he hath seized our kind and dutiful slaves, and yoked | fear his frowns; and his first report to Richthem as beasts of burden; laid waste to our crops; mond was a cry for reenforcements. ruthlessly violated female innocency (enough of itself to turn the blood of the patriot to currents of fire); he can, he must, he shall be expelled or annihilated! If a nation may be born in a day, an army should be raised in an hour. I am sent forward in advance of the brave, chivalrous and indomitable General Henry A. Wise, to urge you to fly to arms without a moment's delay. Gather everything in the shape of arms that may be converted into them, and paste the name of the person upon them from whom they are taken, that they may be valuable; get the consent of the owner if possible; if not, seize them (provided the owner will not march into line and fight with them). Shoot, Luke, or give up 'Shoot, Luke, or give up the gun,' is the word. Bring all the powder, flints, percussion caps, &c.; all the lead, whether in balls, bars, shot, pipes or gutters; all heavy cotton cloth for tents, old gum shoes to make them waterproof, and everything else you think will be of service. Let the country westward from Staunton to Charleston fly in squads to prominent points of the road, and send in munitions and stores in the same way, and there await the arrival of the General, who will be on in a few days to muster them into service. Let the people of Roane and Jackson rendezvous at Ripley, Jackson county; those of Mason, Putnam, Cabell and Wayne, move on to Charleston at once. Men of the far West, of my own native land-friends, acquaintances, neighbors, relatives-General Wise has always been your friend, and now in the hour of your peril he comes to place his bosom between you and danger. Come down from your mountain homes and rally around his standard. Come, through the heather, Around him gather; Come Ronald, come Donald, Come all together. Arriving at Lewisburg, Greenbrier county, he was "addressed" by "numbers of citizens," congratulating him on his arrival, &c. To this he replied, unfolding his purposes, In view of powers and military requisitions. the rather small results which attended the ex-Governor's campaign, perhaps it were cruel to recall the words of promise and praise which the General uttered, but the demands of history leave the historian no option in the matter. Henry A. Wise's Manifesto. "It has pleased the President to place me in command of the camp of the trans-Alleghany; and it is proper that I should explain, generally, the nature and extent of that command. By instructions of the 3d June, I am to raise a legion, by the prompt formation of companies—the compa nies to be reported, with their officers, in order that the latter may be commissioned. As soon as a regiment of ten companies is raised, the field officers will be appointed. I have the privilege of recom mending these appointments. When the regiments are formed they will be arranged into a brigade, which I am to command, with the commission of Brigadier-General. All officers, of course, will be appointed and commissioned by the President, but with just regard to my recommendation. The mounted men are not to exceed five hundred, equal to six companies, or three squadrons. The artillery is to consist of six field-pieces. All the troops of the legion are to arm and equip themselves thoroughly; but the arms and equipments are to be ap praised and paid for after being mustered into service; and to aid in this, I am authorized to purchase private arms for the purpose. Companies may consist of the minimum number of sixty-four or the maximum of one hundred privates. The enlistments are for the war, or for a period not less than one year. Such is the organization of the legion now progressing, and I am authorized to transport all recruits, engaged for it, to Lewisburg, at public expense, up to the 1st July next. Besides this command of the legion, I am further commissioned as Brigadier-General, for the defense of the Kanawha Valley, and an indefinite number of the adjoining counties. To that end I am to proceed, with the force placed at my disposal, to the valley of the Kanawha, by all the means in my control to rally the people of that valley and the adjoining counties to resist and repel the invading enemies, who are threatening the Ohio border, or are already trampling our soil on their Henry A. Wise's Manifesto. THE FIGHT AT SCAREY TOWN. the country. When necessary I shall take them by properly authorized agents, and they shall be promptly paid or receipted for, unless they belong to traitors in our midst, whose compeers have in other parts of the State, ruthlessly stripped our patriot friends and made them refugees from their homes and their own mother State, essaying by all treasonable acts and aims to divide and conquer the land of their own birthright-calling ruffian invaders from other States, now declared enemies of our own, who have disgraced their kind by brutal lust, worse than the lust of dominion. 