We

were the people to such events, that a speedy n close of the contest had been anticipated by them. War, in their minds, was to be begun, carried on, and closed up with the despatch of ordinary enterprises.

It was not only necessary to organize and disipline armies, but to provide food, munitions, borand transportation, and to organize artillery reserves, the engineer corps, the pontoon trains, the telegraphs, and the hospitals; but also to Furmanufacture or import from other countries outhannon, carriage harness, cavalry equipments, mall arms, artillery, camp equipage, bridge Irdrains, &c. The time required to secure these objects, under the most favorable circumstances, was even longer than had been assigned for the Juration of hostilities by the people of both the Northern and Southern States.

lle

le

A

The Federal Government proposed to blockde the coast to cut off the Confederate States from all communication with other naons. The recovery of the Mississippi valley, which the western States of the Confedracy would be separated, and the outlet of he Northwest to the ocean recovered, was so a part of the purpose of the Government. The recovery of the Border Slave States actual military force, and their protection gainst invasion by the Confederate Government, which claimed them as a part of its Union, was the occasion of the most active and extenive military operations. It was anticipated that the signal success which would attend the exeution of these purposes, would so emphatically Joonvince the Southern people of the irresistible BusPower of the North as to satisfy them that the attainment of their independence was hopeless. At the same time it was believed their efforts of resistance would so exhaust their limited reSources as to make a return to the Union on heir part a necessity. Such appear to have een the purposes of the Federal Government, nd such were the views of the people. On he opposite side, the purposes of the Confedrate Government were no less determined, and the views of the people no less sanguine and Exalted. A defence was to be made to the last extremity, and if this was successful, an invaon of the enemy was to follow, when the moking ruins of Philadelphia, New York, and Cincinnati would wring humiliating conditions from the North. The year which passed has thus witnessed most stupendous military operations conducted on a theatre which was almost the size of a continent, with a profusion of expenditare and a waste of resources sufficient to engulf most nations. The actors in these terrific scenes now stand forth to receive the judgment of mankind not only upon their skill, ability, and sincerity, but upon those higher and nobler qualities which are the jewels of humanity. The military operations in the interior of the country have been conducted chiefly with a reference to the lines of the railroads and the water courses. The facilities for the transportation of supplies and for the concentration of

men furnished by these railroads and the rivers, in a country so covered with woods, and so poorly supplied with common roads, has resulted in making some of them the base of all important movements.

At the beginning of the year preparations were vigorously pushed forward both at the West and with the Army of the Potomac. The forces of each side on the line between the Federal and Confederate States maintained their respective positions during the month of January, excepting in eastern Kentucky. There Col. Humphrey Marshall had a few months previous intrenched the Confederate forces under his command, consisting of a few regiments of infantry, one battery of artillery, and five or six companies of cavalry at a town called Paintville. It was expected in the Confederate States that he would be able to sweep the whole of eastern Kentucky, take possession of Frankfort, the seat of the State Government, and set up the authority of the Provisional Governor Johnson. Meanwhile Col. John A. Garfield, commanding a brigade of Union forces, having the 42d Ohio and 14th Kentucky infantry and a squadron of Ohio cavalry, advanced to encounter the Confederate force. Embarrassed by the difficulty of moving supplies at that low stage of the Big Sandy river, it was the 7th of January when his advance, consisting of five companies of the 42d Ohio, under Lieut.-Col. Sheldon, reached Paintville. The Confederate force had then evacuated its intrenchments two and a half miles south of the town, but a part of it was placed in ambush at Jennie Creek, two miles west. This body was driven out immediately by Col. Bolles, of the 1st Virginia cavalry, who had come up. At the same time Col. Garfield, with eight companies of the 42d Ohio and two companies of the 14th Kentucky, moved upon the main position of the enemy, who were found to have hastily retreated. On the next day the 40th Ohio, Col. Cranox, and six companies of the 1st Kentucky cavalry joined Col. Garfield; a part of the 22d Kentucky, under Lieut.-Col. Munroe, had also reached him. With a portion of this force, the pursuit of the enemy was immediately commenced up the road along the Big Sandy river.

The following despatches from Col. Garfield describe his movements:

PAINTSVILLE, January 8. To Capt. J. B. Fry, Assistant Adjutant-General:

I entered this place yesterday with the 42d Ohio, the 4th Kentucky, and 300 of the 2d Virginia cavalry. On hearing of my approach, the main rebel force left their strongly intrenched camp and fled. I sent my cavalry to the mouth of Jennie Creek, where they attacked and drove the rebel cavalry, which had been left as a vanguard, a distance of five miles, killing three and

wounding a considerable number.

Marshall's whole army is now flying in utter confusion. He had abandoned and burned a large amount of his stores. We have taken fifteen prisoners. Our loss is two killed and one wounded. I start in pursuit to-morrow morning.

(Signed) J. A. GARFIELD,

Col. commanding Brigade.

SECOND DESPATCH.

To Capt. J. B. Fry, Assistant Adjutant-General: I left Paintsville on Thursday noon with 1,100 men, and drove in the enemy's pickets two miles below Prestonburg. The men slept on their arms. At 4 o'clock yesterday morning we moved toward the main body of the enemy at the forks of Middle Creek, under command of Marshall. Skirmishing with his outposts began at 8 o'clock, and at 1 P. M. we engaged his force of 2,500 men and 3 cannon, posted on the hill-fought them until dark, having been reenforced by 700 men from Paintsville, and drove the enemy from all their positions. He carried off the majority of his dead and all of his wounded.

