Valley Spirit

The Small Politicians in Council.

A few weeks ago we wrote and published an article under the caption of "Small Politicians," which seems to have caused quite a flutter in the camp. The semi-weakly man considering himself one of the class to which we alluded, immediately called his associates together in solemn council to deliberate upon what was best to be done. After a great deal of "fine metaphysical reasoning" upon the subject, and having first consulted all their standard works, such as the New York Tribune, SUMNER's speech on the "Barbarism of Slavery" and the "HELPER Book," a reply was determined upon. The article in the Spirit being construed into an attack on working men, (though nothing could have been further from our mind when we wrote it,) the semi-weakly man was selected to write the reply, for the reason that he had once announced himself to the people of Franklin County, as the "working man's candidate" for a county office, and after his election, either through laziness, incompetency or some other cause, he "farmed" the office out on the shares and gave his personal attention to talking "small politics" on the street corners, in shops and stores, and in places where small politicians "most do congregate." This being arranged the Council adjourned to meet again at the call of the chairman, and the semi-weakly man commenced operations on the reply. After about ten days of severe labor and hard study, during which time frequent reference was had to the aforesaid standards, he produced something he thought would do.

The council was then re-assembled to examine the production, and after it was properly revised, improved, condensed, dilated, punctuated and its false syntax corrected, the semi-weakly man was ordered to "let her rip." In correcting the false syntax the following sentence which appears in the production was unfortunately overlooked: "What right has greasy mechanics and mudsills to talk learnedly of this measure and of that measure and of entering into any fine metaphysical reasoning?" The semi-weakly man would say emphatically, "they has no right." The article as revised, improved, condensed, dilated, punctuated and corrected made its appearance in the semi-weakly dispatch of last Friday morning, just ten days after the appearance of the article in the Spirit to which it is intended as a reply. And what a reply! One half of it made up of brackets and exclamation points, and the other half of nonsense. In it the semi-weakly man, as usual, indulges freely in the use of his favorite terms of "greasy mechanics" and "mudsills" when speaking of that highly respectable class of the community known as mechanics and working men. He is the only newspaper conductor in this town who has never applied these terms to that class of the community, to our knowledge, and the honest, hard-working mechanics and laboring men should certainly feel under obligations to this half-crazed fanatic for such complimentary notices.

As the semi-weakly has been bidding for a notice at our hands ever since our connection with the Spirit office, we concluded to give it this one gratuitously, and if it will agree to pay us according to our usual rates of advertising patent medicines we will give it another when convenient. We had scarcely taken possession before we were assailed by this contemptible eight by ten sheet in a spirit of mean, bitter, dastardly, fanatical vindictiveness, perhaps never before equaled by any newspaper publisher towards others entering upon the same business. We do not wish, however, to be understood by our readers as dignifying the semi-weakly concern with a reply in defence of ourselves, for we need no defence against charges from that source, but what we have written has simply been done for the reason that it occasionally becomes necessary to give a Cur a kick to get rid of his annoyance.

Among the troops who participated in the great victory won on Monday, the 7th of April, 1862, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, were the 77th Pennsylvania Regiment, under command of Col. F. S. STUMBAUGH. On the battle-field this regiment formed part of a Brigade commanded by Col. Kirk, of the 24th Illinois, attached to Gen McCook's Division. It will afford a high degree of gratification to our citizens to learn that Col Stumbaugh's regiment displayed such daring bravery on the battle-field as to win universal admiration. A writer in the Pittsburg Chronicle gives the following account of the part taken in this terrible battle by the 77th. The writer says:

"The Seventy-seventh regiment, Colonel Stumbaugh, was attached to M Cook's Division, and played a most conspicuous part in the fight. The brigade left their camp on Sunday morning, and marched twenty-three miles to the scene of the engagement, over the most horrible roads, arriving at Savannah about 9 P. M. The battlefield was reached that night, and the men lay down in the mud and rain until daylight, when they joined in an attack on the enemy, which was conducted in gallant style. The Seventy-seventh made a brilliant bayonet charge, and covered itself with glory. The entire division complimented them for their steadiness and bravery, and dashing manner in which the charge was executed. M Cook's division was badly cut up, but the Seventy-seventh, though in the thickest of the fight, had but five killed and ten wounded. Our correspondent gives a description of the sickening spectacle which the battle field presented after the fight. Hundreds of bodies and the carcasses of horses innumerable lay festering in the sun, while the air seemed black with buzzards, attracted thither by the stench which filled the atmosphere for miles around."

