1 I B RAHY OF THE U N IVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 973.793 Ha4vn CINCOLN ROOM LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/majorgeneralthomOOmath Major General Thomas Maley Harris stained glass memorial window in the Methodist Church, Harrisville, West Virginia. Presented by his widow, after his death. Major General Thomas Maley Harris ♦ ♦ . a member of the Military Commission that tried the President Abraham Lincoln assassination conspirators ♦ . . and Roster of the 10th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 18614865 by H. E. MATHENY McClain Printing Company Parsons, West Virginia 1963 Copyright, 1963, by McClain Printing Company Parsons, W. Va. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 63-13186 printed in the united states of america ?13. DEDICATION To my father, his father, and his father, proud West Virginians, who by hard work and loyalty to the Supreme Being, made the state a better place in which to live. CREDITS It is impossible to give everyone credit who has helped supply information relating to General Har- ris. The following, listed in alphabetical order, have patiently answered numerous letters and contributed much to this biography! Mrs. Emma Chenfrock, Harrisville, W. Va.; De- partment of Archives and History, Charleston, W. Va.; C. E. Douglas, Vienna, W. Va.; John T. East- lack, Cincinnati, O.; Rev. Samuel Charles Jones, Moundsville, W. Va.; Library of Congress, National Archives, Washington, D. C; Charles Shetler, Mor- gantown, W. Va.; Warren Skidmore, Akron, O.; Boyd B. Stutler, Charleston, W. Va.; Lionel Swicker, Ak- ron, O.; Miss Jessie Tresham, Harrisville, W. Va,; Virginia State Library, Richmond, Va.; and Ernest Wessen, Midland Rare Book Company, Mans- field, O. PREFACE My great-grandfather, Reuben Matheny Sr., organized and operated the first wagon freight line between Winchester, Va., and Parkersburg, a distance of about three hundred miles. At and early age his son, Thomas, my grandfather, rode the Con- estoga wagons and soon knew every road and trail in Western Virginia. Early in 1862, General (then colonel) Thomas Maley Harris hired him as a civilian scout to report enemy movements and guide the Union troops over the Allegheny Mountains and backwoods wilderness. He was eventually attached to the 6th West Virginia Infantry Regiment in the same capacity. Sometime before 1877, my grandfather moved to Harrisville, W. Va., General Harris' home town, and established a shoe- maker's shop. General Harris often stopped and they would dis- cuss some point in their army life. When my father, Joseph Edward Matheny Sr., was still a boy, his father taught him his trade. It was his retelling of the old war tales that interested me in the old General and was the deciding factor in a serious study being made and this biography is the final result. After several years of earnest work on the subject, I discov- ered a copy of General Harris' scurrilous and excessively rare pamphlet, "Rome's responsibility for the assassination of Abra- ham Lincoln, by Thomas M. Harris, late Brigadier General U.S.V. 1897", which I had not previously known about. What should I do about the touchy subject? Would it be best to ignore his belief that religion was involved in the assassina- tion? After a close study of his accusations and the evidence he offered, it appeared there was no valid reason to blame any re- ligious body, at least to the extent he had done. Still, it was a religious issue and an explosive one to comment on in print. However, a biography of General Harris would not be complete if that segment of his life was omitted. I have related General Harris' part as a member of the Military Commission that sent Mrs. Surratt and others to the gallows in a way I hope will be accepted as unbiased. It happened — it is fact — it is history. As to the controversial part of the military trial and those invol- ved, I will let the readers form their own opinions. In a few instances, a reference is not a direct quotation, but refers to an accurate account of that particular incident. H. E. Matheny P. O. Box 9052 Akron 5, Ohio. CONTENTS Chapter Page 1 Early Family History 9 2 Before the Civil War 13 3 Unrest in Western Virginia 19 4 From Doctor to Lieutenant Colonel 23 5 Formation of 10th Regiment 33 6 Guerrilla Warfare 41 7 The Jones-Imboden Raid 53 8 Confederate Expedition to Beverly 61 9 The Battle of Droop Mountain 69 10 Protecting the B. & O. Railroad 75 1 1 The Shenandoah Valley 85 12 The Battle of Snicker's Ferry 93 13 The Battle of Kernstown 97 14 Battles of Cedarville and Berryville 103 15 