OPERATIONS IN MIDDLE AND WESTERN VIRGINIA IN 1864.
At the opening of the campaign for this year, a force of thirty-one thousand men, under command of Major-General Sigel, was held for the protection of West Virginia, and the frontiers of Maryland and Pennsylvania. While these troops could not be withdrawn to distant fields without exposing the North to invasion by comparatively small bodies of the enemy, they could act directly to their front and thus give better protection than if lying idle in garrison. By such movements they could compel the enemy to detach largely for the protection of his supplies and lines of communication.
General Sigel was directed by General Grant to organize all his available force into two expeditions, to move from Beverly and Charleston, under command of Generals Ord and Crook, against the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad. Subsequently, General Ord having been relieved at his own request, General Sigel was instructed to give up the expedition by Beverly and to form two columns, one under General Crook, on the Kanawha, numbering about ten thousand men, and one on the Shenandoah, numbering about seven thousand men. The one on the Shenandoah to assemble between Cumberland and the Shenandoah, and the infantry and artillery to advance to Cedar creek with such cavalry as could be made available at that moment, to threaten the enemy in the Shenandoah valley, and advance as far as possible; while General Crook would take possession of Lewisburg with part of his force and move down the Tennessee railroad, doing as much damage as he could, destroying the New river bridge and the salt-works at Saltville, Va.
These movements of the Kanawha and Shenandoah valleys, under General Sigel, commenced on the 1st of May. General Crook, who had the immediate command of the Kanawha expedition, divided his forces into two columns, giving one, composed of cavalry, to General Averill. They crossed the mountains by separate routes. General Averill’s force comprised two thousand cavalry. He started on the 1st of May, with three days’ rations and two days’ forage, and moved day and night over mountain paths until the evening of the 8th, when a cavalry force of the enemy was encountered near Jeffersonville, Va. After a slight engagement with the enemy, General Averill made a detour by way of Princeton. On the 9th he left Tazewell Court House for Wytheville, in order to cut the railroad thirty miles lower down than the point where General Crook’s command was to strike. Averill reached Cove Mountain Gap, near Wytheville, on the 10th, where he learned that the enemy were then in possession of the latter place. A conflict ensued, in which General Averill sustained a heavy loss and was prevented from forming a junction with General Crook at Dublin Station, as first proposed. He however accomplished the main object of his expedition, and proceeding to New river and Christiansburg, he destroyed the railroad, several important bridges and depots, including New river bridge, and formed a junction with Crook at Union on the 15th.
The rebel General Morgan commanded the troops encountered by General Averill. General Morgan had made a forced march from Saltville, on learning of Averill’s expedition, and arrived at Wytheville in advance of the latter commander, and thus saved that town and its valuable lead mines from destruction.
The division under General Crook, which started from Charleston simultaneously with General Averill’s command, consisted of the Twenty-third, Thirty-fourth, and Thirty-sixth Ohio, forming the first brigade; the Twelfth and Ninety-first Ohio, Ninth and Fourteenth Virginia, forming the second brigade; the third and Fourth Pennsylvania Reserves, Eleventh and Fifteenth Virginia, forming the third brigade.
General Crook’s first object was to strike the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at Dublin Station, where, forming a junction with Averill, he hoped to be able to march to Lynchburg, and capture that important town, the possession of which was vital to the sustenance of Lee’s army. He proceeded without opposition nearly to Princeton, where two companies of the enemy, one of cavalry and one of infantry, were encountered and driven off. Near the southwestern base of Lloyd’s Mountain, about four miles from Dublin depot, a more considerable force of the enemy was found. These were under the command of General Jenkins. In the engagement which ensued, that officer was killed, and the command of the rebel forces was then assumed by General McCausland. After some skirmishing, the enemy were attacked in front and flank and driven through Dublin to New river bridge. The Federal loss was one hundred and twenty-six killed, and five hundred and eighty-five wounded; and that of the enemy was severe, but unknown. On the next day an attack was made on the enemy’s position near the bridge, which was destroyed. The expedition proceeded as far as Newberne, on the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, ninety-nine miles from Bristol, destroying the railroad for some distance. The resistance of the enemy, with the approach of a strong force under General Morgan, caused General Crook to withdraw to Meadow Bluff, in Greenbrier county.
General Sigel, with fifteen thousand men, moved up the Shenandoah valley to New Market, about fifty miles from Winchester. This movement, like that of the Kanawha valley, was designed to occupy Gordonsville and Lynchburg, thus destroying the western communication of Lee’s army.
The Confederate authorities were early apprised of General Sigel’s movements, and General Breckinridge was dispatched in great haste with all the troops he could muster, to meet Sigel’s army.
The advance forces of the two armies encountered each other on the 13th of May, and skirmishing ensued, which continued throughout the following day, Saturday, and also on Sunday. General Sigel had not yet been able to bring up all his force, but took position at three P. M., on the 15th, when the enemy immediately moved to the attack. A severe engagement now ensued, which resulted in the defeat and discomfiture of Sigel’s army, who fell back in great disorder, abandoning his hospitals and destroying a portion of his train, and retreated to Cedar Creek, near Strasburg. The Federals lost seven hundred men, one thousand stand of arms, and six pieces of artillery.
By the result of this movement the Union commander incurred the displeasure of General Grant, who asked the removal of General Sigel from command, which was done, and Major-General Hunter was appointed to supersede him.
General Hunter’s instructions were embraced in the following dispatches to Major-General H. W. Halleck, Chief of staff of the army:
“The enemy are evidently relying for supplies greatly on such as are brought over the branch road running through Staunton. On the whole, therefore, I think it would be better for General Hunter to move in that direction, and reach Staunton and Gordonsville or Charlottesville, if he does not meet too much opposition. If he can hold at bay a force equal to his own, he will be doing good service.
“If Hunter can possibly get to Charlottesville and Lynchburg, he should do so, living on the country. The railroads and canal should be destroyed beyond possibility of repairs for weeks. Completing this, he could find his way back to his original base, or from about Gordonsville join this army.
“Major-General H. W. Halleck.”