92 CONFEDERATE TROOPS IN WESTERN VIRGINIA. CHAPTER IV. MILITARY OPERATIONS IN WESTERN VIRGINIA, AND ON THE SEA-COAST He N the autumn of 1861, the Confederates made a severe struggle for the possession of West Virginia. They hoped, by the employment of other commanders than those who had failed there, to recover all that had been lost in the summer by the dispersion of Garnett's forces at Carricksford,' and the pushing of the incompetent Wise out of the Kanawha Valley, as we have observed. General Robert E. Lee was sent with re-enforcements to take command of the troops left by Garnett and Pegram in Northern Virginia. He made his head-quarters at Huntersville, in Pocahontas County. His entire force, early in August, numbered full sixteen thousand men. placed a strong guard on Buffalo Mountain, at the crossing of the Staunton turnpike, and extended his line northward from the Warm Springs, in Greenbrier County. General Floyd, the late Secretary of War,3 had, in the mean time, taken chief command of his own and Wise's troops, in the region of the Gauley River. With these two armies acting simultaneously, it was intended to expel the National troops from Western Virginia, and menace Ohio. Floyd was to sweep down the Kanawha Valley, and drive General Cox, of Ohio, beyond the border, while Lee should scatter the Union army, under General Rosecrans (McClellan's successor),5 in Northern Virginia, and, planting the Confederate flag at Wheeling, threaten Western Pennsylvania. Floyd took a strong position between Cox and Rosecrans, at Carnifex Ferry, on the Gauley River, just below Meadow Creek, and eight miles from Summersville, the capital of Nicholas County. He left Wise with his force, called "Wise's Legion," at Pickett's Mills, to prevent a flank movement from Hawksnest, a mountain on the southern side of the Gauley, near which, on 1 See page 584, volume I. 2 See page 537, volume I. 3 See page 145, volume I. 4 Wise was so great a boaster, and so poor a performer, that his signal failures as a military leader on all occasions caused him to be much ridiculed. The following is a specimen of some of the shafts of wit that were east at him through the newspapers of the day "There was a man of Accomac, And he was bully Wise; eyes; He jumped into Kanawha's bush, See page 587, volume I. Carnifex is a Latin word, signifying a villain, or villainous. EVENTS IN THE KANAWHA VALLEY. a Aug. 26, 1861. 93 the New River, Cox's main force was then stationed. Floyd had just settled his command at Carnifex Ferry, when he received intelligence that some National troops were approaching from the direction of Summersville, north of him. These were the Seventh Ohio, under Colonel E. B. Tyler, who, as a fur-trader, had made himself well acquainted with that region. Floyd had been placed in a perilous position in passing over the Gauley, by the capsizing of a ferry-boat. His command was severed; most of his cavalry and four pieces of artillery being on the southern side of the river, whilst his in'fantry and a small portion of his cavalry were on the opposite shore. Tyler had information of this affair, and hoped to strike Floyd before he could reunite his troops. But he was a little too late. He was encamped at Cross Lanes, not far from Summersville, on the night of the 25th of August, and, while at breakfast the next morning," his command was surprised by a force of Virginians sent out stealthily by Floyd, severely handled, and dispersed with the loss of about fifty men. General Rosecrans, soon after this defeat of Tyler, marched to the aid of Cox against Floyd. He issued a stirring proclamation to the loyal inhabitants of Western Virginia, and promised them ample protection. General Cox, of Ohio, in the mean time, had advanced from Charleston to the site of Gauley bridge, which Wise, in his hasty flight, had burnt; and, at the junction of New River with the Gauley,' he had reported to Governor Pierpont, on the 29th of July, that the Kanawha Valley was free from the Secession troops," and that the inhabitants were denouncing Wise "for his vandalism." He had moved up the Kanawha, by land and water, having under his control a number of steamboats. His whole force proceeded cautiously, for masked batteries were dreaded. His scouting parties were very active. One of these, under Colonel Guthrie, composed of the First Kentucky cavalry, routed a Confederate troop at Cissonville. Others were driven from their camps, and as Cox moved steadily onward, Wise, as we have observed, becoming alarmed, abandoned his strong intrenchments at Charleston, and