The Battle of Winchester 113 16 The Battle of Fisher's Hill 137 17 Devastation of the Valley 143 18 The Battle of Cedar Creek 151 19 Harris Is Brevetted Brigadier General 163 20 The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign 171 21 The End of the War 185 22 The Trial of the Lincoln Assassins 191 23 Harris Legislator, Adjutant General 201 24 Federal Pension Agent 209 25 The Surratt Trial Revived 213 26 The End of the Road 221 27 Roster of the 10th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1861-1865. . . .225 Index 285 Chapter One Early Family History The Western Virginians have always been a hardy people, and have been more than a minor factor in establishing our na- tion's growth. Rough and unhewn in many instances, still their strength of body and clarity of mind have been a mainstay in that rugged land. Thomas Maley Harris was born June 13, 1813, in this backwoods environment. Sometime before the Revolution, two Harris brothers of Scotch-Irish origin came to America and landed at the port of Philadelphia. One brother, Thomas, did not like the climate and migrated to the south. The other, whose name is not remem- bered, lived in Philadelphia about twenty five years. He mar- ried Mrs. Miller, a widow, whose maiden name was Plummer. 1 At least two children were born of the marriage, Thomas H. and John. Late in the century the father moved his family to Harrison County, now West Virginia, and settled near Clarks- burg. Thomas Harris married Miss Nancy Cunningham and they were the parents of ten children. In 1807, he moved to the present site of Harrisville, Ritchie County, and bought a farm previously cleared by his son-in-law, George Stuart. 3 He evi- dently prospered for his brother John soon followed him and also began farming. The Maley 3 family in southern Ireland was wealthy and the family head a nobleman. It was the Irish custom to bestow the entire estate on the eldest son and train the others in the trades. It had been the pride of the Maley family to have had at least one member of every generation trained for the priesthood in the Catholic faith. Sometime before our American Revolution, Lawrence Maley, being one of the younger sons with no inherit- ance to look forward to, was given to his mother's brother, a priest, for training in that order. He was irked at having his pro- fession picked out for him without his consent and about the time of the closing of the Revolution, left Ireland and worked his passage to the United States. He settled in Philadelphia and soon became acquainted with the Harper family. They were staunch members of the Seceder branch of the Presbyterian Church, and in a short time Lawrence renounced his own faith and joined that of his benefactors. That act was to cause em- 1 Minnie Kendall Lowther, History of Ritchie County (West Virginia). Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling, W. Va. 1911, p. 34. "Edgar B. Sims, Sims' Index to Land Grants in West Virginia, 1952, p. 326. In some records the name is spelled Stewart. s According to family tradition, the name of the family in Ireland is Mealey. 10 Major General Thomas Maley Harris barrassment to his grandson at a later date. Lawrence Maley married Agnes Harper and continued to live with her parents. When Agnes Maley's father died, she was left a small dowry. The post-war depression caused hard times in the country, and when the young couple was offered 1,000 acres of virgin forest land in Western Virginia in exchange for the dowry, a trade was made. In 1795 the family, with all their possessions, started the long journey to what was then known as the Indian Country. The trip was tiresome and when Harper's Ferry was reached, they decided to stay for a few weeks and rest. While there they learned of a new outbreak of Indian hostility in the western part of the state and decided the Ohio Valley was not yet safe for settlement. As they had friends farther to the south they journeyed through the Shenandoah Valley until they reached Rockbridge County, where they rented a farm and erected a log house for their home. They remained in that locality for six years, but the idea of settling on their thousand acres in the west had not been abandoned. The Indian War in the Ohio Val- ley had been over for several years and in the spring of 1803 they decided it was safe for them to move to their permanent home. 4 Pack horses were bought and with his wife, eight chil- dren and the family possessions, Lawrence Maley began the journey over the snake and wolf infested mountains to his new home two hundred and fifty miles away. 5 When they arrived at their wilderness homestead, a crude tem- porary shelter was erected on the bank of Hughes' River, op- posite to what was later known as the William Flanagan home. 6 The location was one mile from the present town of Harrisville, and in the newly created Wood County. 