NEWS: Items from The Alleghanian, October 31, 1861, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ The Alleghanian, Ebensburg, Pa., Volume 3, Number 6, Thursday, October 31, 1861 A Veteran Solider Among the men enlisted with Capt. Williams of the regular infantry, in Johnstown, is an old soldier who has already seen nineteen years and three months service, having served nine years in the British service, ten in the United States service, and three months in the recent volunteer service as a member of the band of the 3d regiment of volunteers from this State. He has also four sons enlisted in the United States service, two in Col. Campbell's Cambria County Regiment and two in Capt. Williams Company. The name of this veteran soldier is Elisha C. Bennett. He is over 45 years of age, and last week, married a second wife half his age, who will accompany him in the campaign upon which he will soon enter. During his term of service in the British army he visited the West Indies and Canada. His first enlistment in the U. S. service, from 1839 to 1844, was spent principally in Maine and Rhode Island, at Newport Barracks. During his second term he passed through the Mexican war in Gen. Taylor's division of the army, participating in all old Zach's battles from Palo Alto to Buena Vista and received his discharge at Newport Barracks, Kentucky in 1849. His entire nineteen years and a quarter's service was put in as a musician but he entered the public service for the fifth time as a private in the ranks. We are pleased to say however than since his enlistment with Capt. Williams he has been assigned the position of 2d Sergeant and will remain among us for some weeks yet on recruiting service for the Company. We question whether a similar instance of faithful and persevering public service and devote patriotism can be found in the land, even in this most prolific era of patriotic examples. Pass around the name of Elisha C. Bennett, the man who has already given nine years to the country of his birth, ten to that of his adoption and now gives himself, wife and four sons for three years more to the support of the Government. [Cambria TRIBUNE] Direct Communication with the Pacific San Francisco to New York Greeting The Great Overland Telegraph to the Pacific has been completed and the first messages from the far off Golden State were received last week. The Atlantic is now wedded to the Pacific in indissoluble bonds and the two great sections of our common country speak to each other with instant and instinctive patriotism. We live in an age of never ceasing wonders - what formerly took months to achieve is now performed it the quickness of a flash. May the projectors of this enterprise, the successful completion of which will be of inestimable value to the whole Republic, receive their full mead of honor and profit. The first message dispatched over the wire, was a brief announcement of the completion of the line to Salt Lake as follows - Fort Bridger, Utah, Oct. 13 - The Pacific Telegraph Line was completed to Salt Lake at one o'clock today. The line between Salt Lake City and San Francisco will be finished in a few days. Ball's Bluff Casualties We have at length an official statement of the casualties to our men in the battle of Ball's Bluff, which amounts to 620, of whom there were 79 killed, 141 wounded and 400 missing. The officers and men behaved with extraordinary courage and after exhausting their ammunition, they threw their arms into the river to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. Pennsylvania Enlistments It appears from official data that Pennsylvania has 70,000 men in the field, and 30 additional regiments organizing, a portion of which are ready to move. All will be in service within a month, making a grand army of over 100,000 men, besides having material for 50 additional regiments if needed. LOCAL AND PERSONAL Typhoid This fever is said to prevail in an alarming extent in the neighborhood of Hemlock, this county. Appointed Among the list of Assistant Surgeons appointed by the Executive Department of this State is the name of Dr. J. L. Marbourg of Johnstown. Mobocracy An old man, named Adam Weir, living in Indiana county, was ridden on a rail in Blairsville a few days since on account of his having given utterance to Secession sentiments. Teacher's Institute We are requested to announce that the Teachers' Institute will be held in the Union School House in this borough on next Saturday, commencing at one o'clock P.M. Teachers of Cambria and other townships are invited to be present. Accident Mr. Robert Coleman of White township, Indiana county, was severely injured on Wednesday of last week under the following circumstance - He was engaged felling timber in the woods and the limb of a tree which he had just cut down caught in its descention an adjoining tree and from thence fell to the ground, striking Mr. C. on the head during its progress and inflicting a dangerous wound. He has been unable to speak since the accident but hopes are entertained of his recovery. The Ladies' Hose Association At a meeting of this Association held on Friday eve last, it was decided that all stockings manufactured by or donated to it be presented, as a free gift to the Ebensburg company, the Cambria Guards. Some fifty pairs are already on hand and it is proposed to forward them as soon as a sufficient number are secured to furnish each member with at least one pair. Those desiring to contribute in this patriotic behalf are requested to do so immediately as the articles will probably be shipped to Washington during the coming week. We may add that, to prevent any attempt at speculation in the premises, the box will be sent direct to the company and not to a Quartermaster or other official. The General Committee composed of Mrs. Johnston Moore, Mrs. Wm. Tibbott and Mrs. Connell or any member of the Association will gladly receive donations of either stockings or the woolen yarn wherewith to manufacture them. Lyceum The question for discussion at the meeting of the Ebensburg Literary Association on next Friday evening is "Resolved - That the suppression of the cotton traffic in the United States would be beneficial to the country." Found Asleep on Duty Says the Latrobe INQUIRER. We learn by a letter from a member of Capt. Kistler's company that Capt. Spires of Co. I, (from Blairsville) 11th regiment P. R. C. was found asleep on picket duty some nights since and the writer believes he has been court-martialed and his commission is taken from him. At least such was the report. Personal Our old and much esteemed friend, Charley W. Wingard, Esq., was on a visit to this place a few days ago on which occasion we had the pleasure of taking him by the hand. He looks hearty and well and is evidently none the worse for the Brigade Inspectorship recently conferred upon him, the duties of which he is so well qualified to discharge. Henceforth we must know him as Major Wingard and govern ourself accordingly. He will please consider our beaver tipped after the most approved military fashion. We will remark