309 march towards Lewisburg. Ivious proclamations to the "people of Westmust needs rely upon the arms ern Virginia," it would appear that those among the people to supply the trans-Alleghany habitans held either the Govrequisite armament; and upon their valor and knowernor or his cause, or both, in poor regard. ledge of the country as a substitute for organization Wise held Charleston The Fight at Scarey and discipline. If there be any who have arms beduring the early part of Town. yond their power or will to use, I must take them, June. Cox was dispatchwith such arrangements as the case may indicate for ed by McClellan to operate against him, future settlement. I must rely upon the supplies of having about four thousand men assigned to his command for that purpose. After various delays his force concentrated at Poca, July 11th. Wise was then entrenched at Charleston with his advance thrown forward fifteen miles down the river to Scarey Town, on Scarey Creek. Against that point the Federals demonstrated, July 17th. A reconnoitering force of about one thousand, consisting of the Twelfth Ohio, Colonel Lowe, two companies of the Twenty-first Ohio, Colonel Norton, the Cleveland (Ohio) Light Artillery, Captain Cotter, with two rifled six-pounders, and the Ironton Cavalry company, Captain Rogers, all under command of Colonel Lowe. These went up the river by transport, to the mouth of Scarey Creek, then marched to Scarey Town (about five miles inland), arriving in its vicinity on the afternoon of the 17th. The enemy, entrenched on a commanding hill across the creek, opened on the cavalry as soon as it came in sight, killing one man and throwing the rest of the little troop into disorder. Cotton's artillery was then ordered forward. A sharp cannon duel followed, at a distance of about five hundred yards, when the rebel guns (two rifled six-pounders) were silenced. The infantry then advanced and a musketry fire immediately opened on both sides. The rebels shot from under cover of pits, and from the log houses of the village. Cotter planted a few balls into the houses, which "I shall respect with the highest regard the personal and property rights of all with whom my forces may come in contact; but I shall treat as enemies all internal as well as external foes, according to the rules of civilized warfare. I will endeavor to repel the enemy, if possible, and if I cannot, I will try to check him as near the border of our territory as may be practicable. If able, I will drive him out of our territory, and carry the war to his own dwelling, as he has brought it to ours. Such is a general and full outline of my command, and I now appeal to Western Virginia to defend herself." Thus he called for volunteers in a strain of mingled entreaty and command, exclaiming: "Come and tarry awhile, at least, with us, in the field of glorious strife, for inestimable rights. Wounds are soothing there! Come and partake of our frugal rations in camp enter in faith and hope, and heart there, it is sweeter than honey. Come! if you don't come, you shall be the 'jest of women and the scorn of men,' and coward, sluggard, knave, traitor or trifler, shall be branded black upon your name, for life and lives hereafter Your mothers of the cradle, and your mother State shall disown and dishonor you. Come to the camp, then, or there is a death more deadly for you, and more to be dreaded than the death by 'fire and blood." But, the people did not "come;" and the ex-Governor had to proceed without them. Considering that he had published two pre soon started the troops to more secure quar- The Fight at Scarey Town. bers, exposed to a distressing fire which could only be partially returned. The brave fellows soon fell back, having lost heavily. The retreat soon followed under cover of Cotter's guns, which were most admirably served. The enemy did not pursue. Prior to the charge, Colonel Lowe sent word for General Cox to send forward a second regiment, which was done, but it failed to reach the field in time for the fight. It joined the retreating companies. The Federal loss was nine killed, thirty-eight wounded and nine missing. Among the casualties should be named the loss of Colonel Norton as prisoner and wounded. A whole squad of officers who, hearing of the fight, rode out from the camp to be lookers on, passed right into the rebel ranks, supposing them to be those of our victorious troops. Among them were Colonel Woodruff, Colonel De Villiers, Lieutenant-Colonel Neff, and Captains Austin | and Hurd. The March against Charleston. This was Governor Wise's only conquest. The march of General Cox against Charleston direct was taken up on the 24th. Various skirmishes occurred the enemy being in position at several points along the river, but they uniformly fled after a few rounds. A rebel steamer having two boats loaded with wheat in tow, was abandoned and fired by the "legionists." On the 25th two divisions of the Federal advance reached Elk river, one-fourth of a mile below Charleston, across which was a wire suspension bridge. This fine structure the rebels had attempted to destroy, but did only small injury. The Federal army was enabled to pass over on the 25th. Wise and his "legion" fled toward the East, and Cox was soon in pursuit. Gauley River was reached by the 29th. There it was discovered that Wise had burned the heavy bridge to secure his safe retreat towards Lewisburg. This left the Kanawha