7 The entire family worked at clearing the ground for a crop of corn on which to exist during the coming winter. Not until that was done was work started on a more permanent home. A small log building was erected within two hundred yards of where the Mrs. Ann Harris home stood after the Civil War. The nearest neighbor was the Brunnell family who lived eight miles away. Later the Stuart and Harris families moved into the neighbor- 4 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. General Thomas M. Harris, A Brief History of Ritchie County, West Virginia, a speech de- livered at Martin's Grove, July 4, 1876, printed in the Ritchie (County, West Virginia) Gazette. 5 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. General Thomas M. Harris, A Brief History of Ritchie County. 6 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. General Thomas M. Harris, A Brief History of Ritchie County. 7 Edgar B. Sims, Making a State, 1956; p. 199. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 11 hood. The nearest grist mill where their corn could be ground was in Clarksburg* until their son Thomas erected a mill two miles north of the Harris settlement in 1812, the first within the bounds of the present Ritchie County." Lawrence Maley was a religious man and had great respect for his new faith. He erected a log church in his settlement and religious services were held regularly by the settlers. They had no minister, but welcomed any itinerant man of God who wan- dered into their country. Maley remained a Seceder Presbyteri- an all his life but respected the religious convictions of others. He related to his children the reason for his coming to America, and explained to them how it was impossible for him to have remained in the church-controlled Ireland after he refused to follow the life to which he had been dedicated by his parents. A plot was laid out beside the church for a burying ground. The pioneer life had been too severe for the son of the noble- man, and in 1808 he was the first to be buried there. John Harris and Agnes Maley, who lived only a mile apart, were married in 1810, one year after his arrival at the Maley settlement. He was a prosperous farmer and Justice of the Peace for thirty years in Wood and Ritchie Counties. The children of John and Agnes Harris were (General) Thomas Maley, James, John P., Hanna, Margaret, Anne, Mary and Jane. General Harris later stated his earliest and fondest memories were of the old Maley log cabin, and it is certain his mother's people were his favorites and had a greater influence on his life than the Harris family. 10 Such was the birth of a famous Civil War general, whose an- cestors were of the pioneer stock of the Western Virginia back- woods. 8 General Thomas M. Harris, A Brief History of Ritchie County. 9 Lowther, p. 24. 10 General Thomas M. Harris, A Brief History of Ritchie County. Chapter Two Before the Civil War John Harris had been living with his brother Thomas, but with a family to support, he built a log cabin near a spring that would become the center of the future town of Harrisville. It was in that cabin that Thomas Maley Harris was born. Now that the danger from Indian attacks was past, the great migration to the west was in full swing; but most of the settlers continued on to the level lands in the Ohio Valley or to the fa- mous Illinois Country. The interior of Virginia was to remain undeveloped for many years to come. Although the Maley and Harris settlements contained a half dozen cabins whose owners scratched a living out of the soil, settlers were slow in coming to the area. The Maley grist mill had been erected and a shoe- maker set up shop, the two most important industries, in that order, to the pioneers of any settlement. Most of the good land in the area was held by land speculators who had no intention of living on it, and that was a deterrent to the growth of the vil- lage. Friendly Indians continued to pass through the country from time to time. In 1823, about twenty families lived in the Maley Settlement, then an area of nine square miles. 11 Young Tom Harris was in a boy's heaven with the hunting, fishing and other outdoor sports available. He often stayed at the homes of his relatives in the Maley settlement. In fact, from information available, he spent most of his time there. Thomas Maley opened the first school in the settlement about 1818, and taught a three months term. A year or two later George H. Rogers taught for three months, but Thomas Harris was too young to attend either of the classes. 