The Army in the northwest.
Among the canards lately issued from Wheeling, and published in the Northern newspapers, is the following, under date of July 4th: ‘ We have information that on Sunday night, the Third and Fourth Ohio Regiments whipped a portion of Wise's army, near Buckhannon, Upshur county, killing seventeen and taking ninety-one prisoners, besides a large number of horses, with inconsiderable loss on our side. The enemy retreated and were as quickly pursued. Governor Wise has about 10,000 men in his command, and to oppose him General McClelland has 19,000. ’ The absurdity of the foregoing is apparent to any one who knows the situation of affairs. Letters from our forces under Gen. Garnett, dated Monday, July 1st, report all quiet, with an occasional capture of a Federal prisoner. The following is Col. Heck's official dispatch to Gen. Garnett, communicating the particulars of the occupation of Buckhannon by a portion of the force under his command: Camp Garnett, June 28, 1861.
Gen. Garnett, Com'g. forces N. W. Va.
I have the honor to report that, in obedience to your orders, I left this camp for Buckhannon on the 26th instant, with a force amounting in all to three hundred men, and made a march of 18 miles, encamping for the night five miles east of Buckhannon.
Scouts were sent out on all the roads leading from our camps or from Buckhannon in the direction of Phillippi or Clarksburg.
About 1 o'clock the scouts on the road leading to Buckhannon, 10 in number, having advanced within ½ miles of the town to guard a mill, (grinding meal for us,) were fired upon by a party of Union men armed with rifles, and numbering, as we afterwards learned, about twenty-five men, under the command of Col. Henry F. Westfall.
So far as we could learn, there was no damage done by either party, the enemy being ambushed in a thick wood in an unapproachable position.
On the 27th instant; our forces marched into the town of Buckhannon and purchased from the citizens a sufficient quantity of corn, bacon, cats, quartermaster and ordnance stores, (a small quantity of powder and lead,) to load all the wagons we had with us, or could procure, not before loaded.
We found in one of the storehouses in the town some provisions (including nine barrels of mess pork) left there by the Federal army, which we brought with us; and have sent them on to the commissary at Beverly.
We arrested two men. The particulars of the charge, &c., are herewith enclosed.
We, also, brought with us a horse which had been stolen from one of our friends in Harrison county by the Federal forces, and was left behind in their hasty retreat.
After loading our supplies, we returned to the east side of the Middlefork river (thirteen miles） and came into our camp this morning, making the march (forty-six miles) in forty-eight hours from the time of leaving camp, without material injure to either men or horses.
Our scouts, left to guard the bridge over the Middlefork river, were fired at this morning--one shot taking effect in the hip of one of the scout's horses.
I have sent reinforcements to the scouts, with instructions to arrest the offenders, but to act with prudence.
The good behavior and manly bearing of our noble soldiers had a marked effect upon the citizens of Upshur county.
Many of the citizens of Buckhannon, who fled at our approach as from a deadly fee, returned before we terminated our short visit, and seemed disposed to treat us as friends. 