Valley, for a brief period, free of the rebel forces. To regain lost laurels as well as a lost province, the Virginia and the Confederate Governments dispatched John B. Floyd to the scene, as superior to Wise in emergencies like those surrounding Western Virginia. Rosecrans' Move ments. Rosecrans prepared to prosecute his work vigorously. After the rebel victory, at Bull Run, the subjugation of Western Virginia became, to the Confederates, one of the fixed general orders, and thither troops soon began to centre. August 20th the Union commander issued an address to the people of his department to settle the public mind in regard to Federal purposes and wishes. The Secessionists, if they were good for anything, were prolific of falsehoods which the General soon found were worse than rebel bayonets in distempering the minds of those well inclined toward the Union cause-the class with whom it was the especial wish of the Federal Administration to make friends, In his address General Rosecrans took occa sion to disabuse the people of the idea that he came to conquer: he came to protect them and asked in return their co-operation to put down the secession fallacy, to repress violence and to assist him in ridding the country of the guerrillas, whose almost daily assassinations of soldiers and outrages upon citizens were rendering them sources of extreme annoyance. He said that he should be obliged to hold those neighborhoods, where outrages were committed and sentries were shot, responsible for the crimes committed, and thus, in a degree, compelled the citizens to look after the guerrillas and thieves. His address was at once kind but firm, and, so long as hẻ governed in that Department was well sustained by the people. BATTLE OF CARNIFEX FERRY. 311 Battle of Carnifex Ferry. pickets were posted along the river, up Approaching the vicinity and down. On the 21st of August, four of Cross Lanes and Carniteen men of one company were surprised by fex Ferry over the Gauley a portion of the Richmond Blues regiment of River, extended reconnoissances revealed the Wise's legion. The Unionists were cut to enemy's exact location to be on the cliffs pieces—only four escaping. On the 26th the On the 26th the overlooking the Carnifex Ferry road and Seventh Ohio was attacked in its camp, while ford. Benham was locating these positions, at breakfast, by a body of infantry and caval- with his advance (Lytle's Irish regiment, ry—supposed to be about six hundred. The | the Ohio Tenth), with no design to bring on a Unionists were completely surprised and battle, as the men were very weary with their were scattered in much disorder, losing about long day's tramp over the hills. But, the sixty killed and prisoners. Tyler retreated rebel pickets were stumbled upon and unwitto Cox's position above Gauley Bridge. Floyd, tingly pressed back upon their lines, when at that time, was reported to have about nine the long line of a blazing parapet revealed thousand men in the vicinity. the whole extent of the rebel stronghold. The March from Rosecrans started from Clarksburg, early in September for the Gauley River, passing down by way of Sutton to Summerville, eight miles below which, at Cross Lanes, Floyd and Wise were in considerable strength, both of fortifications and men. The Federal army, General Benham's brigade in the advance, on the morning of Monday, Sept. 10th, crossed Powell Mountain, the loftiest summit in Western Virginia. There evidences of a fresh camp were detected, and the enemy's position was fully determined by information obtained from the half-civilized women inhabiting the cabins of that wild and romantic region. Pressing on towards Summerville, a second camp was discovered in Muddlethy bottoms, from which, as one present remarked in the unique language of that region, "the whackers skedaddled beautifully." Early Tuesday morning the march was resumed with extreme caution, as the rebels were discovered flitting in all directions. The innumerable mountain paths and by-lanes, which only those familiar with that magnificent region could use, gave the enemy ample covert for their scouts; and it required the utmost vigilance to avoid their decoys as well as to provide against any ambuscade or masked batteries. General Benham showed great prudence and sagacity on the advance and proved himself an able officer.* The fight now became sharp. Benham found it necessary either to press his advance, or to sound the retreat-an order which his regiments were too much disinclined to hear at that moment, and he resolved to hold all to await the coming up of Rosecrans, to whom he had dispatched the news of his operations. "The Not a man was hurt by the first volley poured in upon the advancing Federal troops from the enemy's. elevated works. Tenth was deployed"—we quote from a good account of the affair by one present-" up the hill to the right, and the Ohio Thirteenth, Colonel Smith, down the hill into the ravine to the left-each regiment led by its Colonel in person. Our batteries were still behind, and Howe's Twelfth Ohio was some distance in the rear coming up slowly, so that the Tenth and Thirteenth had to support the enemy's fire a long time without assistance. But they did it gallantly, and