12 The school was held in an old hewed log building that had been erected as a church, probably the one built by Lawrence Maley. Although it was only eighteen by twenty feet in size, it was too large for the small class of children who wanted to learn to read and write. There were no windows in the building. Light was ad- mitted by fastening oiled paper over a large crack between the logs. It was the only school in the area until 1825 when another was started in the settlement. 13 In 1810, John Ayres taught school in an old abandoned log "General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. 12 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. "General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. 14 Major General Thomas Maley Harris dwelling near the mouth of Cedar Creek. 14 He was hired to in- struct a three-month summer term in the Maley School in 1823, and that was the first attended by Thomas Harris. 15 For several years the only school book he owned was Webster's Blue Back Speller, but he later used the English Reader, Pike's Arithmetic and Walsh's Arithmetic. The teachers were usually itinerants who could scarcely read or write. It was not until Thomas was eighteen years old that he had an educated teacher, Thomas Cummings> but he only taught for three months. Harris knew he was at a disadvantage without competent instructors and at- tempted to educate himself but it was a difficult task. After he learned the rudiments of the three R's, he borrowed every scrap of printed material he could locate in the neighbor- hood from friends. There were no newspapers in that part of the country but occasionally a traveler would bring one from Clarksburg or Parkersburg and that would increase his desire for more. He knew of the better schools in the Ohio Valley and planned to leave Solus, the name of his village at that time, 16 and attend school there if at all possible. Harris family tradition says he taught for one term in the Maley settlement, but he made no mention of it in any of his writing. He went to Parkersburg to investigate the educational oppor- tunities there but found he would need money for tuition. He had no money nor any prospects of getting it in that town, and went on to Clark County, Ohio, where he obtained a position teaching the primary grades in a rural school. From there he went to Greene County where he taught for one term. He saved his small earnings and attended Marietta College for a few months. 17 Harris realized he would not prosper in the teaching field, al- though that was the only profession he knew. While in Clark and Greene Counties he studied medicine under local physicians but was not satisfied with the limited medical knowledge he could learn from them. Harris returned to Parkersburg and while attending church became acquainted with Rev. Festus Hanks, a Presbyterian minister who had also practiced medicine. Rev. Hanks organized the Parkersburg Institute, a school of higher learning, in 1839. The institution employed two female assistants and Harris was hired as an instructor in the boys' department. 14 Minnie Kendall Lowther, History of Ritchie County, (West Virginia). Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling, W. Va., 1911, p. 394. 15 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 142. 16 Lowther, p. 428. "General Thomas M. Harris obituary notice in the Parkersburg (West Virginia) News, 1906. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 15 The school was one of the most efficient and successful in the Ohio Valley and taught the offspring of the famous Jackson family as well as those of the Vanwinkle, Wilson, Lewis, and other pioneer settlers. Rev. Hanks was a graduate of Princeton and instructed Harris in some of the rudiments of medicine in his spare time, and as a result he learned more at the Institute than he had at any other place although he was there as an instruc- tor. The text books used were Kirkham's Grammar, Adam's Arithmetic, Colburn's First Lesson Arithmetic, Comstock's Phi- losophy, Rhetorical Reader, and Ambercombie's Philosophy." One of the Rev. Hank's female assistants was Sophia T. Hall, who had charge of the girls' department. She was born near Hawley, Mass., where her Scotch-Irish ancestors settled near the close of the Revolution. Harris fell in love with Miss Hall, and on October 4, 1841, they were married by Rev. Hanks. 