Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
October 2, 1864

Belltown, October 11, 1864.

Editor's Intelligencer:

Since writing my last letter we have moved from Grafton to Clarksburgh, from which place we marched to Weston through rain and mud in abundance. We left Clarksburgh Sunday, October 2d in the afternoon, and camped for the night eight miles from Clarksburgh very much exhausted, as we had our knapsacks pretty well filled. After resting on the damp ground as well as circumstances would admit, we resumed our march and arrived at Weston about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and camped three fourths of a mile beyond the town.

As it commenced raining we put up our shelter tents with all possible dispatch - This done we prepared for supper. On Saturday morning we left the Camp near Weston to proceed to this place.

As we had engaged teams to haul our knapsacks, we started on our march with light hearts. We had gone far before it began to rain, and as a great many of the boys had left their oil blankets in their knapsacks, they soon became wet. In the course of the day the rain ceased, and in the evening we had snow. We arrived at Jacksonville about three o'clock, P.M., and on Sunday morning started early for Bulltown. We arrived here at 12 o'clock, and found the town to consist of four or five houses, a tannery and a saltworks. - There was a very good fort here, but the buildings are nearly all burnt. There are bomb proof rifle pits around three sides of the fort, a portion of which was uncovered. I suppose it is intended that we shall repair the works before leaving them.

A portion of the men are now being detailed to remove the underbrush in the vicinity of the fort so as to give us a good opportunity to get a shot at the "Johnnies" if they show themselves.

On Sunday night, October 10th, about 11 o'clock our pickets were fired upon by a party of "Bushwhackers." The reports of the guns aroused our boys who were all in the ranks in about five minutes, or soon after. Extra pickets were sent out, a lot of skirmishers stationed at different points along the road and a company or so in the rifle pits. We soon found out, however, that there was no body hurt; but we all kept our places until morning when all turned up right. Yours respectfully,

HIGH PRIVATE.

Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: October 1864