A correspondent of the Louisville Democrat writes to that paper from the battlefield that the fight waxed extremely warm and the result doubtful until M Cook's division came to our relief with a force that proved a telling effect upon the ranks of the enemy. The enemy fought with a valor and a heroism worthy a better cause.

The writer adds:

"From this time till night the slaughter was immense on the part of the enemy, while we lost very few. Taken as a whole, it was the most sanguinary battle of modern times. The battle-ground covered twenty-five square miles; and the number of slain and wounded on both sides, cannot be less than 25,000."

Another correspondent in the Cincinnati Gazette thus alludes to the 77th as the regiment "from the army of the Potomac."--

"Meanwhile M Cook, with as magnificent regiments as ever came from the army of the Potomac or from any army of volunteers in the world, was doing equally well toward the center. His division was handled in such a way as to save great effusion of blood, while equally important results were attained. Thus the reserves were kept as much as possible from under fire, while those to the front were engaged. Thus the lists of killed and wounded will show that while as heavy fighting was done here as anywhere on the right or centre, the casualties are fewer than could have been expected."

The following description of a charge made by Col Kirk's brigade, to which the 77th belongs, we find in the same paper:

"Kirk's brigade advanced to meet them, coming out of the woods into an open field to do so. They were met by a tremendous fire which threw a battalion of regulars in front of them, (under Major Oliver, I think), into some confusion. They retired to reform, and meanwhile down drops the brigade flat on the ground. Then as the front is clear, they spring up, charge across the open field--never mind the falling--straight on, on to the woods--under cover, with the enemy driven back by the impetuous advance."

Colonel E. N. Kirk was wounded in this charge in the shoulder and breast and is now in the hospital at Louisville.

The battery attached to the 77th Regiment was not in the fight. It was left at Columbia.

The first information received here that the 77th participated in the Great Battle at Pittsburg Landing was contained in the following note written on a part of an old letter with a lead pencil:

ON THE BATTLEFIELD AT PITTSBURG LANDING,
TENNESSEE, Tuesday Morning, April 8th.

EDITOR VALLEY SPIRIT:

Dear Sir--We had a terrible battle yesterday. The 77th was in the fight eight hours; the men done nobly. We routed the enemy and drove them back to their fortifications. It was a hand to hand contest all day. Some regiments suffered severely. Our loss will not exceed eight wounded, some of them, I regret to say, will die. Col. Stumbaugh is in command of the 5th Brigade to-day. All the other Colonels in the Brigade wounded. None of the officers in the 77th killed or wounded. Will send you the names of our wounded as soon as they can be ascertained.

Yours in haste, P. B. HOUSEM

Lieut. Col. 77th Reg't P. V.

We have the pleasure of laying before our readers several interesting paragraphs extracted from letters written by Col. Stumbaugh on the Battle Field immediately after the fight:

CAMP ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Near Pittsburg Landing, April 9th.

The Battle of the 6th and 7th is over and the Rebels routed. Grant's forces were repulsed on Sunday. That day we marched 23 miles to Savannah, throwing aside everything but guns and blankets, that could impede our march. We reached Savannah in the night and took boats for Pittsburg Landing where we arrived at daylight on Monday morning and went right into battle. Gen. Buell's troops fought eight successive hours and routed the Rebels completely. McCook's Division to which we belong stood the blunt of the heavy fighting all day and nobly did every man in the Division sustain himself. I will say for the men of the 77th that they fought like tigers. Not one leaving the ranks except those ordered to take the wounded or the prisoners to the rear. We have some men wounded, not many, two, I think, mortally. None of the officers of the 77th were killed or wounded, and none of the men from Chambersburg, so far as I now know, injured, though many made narrow escapes. Our Brigade lost some fifty in killed and, perhaps, 250 wounded. All our Colonels wounded except myself. I am now in command of the Brigade. The Battle Field is literally covered with the dead and wounded. The Rebels suffered awfully in the fight. Our men are now engaged in gathering up the wounded and burrying [sic] the dead. We had the bodies of the dead piled up in placed like cord wood. It was the most terrific battle ever fought in this country. We expect to go forward to Corinth to-day. Reinforcements are pouring into our army from every quarter until its numbers can scarcely be estimated. Yours,

