AEMY OPERATIC 





were the people to such events, that a speedy 

 of the contest had been anticipated by 

 them. War. in their minds, was to be begun, 

 carried on, and closed up with the despatch of 

 ordinary enterp r 



as not only necessary to organize and dis- 

 cipline armies, but to provide food, munitions, 

 and transportation, and to organize artillery 



pontoon trains, 



the telegraphs, and the hospitals : but also to 

 manufacture or import from other countries 

 cannon, carriage In.. ..Iry equipments, 



small arms, artillery, camp equipage, bridge 

 trains, &c. The time required to secure 

 objects, under the most favorable circumstances, 

 was even longer than had been assigned for the 

 duration e: ae people of both the 



- mthern S: 



The Federal Government proposed to block- 

 ade the coast to cut off the Confederate 

 - from all communication with other na- 

 of the Mississippi valley, 

 by wljich the western States of the Confed- 

 would be separated, and the out. 

 to the ocean recovered. 

 also a part of the purpose of the Government. 

 The of the Border S States 



by actual military force, and their protection 

 against invasion by the Confederate Govern- 

 . which claimed them as a part of its Union, 

 . of the most active and exten- 

 sive military operations. It was anticipated that 



_-nal success which would attend tb-. 

 cution of these purposes, would so emphatically 

 convince the Southern people of the irresistible 

 power of the Xorth as to - :n that the 



attainment of their independence was ho: 



e same time it was believed their efforts 

 of resistance would so exhaust their limited re- 

 sources as to make a return to the Union on 

 their part a D^ -neb. appear to have 



been the purposes of the Federal Government, 

 and such were the views of the people. On 

 the opposite side, the pur :e Confed- 



(jovernment were m ruined, and 



the views of the people no less sanguine and 

 A defence was to be made to the last 

 and if this w;> '.. an inva- 



sion of the enemy was to follow, when the 

 smoking rains of Philadelphia, Xew York, and 

 Cincinnati would wring humiliating conditions 

 from the Xorth. The year which passed has 

 thus witnessed most stupendous military opera- 

 onducted on a theatre which was almost 

 the size of a continent, with a profusion of ex- 

 penditure and a waste of resources sufficient to 

 engulf mo?: The actors in these I 



fie scenes now stand forth to receive the judg- 

 ment of mankind not only upon their skill, abili- 

 ty, and sincerity, but upon those higher and no- 

 bler qualities which are the jewels of humanity. 

 The military operations in the interior of the 

 country have been conducted chiefly with a 

 reference to the lines of the railroads and the 

 The facilities for the transpor- 

 tation of supplies and for the concentration of 



men furnished by these railroads and the rivers, 

 in a country so covered with woods, and so 

 poorly supplied with common roads, has result- 

 ed in making some of them the base of all im- 

 portant movements. 



At the beginning of the year preparations 



were vigorously pushed forward both at the 



and with the Army of the Potomac. The 



- of each side on the line between the Fed- 

 eral and Confederate States maintained their 

 respective positions during the month of Jann- 



iu eastern Kentucky. There 

 Col. Humphrey Marshall had a few months 

 previous intrenched the Confederate forces 

 under his command, consisting of a few 

 ments of infantry, one battery of artillery, and 

 r six companies of cavalry at a town called 

 Paintville. It was expected in the Confederate 



- that he would be able to sweep the whole 

 of eastern Kentucky, take possession of Frank- 

 fort, the seat of the State Government, and set 

 np the authority of the Provisional Governor 

 Johnson. Meanwhile Col. John A. Garfield, 

 commanding a brigade of Union forces, having 



-d Ohio and 14th Kentucky infantry and a 

 squadron of Ohio cavalry, advanced to encounter 

 'ttfederate force. Embarrassed by the dif- 

 ficulty of moving supplies at that low stage of 

 the Big Sandy r - the Tth of January 



when his advance, consisting of five companies 

 of the 42d Ohio, under Lieut. -Col. Sheldon, 

 reached Paintville. The Confederate force bad 

 then evacuated its inrrenchments two and a 

 half miles south of the town, but a part of it 

 was placed in ambush at Jennie Creek, two 

 miles west. This body was driven out imme- 

 diately by Col. Bolles. of the 1st Virginia cav- 

 alry, who had come up. At the same -time Col. 

 Garfield, with eight companies of the 42d Ohio 

 and two companies of the 14th I 

 moved upon the main position of the e: 

 who were found to have hastily retreated. On 

 the next day the 40th Ohio. Col. Cranox. and 

 six companies of the 1st Kentuc!- 

 joined Col. Garfield : a part of the 2iM 

 tucky, under Lieut. -Col. Munroe, had also reach- 

 ed him. "With a portion of this force, the pur- 

 suit of the enemy was immediately commenced 

 np the road along the Big Sandy river. 



The following despatches from Col. Garfield 

 ;be his movements : 



PAISTSTTLLE, January S. 

 To Copt. J. B. Fry, Attislaxt Ad jutant- Central : 



I entered this place yesterday with the 42d Ohio, the 

 4th Kentucky, and 300 of the id Virginia cavalry. On 

 hearing of my approach, the main rebel force leh their 

 strongry intrenched camp and fled. I sent my cavalry 

 to the mouth of Jennie Creek, where they attacked 

 and drove the rebel cavalry, which bad been left as a 

 vanguard, a distance of five miles, killing three and 

 wounding a considerable number. 



-':, all's whole army is now flying in ntter confu- 

 sion. He had abandoned and burned a large amount 

 of his stores. We have taken fifteen prisoners. Our 

 loss is two killed and one wounded. I start in pursuit 

 to-morrow morning. 



(.Signed) J. A. GARFIELD. 



commanding Brigade. 



