bridge in rebel possession, and the Indiana troops, without orders, rushed on and cleared it with enthusiastic shouts. The enemy, driven into his fortifications, and shelled with thirteen guns, replied, and the hills shook with the echoes, till three rebel guns were disabled, and, in the slackening fire which ensued, their signal rockets called for reinforcements. Thousands, with artillery, answered the signal, and Reynolds, restraining his men, who wanted to take the works by storm, having gained his point sounded the recall, and returned to his camp with thirteen prisoners. The Federals lost eight killed and thirty-two wounded.

An action took place about this time in North Carolina. The landing of fifteen hundred men four miles above him being known to Colonel Brown, of the Twentieth Indiana regiment, encamped thirty miles from Fort Hatteras, he sent to inform Colonel Hawkins at the fort, and of his intention