The enemy's Piketon Canard.
We have learned from an authentic source the full particulars of the affair between our troops and those of the enemy last Friday week, beyond
Piketon,
Kentucky.
we will promise that the enemy's General — a notation ebanchee, braggart, coward, and fair by the name of
Nelson, an tentenant (the ‘"fat lieutenant"’) of the uavy --is a man whose fort lies in magnificent inventions of the sort embodied in the dispatches on our first page giving the portended details of his performances at A few weeks ago he had a similar story of an encounter between some of his rce and our men near
West Liberty, in Morgan county, where it was represented that he killed a hundred and fifty rebels, took any prisoners, and put his foe to ignomini ins flight.
The facts of that affair were simply these.
An indomitable and enterprising man by the name of
Jack May took a company of seventy- four sharp-shooters with him and waylaid the enemy in a favorable place on the road near.
West Liberty.
On name the enemy in full force into the trap
May and his men let fly at them from their co coalment, and mowed them down like sheep.
The enemy fell into dismay and confusion,
Jack and his sharp-shooters let fly at them a second round, and then dispersed to make their way through the woods rendezvous agreed upon.
Jack May did not lose a man, either killed or wounded.--Fifty grates can be seen, and have been counted, of the enemy's killed.
The number of their wounded of course cannot be known.
So much for ‘"Sow
Nelson's"’ first victory, which was telegraphed and published all through
Kentucky to suppress the ardor and discourage the spirit of her secession population.
This affair occurred last Tuesday a fortnight--Oct. 30th.
Now for the grand affair at
Piketon, which come off last Friday week, November 8th.--When we say that it was another encounter of Nelton's Dutch, picked up in
Cincinnati, with
Jack May, we already tell the whole story.--The light occurred a few miles beyond
Piketon, on the Louisa river, just west of the month of
Ivy creek, which empties into the Louis a from the
North st e. The road along the river, beyond the mouth of the Ivy, is over a steep bluff, rising thirty feet perpendicularly from the water.
Along the side of the road, for four or five hundred yards west of the month of the
Ivy, which was spanned by a night bridge, the mountain rises to a great height, by a very precipitous ascent, thickly covered with Ivy, taccel and other evergreens.
into this covert, along this steep ascent,
Jack May placed his sharp shooters, now increased to three hundred men, a short time before the column of the enemy came up. He then set fire to the bridge.
The enemy's advance soon came up, suspecting nothing, and seeing the bridge on fire, supposed that our force had retreated to the other side.
When the four or five hundred yards of the road below him was filled with men, crack, crack, crack went the titles of
Jack May and his sharp-shooters along the whole distance.
They continued to load and fire for several romatis, and then, at a signal, they vanished around the mountain, and up
Ivy Creek to a temporary crossing, which they had taken care to provide, and which they destroyed after they had crossed over.--
Jack May did not lose a man until, during the retreat, the enemy, getting sight of his men in the distance, fired upon them, killing only two and wounding fifteen.
Every wounded man was brought away, and not a gun was left behind.
As to the loss of the enemy, our men said they left the road piled up with dead bodies.
Standing in fate, not only one man would be killed by each shot from the mountain side, but as many as four or five be either killed or wounded, Five or six hundred would, they think, be a low estimate, therefore, of the loss of the enemy in killed and wounded in this affair.
Jack May then rejoined
Colonel Williams, who. with his force of only fourteen hundred men to prevent a flank movement of the enemy estimated at probably 8,000, had fallen back to the junction of the
Pound Gap and what is called the
Grape Vine Creek Road.
Colonel Williams is now in the vicinity of, if not immediately at, the
Pound Gap--
General Marshall is at the
Gap of the Louisa river opening from
Piketon into
Tazewell county.
Gentlemen of intelligence just from that country entertain no fear of the perfect feasibility of our holding the mountain; and
General Marshall only wishes such small reinforcements of men and arms as will enable him to push through and proceed against
Nelson.
Paris, Kentucky, is more distant from
Piketon than
Wytheville, Virginia, and the circuitous route taken by the news of
Nelson's victory, is sufficient to disprove the story.
These magnificent falsehoods have become a systematic business in
Kentucky, intended to suppress the secessionist feeling.
When the news of our victory at
Springfield reached that State their journals put ‘"rebels"’ for ‘"Federals,"’ and ‘ "Federals"’ for ‘"rebels,"’ in the accounts of the battle, and spread the counterfeit news all over the
State.
All that is needed for the speedy redemption of
Kentucky is arms to put into the hands of the people.
Send enough arms and ammunition into
Eastern Kentucky, and there are scores of
Jack Mays who will soon settle the hash of
Nelson and the
Dutch in his ‘"
Kentucky"’ regiment.