continued to advance until they got to the edge of the abattis in front of the enemy, where they stood near the verge of the forest. In consequence of the rugged and impracticable nature of the ground, the line of the Tenth was broken, and the right wing was separated from the centre. Colonel Lytle could not see this on account of the jungle, and General Benham was directing a movement to the extreme left, when Lytle ordered the colors * We particularly remark this, because the Gene- forward, and shouting 'Follow, Tenth,' he made a dash up the road, intending to charge ral was, afterwards, suspended from command, owing, it is charged, to his indiscretions and rash-battery, and succeeded in getting within litness on the advance against Charleston, S. C., in tle more than a hundred yards of the rebel May, 1862. parapet before he was discovered. A terrific Battle of Battle of Carnifex Ferry. fire opened upon him, and cool and skillful as a vetehis four gallant companies, ran. The Twelfth Ohio who followed him with had found their route imfrantic cheers, suffered severely. A ball went practicable, and their brave Colonel carried through his left leg, and wounded his horse, them over a rugged route squarely into the which became unmanageable and threw him. | front of the battle, and gave them an opporThe horse dashed over the rebel entrench-tunity to do their share of duty. Colonel ments, and was killed, and the gallant Lytle Lowe was encouraging and directing them himself was assisted into a house not a hun-in front, when he was struck by a shot fairly dred feet off, and heard the crash of cannon in the centre of his forehead, and he fell dead balls through it and over it until the battle without a groan. A moment afterwards.a ended. Color-Sergeant Fitzgibbons, who charge of grape mangled both his legs. was behind the Colonel when he fell, had his right hand shattered, but, gathering the Stars and Stripes in his left, he waved them again enthusiastically, and was torn to pieces by a round shot. Sergeant O'Connor snatched the falling colors, and again held them aloft, when he was also struck by a ball in his left hand, but he dropped behind a log, and kept the colors flying until exhaustion compelled him to drop them. His Captain, Stephen McGroarty, as gallant a fellow as ever wore sword, snatched them up again, and while rolling them up, ordered his men to retire to cover, and in bringing up the rear a ball struck him in the right breast, and went through him without disabling him, until he got out of the field with his flag. Every man of his company stuck to him with unswerving fidelity. Snyder's two rifled six-pounders and McMullen's batteries were planted in the road about two hundred yards in front of the rebel main battery, and were served rapidly and with considerable effect. Subsequently part of each was removed to the right. Captain McMullen was finally struck down, but not seriously hurt. The rebel artillery was not regarded very formidable. The majority of their balls and shells went whistling and tearing through the tree-tops, making an infernal racket, and now and then a round shell would stop, in mid career, in the trunk of a tree, and bury itself with a wicked crash. The cannon practice generally was not distinguished for scientific accuracy. The rebels finally got short of legitimate ammunition, and played spelter canister upon us. Many of our shells did not explode at all, but occasionally one would scatter the rebels in every direction. But our lads rarely caught a glimpse of the Virginians. close under cover, and made no unnecessary exposures. Even their gunners were exceed They kept once did they attempt to display daring, or to move from their position toward us. "The Irish lads continued to stick to the front with splendid determination, but they were sadly cut up. Father O'Higgins, their Chaplain, was with them constantly, and Lieutenant-Colonel Dorff, Major Burke, Captain R. N. Moore and Captain Annis display-ingly careful to keep out of the way, and not ed conspicuous gallantry. Meantime, Colonel Smith worked off to the extreme right of the rebels, under a furious fusilade of rifles and musketry, and was laboriously engaged in scaling a precipice which protected the rebel position in that direction. It was twilight before he got into position for an assault, but his men lay on their bellies in the thicket, playing away at the enemy not a hundred yards from them. The order for an assault did not come, and the brave Thirteenth had wasted its energies and showed their pluck for nothing. The conduct of Colonel Smith and his regiment was a theme of admiration. The Colonel himself was brave to a fault, but "At dusk McCook's brigade was ordered into position. The Ninth was carried around to the left of the rebel battery by Captain Hartsuff, to make a rush upon it under a flanking battery, which had been discovered in the woods, on their extreme left, but which had not been served during the engagement. The bold fellows, under their Colonel, pushed forward under a galling storm of musketry, and were about to dash headlong at the enemy, under cover of darkness, when they were ordered back, after suffering a loss of one killed and ten wound |