sir: By making a forced march of twenty miles, over a rugged and almost impassable mountain
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road, and by capturing the enemy's pickets, we succeeded in completely surprising
General Adams's command of rebel cavalry, encamped at the foot of the mountain.
They formed in line and fired upon
Col. Hambright's advance, which we replied to from two pieces of artillery, which had been placed in position unobserved.
They retreated through a narrow lane, towards
Jasper, closely pursued by a portion of
Col. Haggard's Fifth Kentucky cavalry and
Major Wynkoop's battalion of Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry.
My escort, commanded by
Lieuts. Wharton and
Funk, led the charge with reckless daring, dashing into the midst of the enemy, using their sabres with terrible execution.
The narrowness of the lane, and very broken ground, alone prevented the enemy being totally destroyed.
They fled in the wildest disorder, strewing the ground for miles with guns, pistols, and swords.
We captured their ammunition and commissary wagons, with supplies.
The enemy's loss, as far as we could ascertain, was twenty killed and about the same number wounded, among whom is
Major Adams,
General Adams's brother.
We captured twelve prisoners, including two commissioned officers, with a large number of horses.
Our loss, which I regret to say was chiefly sustained by my escort, is two killed and seven wounded, several seriously.
The troops acted with admirable efficiency.
Col. Hambright,
Acting Brigadier-General, with
Col. Haggard,
Major Wynkoop, and
Lieuts. Wharton,
Funk,
Sypher, and
Nell, deserve special notice.
Yours, very truly,
Cincinnati Commercial account.
Under an order from
Gen. Mitchel,
Gen. Negley, in charge of a heavy force, left
Fayetteville on Monday, June second, to pay a
friendly visit to the large bodies of guerrillas infesting the counties of
Franklin and
Marion, in East-Tennes-see, with additional instructions to call on
Chattanooga, if possible, and
Mitchel seldom deems anything impossible in his department.
These guerrillas have been making sad havoc among the people of that section, destroying the property of Union men, and all those who will not yield to the edicts of the barbarous conscription act. Hundreds of men have taken refuge in the mountains to escape imprisonment into the rebel service — not only white, but
black men--leaving their new crops unattended, their families subjected to every species of insult, their last ear of corn and peck of meal taken, horses and cattle carried off, and they left in comparative destitution.
Mitchel has been aware of these facts for some time, and has only waited a fitting opportunity to surprise them.
To accomplish this, it needed the right kind of a leader; that leader was
Gen. Negley.
Negley is bold, brave, and ardent in his attachment to the cause that has called him out from his
Pennsylvania home.
His worth is known and highly appreciated by our
Commanding General.
He is a Pennsylvanian, and reflects great honor on the old
Keystone State.
He found no rebel forces between
Fayetteville and
Winchester.
On reaching
Winchester, he learned that the rebel
General Adams was in command of a heavy force of rebels at
Jasper, some thirty miles distant. He at once determined to surprise them.
In order to do this, he was compelled to make a forced march, some twenty miles, over a rough, mountainous country.
His was accomplished.
He soon discovered their pickets, and by a well-laid plan, succeeded in capturing them.
He immediately moved on, and within a few miles of
Jasper, came upon a large force of the enemy.
They, the rebels, immediately formed into line of battle, and opened with a heavy volley.
Col. Hambright, who was leading our advance, replied from three pieces of artillery, which had been very rapidly placed in position.
Only one round was needed to rout them.
They became panicstricken, and commenced one of the most disgraceful retreats ever known.
They took up a narrow lane, toward
Jasper, closely pursued by
Haggard and
Wyncoop, the former of the Fifth Kentucky cavalry, and the latter of the Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry.
They gained upon them, and coming into a narrow defile, they closed with them.
Then commenced one of the fiercest skirmishes of the war. Our charge of cavalry was led on by
Negley's escort, commanded by
Lieuts. Wharton and
Funk.
The contest was severe.
Hand to hand was the terrible sabre-duel, ending in the death of twenty rebel cavalry, many badly wounded, and some twenty prisoners, among them
Major Adams, brother of the
General and also two other commissioned officers.
The road for miles was strewed with guns, sabres, carbines, knapsacks, etc. Some fifty or sixty horses were also taken, together with a large train of commissary stores, ammunition and camp equipage.
The flying rebels passed on through
Jasper, notwithstanding the great efforts used by their officers in trying to stop them.
They cursed
Adams and their ill-luck, and only stopped in their frightened career when they reached
Chattanooga, having placed the waters of the
Tennessee between them and their pursuers.
Night closed in over the scene, and our brave but wearied lads rested on the north bank of the famous
Tennessee.
Our casualties were two killed, of
Negley's escort, and seven badly wounded.
Though small the enemy's loss, and this only a skirmish, yet nothing has taken place here, since the capture of
Huntsville, so important in its future results, as this gallant charge of the daring
Kentuckians and brave Pennsylvanians, led on by such as
Haggard and
Wyncoop.
Col. Hambright, who led the advance from
Winchester to
Jasper, and received the enemy's first fire, displayed great courage and coolness.
Who will dare say that this foul rebellion will not be forever crushed, and our Union sustained, and come out of this fearful contest like gold tried in the fire, when such scenes as the above
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take place?
Away out here, amid the mountain passes of the
Cumberland,
Kentucky and
Pennsylvania shake hands, and with the love of the Union strengthening their every sinew, they rush on side by side, with drawn sabre, to bathe them alike in the blood of treason and cowardice.
The effect of this skirmish was soon seen.
As the retreating foe disappeared, the persecuted Union men of
Marion began to appear.
General Negley's despatch to
Major-Gen. Mitchel says that hundreds of Union men have flocked into
Jasper, and, with tears in their eyes, hail
Mitchel and
Negley as their deliverers.
To-day four men came in from
Chattanooga, and report that
Adams's men came into that place in the utmost confusion, many of them only stopping for a time, then continuing their retreat — to the “last ditch,” I presume.
The distance over which they retreated was forty-three miles.