fled up the river, burning the bridges over the streams in his rear. When approaching the abandoned town, Cox captured a Confederate steamer, and on the 25th of July he entered the 2 66 JOSEPH J. REYNOLDS. village, just after the Confederate rear-guard had left. He found the fine suspension bridge over the Elk River in ruins, and Wise beyond his reach; so he fortified his position there, and, with some of his troops, followed his fugitive foe as far as the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers, and took position, as we have observed, in the region between them. 1 New River rises among the spurs of the Blue Ridge, in North Carolina, and, uniting with the Gauley, forms the Great Kanawha. * See page 537, volume I. 94 MARCH OF ROSECRANS TOWARD THE KANAWIA. General Rosecrans had organized a strong column of nearly ten thousand men at Clarksburg, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railway; and early in September he marched southward, with several of his best Western regiments, to attack Floyd, wherever he might be found, leaving the remainder of his force under General Reynolds, who was in command of the Cheat Mountain. division, to watch and oppose Lee. He soon ascertained that Floyd was at or near Carnifex Ferry, and he pushed forward in that direction, through Lewis, Braxton, and Nicholas Counties, by way of Weston, Jacksonville, and Braxton Court House, to Summersville. His route lay along some of the wildest of the mountain roads, over the western spurs of the Alleghenies, and among the most charming and picturesque scenery of Western Virginia. Sometimes his troops thridded deep and gloomy ravines, and narrow defiles, and then climbed the steepest hillsides; at times along slippery winding paths, among beetling crags, catching here and there, at some sharp angle, glimpses of distant mountain groups, and fertile valleys covered with corn.' Especially rugged was the Gauley mountain range, over which the army climbed, after leaving Suttonsville, on the Elk, and the valley of its tributary, the Big Birch Creek. a Sept., 1861. On Rosecrans reached the summit of the mountain at noon, on the 9th,' when a magnificent panorama of lofty wooded ranges met the eye. that height, near Muddlethy Bottom, they began to feel the foe. He had an advanced camp in the vicinity, and there picket-firing commenced. Union cavalry dashed forward, and Floyd's vedettes were soon seen scampering toward Summersville, with information of the approach of the National troops. latter passed through that town with General Benham's brigade in the advance, on the morning of the 10th, a few hours after the Thirty-sixth Virginia had left it and fled to Floyd's intrenchments at the Ferry. ASCENT OF GAULEY MOUNTAIN. The The little army moved cautiously forward from Summersville, properly 1 The ascent of one of these steep mountain pathways by a portion of the Twelfth Ohio Regiment was described by an eyewitness as presenting a singularly picturesque appearance. This was accomplished a short time before the march of the army now under consideration, when those troops were making their way over the mountains south of the Gauley, to reconnoiter Floyd's position. A part of the ascent was made at night, in the light of torches. The troops were compelled to go in single file, sometimes crawling on their hands and knees, and at midnight they reached the summit. The sketch given in the text is from the pencil of one who accompanied the army. BATTLE OF CARNIFEX FERRY. 95 fearing an ambuscade. The Tenth Ohio, under Colonel Lytle, led the way; and, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, the vanguard came in sight of Floyd's works, a mile distant, be yond a deep wooded valley. These, occupied a bald eminence on the north side of the Gauley River, which here swept in a curve, so that each flank of the Confederate intrenchments rested on the stream. Over that eminence, and through these works, passed the road to Carnifex Ferry, a passage of the river just below Meadow Creek, and a battery of twelve guns was so placed upon the hill as to sweep this road back for full a mile, in the face of Rosecrans' approach. HENRY W. BENHAM. Placing his entire force in proper order for conflict, the commander ordered Benham to advance with his brigade and make a reconnoissance, in force. That brigade was composed of three Ohio regiments and two batteries.' The order was promptly obeyed. The Tenth Ohio still led, and at half-past three o'clock in the afternoon, when Lytle's skirmishers emerged from the woods into an open