Article from the Lousiville Anzeiger

This is an article is from the Lousiville Anzeiger, July 11, 1862. This was a German speaking newspaper, thus the article was in German. I'd like to thank Marlitta H. Perkins for the translation, and Joseph R. Reinhart for finding the Article for me. Unfortunately, The Article had no author, so I am not sure who wrote it, but know it's from the 49th Indiana.

Louisville Anzeiger, July 11, 1862:
From the 49th Regiment:

Dear Editor:

In my last letter from Cumberland Ford I promised to write again, which promise I will now fulfill. We left the Ford on the 8th inst. and went to Barboursville from where we were supposed to be sent to Lexington, solely because of the desire of the Lt. Colonel did we receive permission, meaning whoever was able to participate in a strong march, to join the expedition of General Morgan into Tennessee.

Both brigades under Col. DeCourcy and Beard were already through Wilson's Gap on the way to East-Tennessee. The Brigade under Gen. Spears was camped almost all winter at the foot of Pine Mountain to hold back the rebels on their way through Big Creek Gap. We left Barboursville at noon of the 11th, in the morning of the 13th we crossed the Kentucky and Tennessee line with flying colors while the band played Dixie, after we passed the town of Boston, an [impressive] sounding name for a few dozen houses and some barns. Five miles from the line is the foot of Pine Mountain over which the road went, the mountain is 2 miles high and very steep, we had to work until late at night, to bring up our trains, and in the darkness down again on the other side, one of our regimental wagons fell over a cliff, but luckily nobody was injured besides some cooking utensils; a fire was started and the wagon unloaded, with ropes lifted onto the road and loaded again.

Around nine o'clock we did find a suitable place to camp were we could rest from climbing up and down the mountain. On Saturday the 14th at noon we arrived at Big Creek Gap; I want to remark here that the secesh had blocked the road from Big Creek Gap to Pine Mountain for over 15 miles by felling trees across the road 1 to 4 foot in diameter .Clearing the road of this blockade was executed by Gen. Spear's Brigade. We were very glad to be out of the mountains and once again had a good road and we especially delighted in the nice surroundings; in Powell's Valley, were we found the fields in full splendor and especially good drinking water. Ten miles above Big Creek Gap we united with the rest of the division, we only passed one town, Fincastle, that has to be a real secesh nest, because the inhabitants made faces as if they wanted to eat us alive and threw angry looks at the Star Spangled Banner that was fluttering happily in the wind, to irritate them a little our boys requested the field band to play "Dixie" to which they obliged; and the ladies and gentlemen retired to their homes and closed the window curtains so that they didn't have to see the hated Yankee Hoosiers.

Around 1 o'clock in the morning of the 18th the whole division started out toward Cumberland Gap. 8 miles from us on the way were 600 rebel cavalry posted which we were to attack at day break, but the boys must have gotten wind of it and had skedaddled. We rested for a short time and went once more on our way, our advance arrived at the Gap toward evening, we made 26 miles that day and found the place unoccupied, like we were told by people along the way, 3 miles from the Gap we passed a large farmhouse, out of a window of the same was hanging the United States flag, one of the first ones that greeted us in Tennessee. We gave the occupants three ringing cheers and asked how long it had been that this flag had been displayed in public; they said it had been 11 months; and since then they had hidden the flag.

A visit to Cumberland Gap, how we found the place...

At the foot of the mountain on the Tennessee side is a small valley in which now a part of our Division is camped and Gen. Morgan has established his headquarters there; there are several large [Frantehauser], owned by citizens, and large grinding mill, powered by water, a blacksmith and waggoner's workshop, and a cannon ball foundry, established by the rebels, additionally there are a great number of log cabins that all stand in similar rows and with streets in between them, when one comes through the small mountains that surround this valley and takes a look you think there is a small city in front of you. It is 1/2 mile from the valley up to the Gap, there is a rock [buried] with inscriptions, indicating that it is there where the three states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia meet.

There are altogether six battalions of heavy artillery on both mountains, one of them is on the highest peak (the elevation is 1495 feet from the foot of the mountain to the highest peak) of the eastern mountain and is built from baskets of sand and braidwork of stone and sand. The large cannon that belongs there, is a long 64-pounder cannon, we found the latter in an abyss, thrown over the cliffs behind the ramparts, the other battery was empty and in another one a 30 pounder howitzer was spiked shut, only in one of the heavy breastworks of the western mountain did the rebels leave behind two cannons, a 32 -pounder and a short 64-pounder, also spiked, only because these two were spiked with common nails they were soon again drilled open.

Directly in the Gap there is a large log house, equipped with numerous embrasures for guns, it commands the road into the Gap for several hundred yards, additionally the mountainsides along the road are covered extensively with breastworks and rifle pits, like at all entrances where it would have been at all possible to pass by, breastworks are built double and triple above each other.

It will become clear to anyone that understands a little about fortifications that a small garrison could have defended this place against a ten times larger force. Both mountain peaks were covered with the tents and log houses, the latter of which had served as winter quarters for part of the troops.

The tents that were left behind by the rebels were slashed from top to bottom into pieces with knives, cooking utensils of all variety, suitcases, mess boxes etc. were hacked to pieces with axes, as well as the wheels of the cannons that were left behind , we found a large quantity of flour, meat and bread in a well mixed with old cannonballs; one of their commissary buildings was burnt but we found another one, built from boards and as spacious as a Rail Road Depot, was in very good condition, a lot of curiosities were picked up in the hastily evacuated camp which our soldier took with them as mementos, among them also an interesting letter of a lady to her "Willie", in which she informed him in very general terms of the multiplication in the family. The husband had to have been very hasty in his departure, leaving the letter of his better half behind.

The whole camp indicated that the secesh departed in greatest haste, rumor has it that Colonel Rains, who was for a while commander at the Gap, was in our camps at Big Creek Gap under cover and reported our movements to the garrison and remarked that they should see and get out since the valley was black with yankees, that they didn't have to be told twice and ran and left several sick in the surrounding houses. And now our glorious Star Spangled Banner waves from the cliffs of Cumberland Gap. Gen. Morgan has received orders from the War Department to hold the place.

Our brigade made an expedition a few nights ago to the town of Tazville, 12 miles distant, to catch a regiment of Secesh cavalry, if possible.

We arrived at one o'clock at night near their camp, they fired at our advance without hurting anyone, turned right around and away they zoomed as fast as their horses would carry them; we planted our battery on of the hills commanding the town; captured several, one of the rebels who was in the countryside at home with his wife and knew nothing about the presence of the Yankees in town came to a house before day break where several of our boys were standing guard and since he mistook them in the darkness for his comrades he asked them where the others were, one of our boys stepped in front of his horse, holding the reins, ordered his gun from him, his own cocked and aimed at his chest and he had to obey, he was armed with a double shotgun and a cavalry sable, his saddlebags filled by his caring wife with cornbread and fried chicken which our boys enjoyed.

Now I will close, more late

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