rrying at this place, Mr. Winsor did a driving business at
tuning the pianos and melodeons of the young ladies, who had not been
thus favored since the beginning of the war--for all the Yankees had
been driven away.

With the expulsion of Floyd, the campaign of Western Virginia was ended.
The Union army was divided. One part was retained under the command of
Gen. Cox; another was sent to Kentucky, while the Seventh Ohio was sent
to Romney to join a limb of the Army of the Potomac.

[Sidenote: Departure from Charleston.]

Bidding adieu to Gen. Cox, on the 10th of December, 1861, the regiment
took the two steamers, Ft. Wayne and Stephen Decatur. Pushing down the
Kanawa, and up the Ohio, passing the famous Isle of Blennerhassett early
the next morning, it arrived at Parkersburg at noon of the following
day. On it went, by the B. & O. R. R. to Green Spring Run, a houseless
town sixteen miles east of Romney. Here the men were supplied with new
Sibley tents, which were great balloon-like palaces to the soldier.
After a hard day's march, on the 16th of December, the regiment joined
the force of Gen. Lander at Romney. The garrison of 8000 men was under
the immediate command of Colonel Dunning, of the 5th Ohio.

The peculiar position of Romney, and its relation to Winchester, where a
large force under Gen. Jackson, was encamped, made an unusual amount of
severe picket duty necessary; and to add to the necessary amount, the
foolish notion of inexperienced officers was then in vogue, of sending a
dozen infantry-men six or seven miles from camp, where they could
neither prevent their own capture nor communicate with the camp in case
of a surprise.

Many a cold, tedious, winter night was spent on these distant picket
posts. On the road towards Winchester, there was one that was
particularly dangerous to the unfortunate vidette. The enemy had a small
force stationed at Ballou's Gap, seventeen miles distant, from which he
was in the habit of sending out bushwhackers to annoy our pickets. Early
in the morning of January 6, Colonel Dunning led to this place a
detachment consisting of the 4th, 5th, and 7th, Ohio, 14th Indiana, and
1st Virginia, with a few cavalry companies. This force surprised the
rebels at day-break, killed ten or a dozen, took nine horses and two
steel rifled cannon, captured fourteen prisoners, and returned to camp
at 4 P. M., making a march of thirty-four miles on the snow, in fifteen
hours. This lively raid,