NEWS: Items from The Alleghanian, September 25, 1862, 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. Thursday, September 25, 1862 Volume 4, Number 1 Our Soldiers The 11th Penna. Reserves did good service in the recent bloody battles in Western Maryland. We have as yet had no report of the casualties in Company A, if any such there be. Capt. Jones' company, company F, 133d Penna., were not in the fight, they only arriving on the field shortly after the enemy had been driven there from. In company F, 28th Penna., Watkins Jones is reported killed and Sergeant Peter Kaylor wounded. They are both from this county. Notice A meeting of Company E, Capt. Daniel O. Evans will be held on Monday evening next 29th inst., at the Court House, Ebensburg, to take measures to keep up the organization of the company, in conformity to Gov. Curtin's proclamation as also to procure arms for the same. By order of the Captain, Wm. M. Jones, O. S. Our Cambria County Militia Their Campaign on the Frontier and Return Hither The two companies we mentioned last week as having departed from our midst in response to Governor Curtin's call for 50,000 troops to repel invasion - Capt. Litzinger's Ebensburg company and Capt. Cole's Carrolltown company - have returned home, the exigency that demanded their services having happily been dispelled by the great loyal uprising of the people of the State and by the overwhelming victory achieved by our forces on the Antietam. Although their campaign was necessarily short, these Militia deserve the highest measure of praise of the promptitude with which they responded to the call of duty. Immediately on the proclamation of the Governor being issued to organize companies throughout the State, "ready to march at an hour's notice," the nucleus of these companies was formed. A short time only intervened until the full complement of men had been obtained when the proper authorities were promptly notified and transportation solicited. This latter was obtained Saturday noon and the same evening saw the companies on their way to the State Capital. On Monday the regimental organization was perfected by the election of the following officers: Col. Litzinger of Cambia; Lt. Cole Harmon of Berks; Major Ross of Mifflin. The Ebensburg company was assigned the position in the regiment designated by the letter "E," this being the color company. The Carrolltown company took the position of company "K." The residue of the regiment was composed of two companies from Mifflin, two from Lycoming, one from Schuylkill, one from Delaware, one from Dauphin and Lieut. Crosby's battery of six guns. The same day the regiment took its departure Dixie-ward arriving at Chambersburg the same evening where they went into camp. Next day they took up their march further Southward encamping successively at camp three miles beyond the Chambersburg camp at Hagerstown, Md., and camp three or four miles beyond Hagerstown and near Williamsport. This [two words faded] Friday. Here the regiment was formed in line of battle in anticipation of attack from the enemy who were known to have been in considerable force somewhat less than a mile in front, at that particular juncture. They kept this position nearly two days - sleeping on their [word faded] at night and exercising an unwearying vigilance during the day time - but the enemy failed to make his appearance and the boys, although "spitin' for a fight" were [word faded] to remain unmolested. In the meantime, the cannonading between M'Clellan's forces and the rebels, a few miles in front, could be distinctly heard and shortly the good news came that the invaders had skedaddled, bag and luggage, leaving us master of the situation. The news being strictly true, the threatened invasion of Pennsylvania, with its long trail of attendant horrors had virtually failed. So the militia, having nothing further to do, were ordered back in the direction whence they came, leaving M'Clellan and his veterans to "push the enemy to the wall" and punish him at their leisure. The regiment took up its line of march Northward on Sunday afternoon for Greencastle, Penna., fifteen miles distant, which journey they accomplished in some few hours. Tuesday they took the cars at that place, arriving at Harrisburg the same evening. On Thursday, following 25th inst., our Cambria boys reached this place, thus happily ending a campaign of twelve days without the occurrence of a single casualty of any kind whatsoever. Although they were not called upon to engage in any fight - no fault of theirs, - still the militia are entitled to great credit for the promptitude with which they responded to the appeal of the Governor. As one man they sprang to arms - fifty thousand and more - and soon the entire border of the State bristled with an unbroken line of bayonets. A column of hardy [next two sentences completely faded], longed for by the half-starved Rebels - and with a splendid army pressing on his rear, no wonder that the foe shrank back affrighted at the prospect of invasion under the circumstances! We firmly believe that the moral effect on the enemy of the presence of this fresh column was worth a victory to