Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
November 13, 1861

Our advices from Camp Bartow are as late as Friday last, the 15th inst. Nothing of special importance has lately occurred there, except that on the 13th a party of Yankees made their appearance on the opposite side of Green brier river, and Lieut. Hurt and private Williams, of the Pittsylvania cavalry, went forward to ascertain their number; but proceeding incautiously, they were both captured. A letter before us gives an account of the successful stratagem of a young woman, through which a Yankee soldier, who had strayed from his camp, was taken prisoner and delivered to Col. Taliaferro.

Camp Bartow, Nov. 15, 1861.

Desolate as this Alleghany region is, especially at this season, like other deserts, it has its oasis; which in this case is the opening between the mountains along the banks of the Greenbrier. This valley begins about four miles below Camp Bartow and extends some fifteen miles of varying width.--It is nearly one unbroken meadow wherein feed many fine herds. The first farm below of any magnitude is that of Uriah Havener, who is quite an energetic and prosperous grazier. But unfortunately the Yankees on Cheat Mountain are too conveniently near his house, and they have paid him several visit, uninvited; and without leave (or compensation) taken off horses, cattle, and other valuable property, and once Mr. Havener himself, who, however, was afterwards released.

Day before yesterday six or eight Yankees made their appearance on the opposite side of Greenbrier river which runs on the westside two miles distant from Havener's.

Lieut. Hurt and private Williams, of the Pittsylvania Cavalry went forward to ascertain the numbers of the enemy; but proceeding incautiously, they were captured. The neighborhood, as well as the camp, were speedily aroused. Cols. Ramsey and Hansborough, who happened to be near at the time of the capture of Hurt, collected the militia, some 40 or 50 in number, and placed them in ambush along the road to the village of Greenbank, supposing the enemy meant to repeat their visit to that place. But contenting themselves with their prisoners and gathering together some 15 milch cows and several colts, the marauding villains, though five or six hundred in number, hastily beat a retreat across the river back to their mountain fortress. The colts, however, were unmanageable, and the cows Mrs. Havener begged hard for, so both were left, and the Yankees bore off only a begun as booty.

The party that captured Lieut. Hurt, referred to above, when they left for their camp, one of their number strayed off and finally got lost from them, and after wandering about for some time, he came to the residence of a Mr. Carr. and thinking that he was a Union man, made bold to enter and ask for something to eat. He was furnished with food, then arrested, and sent to our camp by Mr. Carr, in the custody of three boys, two of them son, of Mr. C., and the third a son of Mr. Arbogast. On arriving at camp, he was handed over to the Commandant of the Post, and gave his name as Abel Chatman, of the 7th Indiana regiment. He appeared to be somewhat alarmed at first, and was anxious to know what would be his fate. He is quite intelligent, young and good looking. He says he was born in Connecticut, but raised in Indiana; that he has two brothers in the Southern army, and that he preferred being where he was to that of the Yankee camp Chatman informed us that the body that took Hurt and Williams was 400 strong, and that they had come down from their mountain stronghold to get cattle, as they had had nothing to eat for some time but salt provisions, but, fortunately, they did not succeed in getting any. He says that they have four regiments on this and eight on the other side of Cheat Mountain; are very strongly fortified, having built forts, barricades, &c., and are fixed there for the winter. They suffer a great deal from cold, and Chatman says that they have had snow two feet deep, and rain and sleet nearly every day.

At the recent fight at this place, Chatman says that they had twenty-four pieces of artillery, and were confident of whipping us easily. They lost a number of field officers, and a Col. Sims, one of their number, was mourned greatly over in Cincinnati. Their force consists of Indiana and Ohio troops principally.

The men of this valley are loyal and brave, whilst the women possess, in addition to patriotism and courage, the usual benevolence, tenderness, and self-devotion of their sex. Besides the militia, bravely commanded by Captain Arbogast, they have a volunteer company commanded by an officer of the same name, both of which companies have done good service. Everything is quiet to stagnancy. The mud is disgustingly deep and adhesive. The weather has not been very cold, but is often disagreeable from rain. Log cabins are in process of erection as winter quarters, both here and on the Alleghany mountains. A winter campaign, so far as practicable, would be infinitely preferable to inactive life in a region of snow and frost like this. More anon. Ned.

Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: November 1861