field of corn, they found themselves near some of the Confederate works. Musket firing immediately commenced, first lightly, but soon it was a perfect storm of lead from the entire Confederate front. The remainder of the regiment was ordered forward to the aid of the skirmishers, and the colors were placed in front, with the intention of attacking the main Confederate battery. This drew upon them the concentrated fire of the foe. The storm was so heavy that the line recoiled and broke, but it was soon rallied, and the batteries of Schneider and McMullen were ordered up to the support of the smitten regiment. Benham was now satisfied that Floyd's weakest point was on his right wing, and he resolved to attack him there. He ordered the Twelfth and Thirteenth Ohio to advance, pass the deep valley on his left, and under cover of the woods make the attack. While this movement was in progress, Colonel Lytle dashed up the hill with his regiment, to assail the intrenchHe was so warmly received that he was compelled to direct his men to seek shelter from the storm. He had received a severe wound in his leg, and his horse was fatally shot. He took refuge in a deserted house between the two fires, and lay there until the conflict ceased. His regiment, discouraged at the loss of their Colonel, became somewhat scattered in the woods, but kept up an incessant firing. ments in the center. Colonel Smith, in the mean time, had opened upon Floyd's right, and Colonel Lowe with the Twelfth Ohio was led by Adjutant-General Hartsuff into the woods, in a position to work his way up under cover and form on 1 These were the Tenth, under Colonel Lytle, the Twelfth, under Colonel Lowe, and the Thirteenth, under Colonel Smith. A battery of two rifled 6-pounders was commanded by Captain Schneider, and another of four Hountain howitzers was in charge of Captain McMullen. 96 BATTLE OF CARNIFEX FERRY. Smith's right, so as to threaten more positively the extreme right flank of the Confederates. Lowe was pushing rapidly forward, when he was instantly killed by a musket-ball that pierced his forehead and entered his brain. Hartsuff hurried McMullen's battery into a position to play effectively on the principal redoubt, whilst Schneider's on the right of the road completely commanded the entire front of the Confederate works. Two of Floyd's guns were soon silenced, and the fire of the others became weaker. In the mean time Rosecrans was busy on the hill to the right of the road, exposed to the hottest of the fire, in forming Colonel Robert L. McCook's Brigade the Third, Ninth (his own regiment), and Twenty-eighth Ohiofor co-operation in the movement, with Scammon's Brigade a little in the rear as a reserve. McCook's Regiment was composed mostly of Germans, and these were to lead the column. When they were ready for an advance, Adjutant-General Hartsuff was sent to bring the brigade forward. McCook, who had been restive in inactivity while the battle had been raging for nearly an hour, now glowed with delight. He was acting as brigadier, and was eager for usefulness and renown. He dashed up and down his line like a weaver's shuttle, distinguished from other officers by his citizen's dress and slouched hat. He told his men what was to be done, and what was expected of them, and asked them if they were ready to do it. He was answered by cheers that Then standing high in his stirrups, and snatching his hat from his head, he waved it in the air, and shouted, "Forward, my bully Dutch! We will go over the intrenchments if every man dies on the other side!" Another volley of cheers broke from the column as it moved forward at the double quick to storm the intrenchments, with the calm Hartsuff at their head. Down into the densely wooded ravine they plunged, and McCook's Ninth and Colonel' Mohr's Twentyeighth Ohio were already feeling the severe storm from the intrenchments, and fighting bravely, when they were suddenly checked by an order from Rosecrans to halt. The General had more minutely examined the plan (which Hartsuff had submitted and begged permission to carry out) for storming the works in front, and perceiving, as he thought, too much peril to his troops involved in it, he countermanded the order when the movement was in mid career, and at the moment when Colonel Smith, with the Thirteenth Ohio, was at the point, apparently, of successfully carrying the works on Floyd's right. The troops were all recalled from the assault, after fighting between three and four hours. It was near the end of twilight when this conflict, known as the BATTLE |