us in itself. Gen. M'Clellan himself has paid the militia a handsome compliment, thanking them officially for the valuable service they rendered in expelling the enemy from Northern soil. Governor Curtin also tenders the following graceful recognition of their patriotism: "Whereas, The threatened invasion of Pennsylvania by the rebel army has been arrested by the prompt and patriotic response of loyal men of the State and the signal victory achieved by Gen. M'Clellan's army on the Antietam. "And whereas, The alacrity with which the people in every section of the Commonwealth rushed to the rescue of their brethren on the Cumberland Valley border, is worthy of the highest measure of praise. Although not required by the terms of the call to pass the borders of the State, our brave men, unused to the rigors of war and untrained in military movements, not only entered Maryland, but held Hagerstown against an advancing foe, pressed forward to the Potomac and resisted the threatened movement of the rebels upon Williamsport until troops in the United States service arrived and relieved them. Their timely and heroic action has saved the State from the tread of an invading enemy, whose necessities made even military strategy subordinate to plunder. "Now, Therefore, I, Andrew G. Curtin, Governor of the Commonwealth, do hereby order that the troops called into the service of the State by General Order No. 36, be discharged, and that they be sent to their homes as rapidly as transportation can be furnished and in the name of our mighty State and in behalf of our threatened people on the border, I tender them the grateful acknowledgment of a rescued Commonwealth." The following is the muster roll of Company E - otherwise known as the "Barker Guards:" Captain: Daniel O. Evans Lieutenants: 1st Evan D. Evans 2d C. T. Roberts Sergeants: 1st Wm. M. Jones 2d Jeremiah Fagan 3d John W. Roberts 4th Daniel J. Davis 5th J. Todd Hutchinson Corporals: 1st George Gurley 2d G. A. Kinkead 3d Joseph Conaway 4th James J. Thomas 5th Hugh Jones 6th Edward Owens 7th Richard R. Tibbot 8th Evan Griffith Privates: Adams, Wm. H. H. Banan, Hugh J. Bennet, David Barker, A. A. Barker, Florentine Barker, Augustine Blickenderfer, John Collins, James Davis, Wm. D. Davis, John D. Davis, Daniel K. Davis, Rowland R. Davis, Joshua Davis, David Davis, John E. Davis, Daniel Evans, David E. Evans, Alvin Evans, Jeremiah Evans, Erasmus F. Evans, David N. Evans, Thomas E. Evans, Evan C. Elliott, Joseph A. Evans, Hugh Empfield, Thomas Evans, John H. Fick, Henry C Griffith, Wm. W. Griffith, Griffith Griffith, Richard Howells, David Hughes, Hugh H. Hughes, Thomas H. Hudson, Edward Harman, Charles J. Jones, John J. James, Benjamin B. Jones, George W. Jones, John P. Jones, David S. James, Edmund Jones, Scott W. Jones, Wm. D. Jones, David A. James, William Jervis, Thomas James, John C. Kaylor William Lloyd, Thomas J. Leddy, Mark M'Kean, Osborn M'Kean, Seth Myers, William Makin, Abram C. Noel, Philip J. Pryce, Richard W. Preall, C. F. Roberts, John Rodgers, Edward Roberts, Richard J. Roberts, William H. Rager, John L. Rager, George C. Simpson, J. N. Shoemaker, Theo. W. Smith, Lawrence Shinafelt, Adam Sanders, Philip Thomas, George W. Thomas, Robert D. Tibbott, Samuel Williams, Thos. W. Williams, B. F. Williams, Joseph We did not get the roll of Company K or we would have published it also. The Draft The following is a list of the several districts in Cambria county that are behind in the matter of furnishing soldiers, together with the number of men required from each: Allegheny, 13 Blacklick, 6 Carroll, 29 Croyle 22 Chest, 16 Conemaugh Twp., 20 Conemaugh Boro, 15 Cambria Boro, 6 Jackson, 3 Loretto, 3 Munster, 11 Richland, 37 Summerhill, 15 Susquehanna, 8 Taylor, 26 Washington, 8 Yoder, 5 By order of the Governor, the draft has been postponed in this State until the 15th of October. Each district or township is allowed to offer to the Commissioner on or before that day, its quota of volunteers and thus obviate the necessity for a draft entirely. Important Proclamation by the President The Slaves of Rebels Proclaimed Free By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation [Extracts from lengthy article] I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America and Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as theretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relations between the United States and each of the States and the people thereof, in which States that relation is or may be suspended or disturbed. That it is my purpose, upon the next meeting of Congress to again recommend the adoption of a practical measure, tendering pecuniary aid to the free acceptance or rejection of all the slave States, so called, the people whereof may not then be in rebellion against the United States, and which States may then have voluntarily adopted or thereafter may voluntarily adopt the immediate or gradual abolishment of slavery within their respective limits and that the effort to colonize persons of African descent with their consent upon this continent or elsewhere with the previously obtained consent of the Governments existing there will