This morning we found twenty-seven of his dead

on the field. His killed cannot be less than sixty. We have twenty-five prisoners, ten horses, and a quantity of stores. The enemy burned most of his stores, and fled precipitately. To-day I have crossed the river, and am now occupying Prestonburg. Our loss is-two killed and twenty-five wounded. J. A. GARFIELD, Col. commanding Brigade.

(Signed)

This was a rapid and spirited movement on the part of Col. Garfield, and it resulted in forcing Col. Humphrey Marshall with his troops to retire from eastern Kentucky.

On the 16th of January Col. Garfield issued the following address to the inhabitants:

HEADQUARTERS EIGHTEENTH BRIGADE,
PAINTSVILLE (KY.), January 16, 1862.

Citizens of the Sandy Valley:

I have come among you to restore the honor of the Union and to bring back the Old Banner, which you all once loved, but which, by the machinations of evil men and by mutual misunderstanding, has been dishonored among you. To those who are in arms against the Federal Government I offer only the alternative of battle or unconditional surrender. But to those who have taken no part in this war, who are in no way aiding or abetting the enemies of the Union-even to those who hold sentiments averse to the Union, but yet give no aid and comfort to its enemies-I offer the

full protection of the Government, both in their per

sons and property.

Let those who have been seduced away from the love of their country to follow after and aid the destroyers of our peace lay down their arms, return to their homes, bear true allegiance to the Federal Gov. ernment, and they shall also enjoy like protection. The army of the Union wages no war of plunder, but comes to bring back the prosperity of peace. Let all peace-loving citizens who have fled from their homes return and resume again the pursuits of peace and industry. If citizens have suffered from any outrages by the soldiers under my command, I invite them to make known their complaints to me, and their wrongs shall be redressed and the offenders punished. I expect the friends of the Union in this valley to banish from among them all private feuds, and let a liberalminded love of country direct their conduct toward those who have been so sadly estranged and misguided, hoping that these days of turbulence may soon be ended and the days of the Republic soon return.

J. A. GARFIELD, Col. commanding Brigade.

But the most important action of the month was fought at a place called Webb's Cross Roads on the 19th. It is known as the battle of Mill Springs, although this place is about five miles distant from the spot where the battle was fought. For three months previous the Federal General Schoepff had been stationed at Somerset, a small town in south-eastern Kentucky, with a force of about 8,000 men. The

object was to prevent the advance of the Confederate force any further north. At the same time the Confederate General Zollicoffer, with nearly the same force, was intrenched directly south on both banks of the Cumberland river, for the purpose of defending the approach to the Cumberland Gap and the road into east Tennessee against any Federal force. About two weeks previous to the action, Gen. Zollicoffer was reenforced by the division under Gen. Crittenden, which had been previously stationed at Knoxville, Tennessee. Gen. Crittenden took command, and issued the following proclamation:

DIVISION HEADQUARTERS, MILL SPRINGS, KY.,
January 6, 1862.

To the People of Kentucky :

When the present war between the Confederate States and the United States commenced, the State of Kentucky determined to remain neutral. She regarded this as her highest interest, and, balancing between hope for the restoration of the Union and love for her Southern sisters, she declared and attempted to maintain a firm neutrality.

The conduct of the United States Government toward her has been marked with duplicity, falsehood, and wrong. From the very beginning, the President of the United States, in his Messages, spoke of the chosen attitude of Kentucky with open denunciation, and on the one hand treated it with contempt and derision, while on the other hand he privately promised the people of Kentucky that it should be respected. In violation of this pledge, but in keeping with his first and true intention, he introduced into the State arms which were placed exclusively in the hands of persons known or believed to be in favor of coercion, thus designing to control the people of Kentucky, and to threaten the Confederate States. Then the Government of the Confederate States, in self defence, advanced its arms into your midst, and offer you their assistance to protect you from the calamity of Northern military occupation.

Kentucky was being held to the United States, and By the administration of your State Government, bound at the feet of Northern tyranny. That Government did not rest upon the consent of your people. And now, having thrown it off, a new Government has been established and Kentucky admitted into the Southern Confederacy. Can Kentuckians doubt which Government to sustain? To the South you are allied by interest, by trade, by geography, by similarity of institutions, by the ties of blood, and by kindred courage. The markets of the North do not invite your products-your State is, to the centre of its trade, society, and laws, but a distant province, despised for its customs and institutions-your heroic linenge forbids association in arms with their warriors of Manassas, of Leesburg, and of Belmont; and your for mer devotion to the Union must intensify your hatred toward that section which has, in its Abolition crusade, broken to pieces the Constitution, and which is now vainly endeavoring to destroy the liberty of the Southern States!

At first you may have been deceived as to the purposes of the North. They talked of restoring the Union. Do you not see that it is hopelessly lost in the storm of war, and that, while the rotten Government of the North is shaking over its ruins, the South has erected out of them a new, powerful, and free constitutional republic! And now, indeed, the mask is thrown off, and you find the North, through its President, and Secretary of War, and public journals, and party leaders, giving up the claim of Union, and proclaiming the extinction of slavery and the subjugation of the South. never in any event consent to a reconstruction. She Can you join in this enterprise? The South would is contending with unconquerable spirit, with great