in en passant that he is occupying a very enviable position at the Clinton county Bar. This we have learned from those who know him and who appreciate his sterling abilities and moral worth. May his life be long and Fortune ever smile on this pathway. Silver Grays This gallant and patriotic body of men as many of our readers are aware met in Wilmore on Friday last for the purpose of effecting an organization. William Palmer, Esq., of Wilmore was elected Captain; James Murray of Ebensburg, First Lieut.; and Isaac Teeter of Johnstown, Second Lieut. It will be seen that the men have been peculiarly fortunate in the selection of their officers. Capt. Palmer, we feel certain will be deservedly popular as the head of the company. He has not, we believe hitherto been a military man, but from the first his heart has beat in unison with the war of the Union. He has been very active in raising the company under his command and with a little discipline we feel confident he will make a most able and accomplished officer. Lieutenant Murray is no stranger to the tented field. When the war with Mexico broke out he was among the first to volunteer his services in behalf of the "Stars and Stripes." He was captain of the "Cambria Guards" of Ebensburg, a company which made its mark on every occasion. He is considered one of the best drill officers in the State. With Lieutenant Teeter we are not so well acquainted though from what we can learn of him, he is evidently "the right man in the right place." We do not know that he has seen actual service but he has always taken a deep interest in military matters and is a gentleman of enlarged experience. Shortly after the election, Capt. Palmer repaired to Harrisburg to procure the officers' commissions and attend generally to the business of the company. We understand that Wilmore will be the place of rendezvous until the ranks are full and everything ready for marching. The company now numbers about eighty men and although they are aptly styled "Silver Grays" yet they are all stout, hearty and robust and probably capable of enduring more hardship than many who are much younger in years. We hope the energetic captain will soon have his full complement of men and take up his line of march for the seat of war, as we are confident that when they go upon duty we shall have a good account of them. All honor, say we, to the Silver Grays. Letters from Our Volunteers Camp Pierpont, October 26, 1861 We are still at the place of my last writing. We have become pretty well domesticated to the "sacred soil," and make ourselves perfectly at home. During the first ten days we had to sleep at night with nothing but the canopy of heaven for a covering; but we have our tents now put up, which makes it much more comfortable. The country in this vicinity is hilly and the land, in many respects inferior to that of Pennsylvania and even to that of "Little Cambria." There are however some very good farms. We are encamped not far from the plantation of Commodore Jones, formerly of the U. S. Navy, but now in the Confederate army. The family has all left and the farm is in the hands of domestics. The house contains a large and well selected library, several pianos and other luxurious appurtenances showing the recent occupants to have been of refined and elegant tastes. The first day we were here, the boys had, in consequence of no guard being placed around the several camps, quite a gay time of it in pilfering the farm houses of their occupants in the shape of turkeys, chickens, geese and also potatoes, cabbages and turnips. In one case that I noticed, a small pig was even confiscated. When Gen. McCall got wind of the proceeding he put a stop to it forthwith by punishing the "grabbers" and requiring them to return the stolen articles to the owners. This is the right course and the order of Gen. McClellan will be carried out to the letter. Were it necessary for the men to provide for themselves in this wise, the case would be different; but I am happy to state that we are by no means reduced to such shifts, sufficient food of all kinds being furnished us. On Saturday last, the "long roll," was beaten and our whole division was marched out and formed in line of battle, with orders to await further developments. The case of this was a report to the effect that our outpost pickets had been driven in and that Johnston was making an advance movement, all of which proved to be false. Again, on Monday morning at 2 o'clock, the alarm was sounded and we were under arms in a very short space of time; but, as before the alarm was totally unfounded. Such is the life of a soldier, excitement and constant action, liable to be called out at any moment, he must always be prepared for the summons. A large force of men have been engaged from some time past in felling the woods around our encampment. Co. A was out on fatigue duty one day last week and we did some tall chopping, I assure you. The timber is not heavy in this section, it being nearly all stunted pine. A thousand men can make a considerable gap in it in one day. On Friday night Gen. McCall's division received marching orders. We packed our knapsacks, put two days' rations in our haversacks and at 8 o'clock next morning, we moved up the Leesburg pike in the following order - The first brigade cavalry and artillery formed the advance; the second brigade, the centre; and the third brigade brought up the rear. We halted at about one o'clock, having advanced six miles to within a short distance of Drainesville. Gen. McCall then made a reconnaissance and surprised a party of rebels, five of whom were killed. One the number belonged to the famous Louisiana Tiger Zouaves. None of our men were injured. We encamped there till Monday morning, when we marched back to camp without anything of peculiar interest occurring. The farmers up there are very badly off for salt, sugar, coffee and other necessarys of life. I took dinner at a farmhouse and the farmer informed me that he had paid nine dollars per bushel for salt, and for sugar and coffee it was impossible to secure these articles for either love or money. Corn-bread, pork and butter were all laid on the table. They seemed pleased to see Uncle Sam's soldiers and were equally delighted to handle some of his coin, disbursed by the boys for butter, milk and the like. Two deaths have occurred in our regiment since our debut in Virginia, both in Co. E from Blairsville. Co. A still enjoys good health, some six or eight of its members only being incapacitated for duty. All praise is due De Benneville our estimable surgeon, who devotes his entire time to his patients, and with unparalleled success. Our Brass Band which was impatiently looked for during the past month has arrived in camp. It is under the leadership of Prof. Filer and discourses much excellent music. The camp at which we are now stationed is named in honor of that true patriot, the Governor of Western Virginia. It is reported, with what truth I am unable to say, that the Pennsylvania Reserve is be to be attached to Gen. Bank's division. Signed - E