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assisted into a house not a hundred feet off, and heard the crash of cannon balls through it and over it until the battle ended. Color-sergeant Fitzgibbons, who 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 in pieces by a round shot. Sergeant O'Conner 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, 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 after he got out of the field with his flag. Every man of his company stuck to him with unswerving fidelity.

The Irish lads continued to stick to the front with an Irishman's determination, but they were sadly cut up. Father O'Higgins, their chaplain, was with them constantly, and displayed 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 Twelfth Ohio had found their route impracticable, and their brave colonel carried them over a rugged route squarely into the front of the battle, and gave them an opportunity to do their share of duty. Colonel Lowe was encouraging and directing them in front, when he

was struck by a shot fairly in the centre of his forehead, and he fell dead without a groan. A moment afterwards a charge of grape mangled both his legs.

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. Finally, 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 wounded. The four companies under Major Hayes, after infinite difficulty, scaling precipices and forcing their way through dense thickets of laurel and blackberry bushes, had been halted in a ravine in. front of the centre of the rebels' right wing, and they were afterwards supported by the Twenty-eighth, under Colonel Moor. The former met with no casualties, though under fire. The latter pushed across the ravine, and extended the line up a precipitous hill, until the whole of the main front of the enemy was enveloped by our lines. He lost two killed, and thirty-one wounded. It was now pitchy dark. It was impossible to distin

guish an object a yard from your eyes, and it was so obviously unwise to storm the works in such dense obscurity, that the general was compelled to withdraw the troops. They retired slowly and mad at their disappointment, and bivouacked wearied and supperless within musket range of the rebel front. It was nine o'clock at night when they got out of the forest where they had labored and fought unflinchingly five hours.

After a march of seventeen and a half miles, and five hours' fighting, the troops felt the need of rest, and they retired to bivouac under the batteries of the Confederates, intending to carry them by storm before sunrise the next morning, but the enemy did not wait.

Shortly after daylight a runaway contraband came in, and reported that the enemy had crossed the Gauley during the night by means of the ferry and a bridge which they had completed.

Colonel Ewing was ordered to take possession of the camp, which he did at about seven o'clock, capturing a few prisoners, two stand of colors, a considerable quantity of arms, with quartermaster's stores, messing and camp equipage. The enemy had destroyed the bridge across the Gauley, which here rushes through a deep gorge, and our troops being still much fatigued, and having no material for immediately replacing the bridge, it was thought prudent to encamp the troops.

Floyd had slipped off after our troops were withdrawn. He began the evacuation as soon as he discovered that we did not intend to storm him, and by three o'clock the next morning he put the deep and turbulent Gauley, and some miles of rugged road, between himself and our disgusted army. The wily general sunk the flats and destroyed the trestle bridge by which he had secured his retreat, and the Federal troops were left on the other side, profanely cursing their luck.

According to the surgeon's and company reports, the loss to the Federal troops was sixteen killed, and one hundred and two wounded; twenty-five wounded members of Colonel Tyler's Seventh Ohio regiment, who were taken prisoners at Summerville, were recaptured. The troops encamped at the Cross Roads, two miles from the battle-field, and communication was immediately opened with General Cox, at Gauley Ridge. The battle of Carnifex Ferry was fought exclusively by troops from Ohio, and well did they vindicate the honor of the Buckeye State. The gallant Tenth (Irish) regiment and their daring leader, the chivalrous Lytle, were probably the most conspicuous in the field, because they had the front by right of seniority. It is said that Colonel Lowe 'anticipated his misfortune. He had been unjustly and malignantly accused of cowardice at Seavey, and he said the sacrifice of his life was necessary to redeem his reputation. On his way to the field of Carnifex Ferry, he requested the chaplain of his regiment to take care of his property if his presentiments should be realized. He died where a soldier loves to die—in the thickest of the fight. Colonel Lowe was an old citizen of Xenia, Ohio, where he was universally respected. He was not an educated military man, but he had the courage of a soldier. His remains were forwarded to his family.

September 12. Fight at Cheat Mountain, Va.

On the morning of the twelfth a portion of the rebel army in two columns commenced an advance on both pikes, toward Elk Water and Cheat Mountain Summit. A detachment, consisting of three Tennessee regiments under General Anderson, succeeded in surrounding the fort on the summit of the mountain, and cut the telegraph wire, and was descending the mountain in the direction of Elk Water, when they were met by a detachment of three hundred men from the Fourteenth Indiana and Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Ohio regiments,

when a sharp skirmish ensued, resulting in the complete route of the Confederates, with the loss of forty killed, and a few wounded; Union loss, ten. Meantime, the other columns continued to advance on Elk Water, and when within about two miles of the Federal camp they were driven back by detachments of men from the Fifteenth Indiana, Third and Sixth Ohio regiments, and shells from Loomis's Battery, and retired some eight or ten miles.

The next morning (thirteenth) two regiments of Fedcrals were sent to cut their way through to the summit, when General Lee resumed the attack along the whole line at Cheat Mountain. After a long contest, General Reynolds fairly repulsed him with considerable loss, and perhaps most on the side of the Confederates, owing to the fact that many of the Federal troops fought behind intrenchments: On the morning of the thirteenth, two rebel officers were discovered spying around the camp at Elk Water, and were surprised and shot. The body of one was brought into camp, which proved to be that of Colonel John A. Washington, proprietor of Mount Vernon. On the fifteenth it was sent over to the enemy, under a flag of truce, and while on the way it was met by a similar flag coming from the enemy for the purpose of obtaining information as to his condition.

September 14. Privateer Judith was destroyed at Pensacola. The monotony of the "Blockade," off Pensacola harbor, was somewhat broken by the burning of the privateer Judith, by a boat expedition from the United States Steam-frigate Colorado.

For several days a large schooner had been observed in the harbor, in the vicinity of the navy yard, and her appearance and motions led to the suspicion that she had been fitted up for a privateer, and had intentions of trying to run the blockade.

By some deserters who escaped from the secession

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