F. S. STUMBAUGH

Col 77th Reg't P. V.

BATTLE FIELD, Pittsburg Landing,.

April 10, 1862.

Our army in the late battle sustained a heavy loss in killed and wounded, but the Rebel loss is at least three to our one. The 77th escaped miraculously. We were under a terrific fire for 8 hours and only 2 or 3 mortally wounded and some 8 or 10 wounded slightly. The battle of Monday was the most terrible ever fought in the country. On Sunday the Rebels under Beauregard over 100,000 strong attacked Gen. Grant's forces numbering about 100,000 and drove Grant back out of his camp, clean to the river, some 5 or 6 miles. In the evening Gen. Buel's [sic] advance came up and saved Grant from an awful defeat, and, perhaps, an unconditional surrender of his whole force. On Monday morning early we reached the battle field, after seven days forced marches, and went right in and fought all day driving the Rebels inch by inch back over the battle ground of Sunday, until they broke and fled leaving their dead and wounded on the field.

Our men have been two days busy burying the dead and are not half done yet. The battle field extends over a space of ten miles square.

We may have one fight more out here, but that I am inclined to think will be the last stand the Rebels will make.

We have not seen a tent for eight days--marched in the rain, laid in the water and eat anything we could get, and still the men are in good spirits and seem perfectly content.

Yours, F. S. STUMBAUGH,

Col. 77th Reg't P. V.

The latest account we have from the scene of conflict is contained in a letter written by Col. P. B. Housum, dated April 12, 1862. The Colonel writes:

"We are still encamped on the battle ground where many of the dead Rebels are yet unburied. Some of the most horrible sights are to be seen here that could possibly be imagined. We were in the battle all day Monday until the Rebels retreated. The balls flew thick and fast around us, some of them whistling unpleasantly close to our ears. We only had eight men in our regiment wounded, none of them from Chambersburg. The only wonder is that we were not all killed. God and right must be on our side. We left Columbia on the Monday previous and when about 14 miles back from Savannah we heard the thunder of battle and were ordered to hurry up. We took five days rations, one blanket, left our wagons and came on to Savannah at 9 o'clock that night. Here we were detained until 3 o'clock on Monday morning before we could get aboard the boat. The 29th Indiana and Terrell's battery were on the same boat with us. We landed about 7 o'clock next morning and were marched at once to the battle field about half mile off. When we arrived on the ground the firing of artillery and musketry was deafening and the most awful sights presented themselves on every side; dead men lay strewn around and piled up in heaps so that I could barely ride along. Dead horses without number were scattered over the field, and trees cut off by cannon balls obstructed the march. Our first position was within range of a rebel battery where the cannon balls flew thick and some of them struck within a short distance of us. We still advanced and came within range of musket balls when the first of our men was wounded and carried to the rear. During the day we were detached from our Brigade to support the 4th Brigade and after a while we were left alone at some distance from the main body of troops, with three rebel regiments of infantry, one of cavalry and a battery in front of us. We are now without tents and it rains nearly every day and is quite cold. This is to our advantage in one respect; if it was hot weather we could not stay here on account of the smell of the dead bodies. I suppose there are about 1000 rebels still unburied strewn over the ground.

Col. Stumbaugh is in command of the 5th Brigade. All officers above him were wounded on Monday, consequently I am in command of the 77th Reg't.

Yours, &c., P. B. HOUSUM
Lieut Col. 77th Reg't P. V.