be continued. That on the 1st day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom. That the Executive will, on the 1st day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States or parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof respectively shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State or the people thereof shall, on that day, be in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections, wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong, countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State and the people thereof are not then in rebellion against the United States. [snip] In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this, the 22d day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh. [Signed] Abraham Lincoln By the President, Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State Another proclamation Washington, Sept. 24, 1862 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Whereas, it has become necessary to call into service not only volunteers but also portibus of the militia of the States by draft, in order to suppress the insurrection existing in the United States and disloyal parties are not adequately restrained, by the ordinary process of law, from hindering this measure and from giving aid and comfort in various ways to the insurrection. Now, therefore, be it ordered first that during the existing insurrection as a necessary measure for suppressing the same, that all rebels and insurgents, their aiders and abettors, within the United States and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting military drafts or guilty of disloyal practices, affording aid and comfort to the rebellion against the authority of the United States, shall be subject to martial law and liable to be treated and punished by court martial and military commission. Second, That the writ of habeas corpus is suspended in respect to all persons arrested or who are now or may hereafter during the rebellion be imprisoned in any fort, camp, arsenal, military prison or any other place of confinement by any military authority or by the sentence of any court martial or military commission. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. [Signed] Abraham Lincoln Surrender of Harper's Ferry The surrender of Harper's Ferry is the subject of much comment both among the press and the people of the country. It is alleged that Col. Miles confessed on his death bed that the act was one of treachery, that he had surrendered to the rebels after an understanding and of course for a price. This Col. Miles was one of the officers who disgraced himself at Bull Run. On that occasion he was drunk, and absolutely refused to move with the reserve which he was then commanding to the relief of the main body of the army, struggling with such great odds against it, on that bloody occasion. It is maintained by the friends of Miles that the evacuation of Maryland Heights compelled the surrender of Harper's Ferry. Be that as it may, the disgrace is still the same, the country has been betrayed and the energy and patience and devotion of the people put into the rack once more in being compelled silently to observe such transactions, and not being allowed to express their indignation for fear it might appear that demoralization had commenced where this Government looked for its main stay and support. Ever since this war commenced, the army has been cursed with this class of men. First those who were known to sympathize with the South, but who were supposed to be honorable and chivalrous men, and upon whom the service depended for success. It was maintained before the public that we could not do without such men, that is was necessary to submit to some of their peculiarities in order that the general cause might succeed. A confiding, a loyal people, were willing to swallow this, but the fact, that in private, the highest officer of the Government frankly expressed the lack of confidence in these men, was never allowed to go before the people. This was suppressed, the people were not allowed to criticize the officer, until the awful crime of his treason paralyzed their judgment and their sentiment and they could not do otherwise than hear and see in silence. Add to this humiliation the fact that there ware others in high command, or at least were, who were constantly drunk - drunk when the details of their army corps needed their attention - drunk when the hour of battle arrived - drunk when the battle raged - drunk all the time and yet they were continued in position of absolute power over thousands of men, allowed to deal with them for life or death, as the whim of a drunken fit dictated, or the frenzy of the hour suggested. The country is no longer dumb on these accusations. They are reiterated in the letters of correspondents who write from the localities where the drunken scenes and traitorous deals occur and yet we have no reform - the battle goes on, the defeat disgraces the country - and still the debauch and the treason are unabated and unrebuked. God have mercy for the people and the nation, until all these things are changed. From the Har. TELEGRAPH