18 Sophia Harris encouraged and helped her husband in the study of medicine, but there was little he could learn in Park- ersburg. The best medical school in the Ohio Valley at that time was in Louisville, Ky., and late in the fall after their marriage, he left by steamboat for the South and enrolled in the school to attend the lectures. In the spring of 1843, he received his di- ploma. Dr. Harris gave much thought to the question of practicing his new profession. He did not like Ohio and Parkersburg had several good physicians. The new county of Ritchie had been formed from Wood, and Solus was renamed Ritchie Court House. 20 In 1836, a Dr. Morgan from Connecticut settled there, 21 but being a New England Yankee, was not well liked. There was a dearth of money in Ritchie County but Harris thought he could succeed in the locality, so early in the summer after his graduation, he moved back to the place of his birth and estab- lished a medical practice. He prospered as he knew the ways of the people and understood their lack of ability to pay regular fees in cash, and, in turn, they trusted and respected him. Sophia Hall liked Ritchie County and its people. In 1845, when her brother Moses was twenty-one years of age, he visited them and thought there was a future for him there also. Dr. Harris asked him to make his home with them and be his under- study in the medical profession, which he did until 1848 when he attended Dr. Harris' old medical school in Louisville and ob- 18 General Thomas M. Harris, A letter to the Transallegheny Historical Magazine, Morgantown, W. Va., January 1902, p. 146. 19 Wood County court records, Parkersburg, W. Va. 2 "Edgar B. Sims, Making a State, 1956, p. 49. Hamill Kenny, West Vir- ginia Place Names, Piedmont, W. Va., 1945, p. 299. Lowther, p. 429. 21 Lowther, p. 442. 16 Major General Thomas Maley Harris tained his diploma. He married and as there was not enough business in Ritchie Court House for another physician, he moved to Sistersville, Va. Dr. Moses S. Hall was to play an im- portant part in Dr. Harris' military career." Dr. Harris was a large land owner in Ritchie County. In 1842, he and John Harris received a grant of land from the State of Virginia located on Husher's Run. 28 The John mentioned could have been either his father or brother, for in 1850 the elder John Harris was given a grant of land on the North Fork of Hughes' River. 24 In the same year, Thomas M. Harris and others were granted 396 acres on the waters of Hughes' River by the state. 25 In 1844, he had located a tract of 400 acres of good land on Butcher's Fork, near his home, and the state granted him the tract. 26 The last land that was granted to him by the State of Virginia was in 1853, when he received 933 acres on Otter Slide Creek in the same county. 27 All the land was unimproved and was held by Harris for speculation. He continued to make his living by the practice of medicine, although his pay was mostly farm produce and ex- changed labor. Dr. Harris bought a tract of land at the edge of town and built a large house, then considered a mansion. It was to be their permanent home until he died, although on occasion they tem- porarily resided in other towns. 28 Thomas and Sophia Harris were the parents of four children, Martha A., born 1846; Mary Virginia, born Sept. 12, 1848; John T., born 1851, and Agnes, who died in infancy. 29 Dr. Harris was politically an old-line Whig and a strong Pres- byterian in religion, his heritage from his grandfather, Lawrence Maley. There was no church of that denomination in Ritchie Court House, but his family attended services in the surround- ing areas when possible. While visiting friends in Glenville, Gil- mer County, he was invited to their church and was pleased with the congregation. Money seemed more plentiful there and as his accumulation of doctor's fees in the form of onions and bacon was beginning to be embarrassing, he moved to Glenville 22 Lowther, p. 446. 23 Edgar B. Sims, Index to Land Grants in West Virginia, 1952, p. 756. Wood County court record book 2, p. 259. 24 Sims' Index, p. 700. Wood County court record book 1, p. 148. 25 Sims' Index, p. 756. Wood County court record book 1, p. 255. 26 Sims' Index, p. 700. Ritchie County court record book 1, p. 16. 27 Sims' Index, p. 700. Ritchie County court record book 1, p. 325. 28 General Harris' will stated his son John was born in the house. 2, W. Guy Tetrick, Census Returns of Doddridge, Ritchie, and Gilmer Counties (West) Virginia for 1850 and Calhoun County (West) Virginia for 1860, Clarksburg, W. Va., 1933, p. 113. T. M. Harris' letter to Gov- ernor Pierpont, July 17, 1861, in West Virginia University Library. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 17 with his family in 1855 and rented a house for his combined home and office near the center of town. yu Harris joined the Presbyterian Church and the following year was elected clerk of sessions. The minute book for that year is in his handwriting. He took an active part in church work, and by 1860 was ruling elder. He wrote a 36-page pamphlet defend- ing the creed of the Presbyterian faith, which was printed that year by the Presbyterian Board of Publications in Philadelphia, titled, "Calvinism Vindicated, by Thomas M. Harris, Ruling Elder of the Glenville Church, Va." n In 1859 and 1860, there was great excitement in that part of the country over the developing oil industry. Harris noticed some oil seepage on Steer Creek in Gilmer County, and organ- ized a company for the purpose of drilling. On Feb. 4, 1861, in company with Minter Jackson, M. W. Hughes and J. B. Ball, oil rights were leased on a farm owned by Alexander Meadows on Steer Creek, and they began preparations for drilling.'" On the 15th of the same month, Harris, in partnership with Minter Jackson, leased a tract from Eli Shock. Harris was involved with several companies in signing up leases. On March 6, his original company leased another farm from John W. Stout. Some work was done toward drilling a well, but it is not known how much was accomplished. There were other leases and sub-leases contracted, but the rumblings of the coming Civil War stopped all activity in the oil industry on Steer Creek. 30 Gilmer County court records show he never owned property in the county except his oil leases. 31 A copy of this rare pamphlet is located in the Presbyterian Historical Society Library, Philadelphia, Pa. 32 Gilmer County deed book 4B, p. 298. Chapter Three Unrest in Western Virginia The year of 1861 was the beginning of troubled times for Western Virginia, which would get much worse before the com- ing of peace. Secession of the Southern states was under way and the State of Virginia was debating the question in Rich- mond. Most of the people in the western part of the state were pro- Virginian, but were not in favor of secession and slavery. They were also aware of the many injustices heaped upon them in the past by the more thickly populated counties in the east Still, they were not Northern Republicans, a fact proved by the previous Presidential Election when Lincoln carried only the four Upper Panhandle counties, nestled between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Patriotic meetings were held in most towns and villages of Western Virginia. It was a battle of words and in some instances meetings were held by both Confederate and Union sympa- thizers in the same locality without interference. Secession post- ers appeared as far north as Hancock County in the Upper Pan- handle, 33 and Union meetings extended south into Kentucky and Tennessee. The two most active centers for the Union meetings in West- ern Virginia were Wheeling and Clarksburg. Wheeling was dis- tinctly Union but Clarksburg was divided and Confederate meetings were held there, a fact ignored by many historians. A large Union rally was held in Clarksburg on April 22, 1861, and handbills were distributed over the land. Because of the un- settled conditions in that part of the state, they decided to move their headquarters to Wheeling and consolidate with the Union men there, under the protection of the Ohio and Pennsylvania troops. The Confederates in Clarksburg immediately issued a broad- side announcing a meeting to be held April 26. Resolutions were drawn up objecting to a division of the state as proposed by the Union sympathizers. On May 3, the Union men still in Clarks- burg held another meeting, and the following day Wheeling took on a festive air with a large Union rally. Dr. Harris was strongly pro-Union and as Glenville had many Southern families, his position was not a desirable one. The choosing of political alliances had begun in the county and old friends turned their backs on him in hate. The sanctuary of his own church was no bar to the unrest and even inside the house 33 William M. Porter broadside in the author's collection. This secession poster was printed in Steubenville, O. 20 Major General Thomas Maley Harris dedicated to the worship of God there was much unholy bicker- ing among the members. Harris was never a silent man when his loyalty to any cause was questioned and it was evident any prolonged conflict would make his residence in Glenville a dan- gerous one. When the civil strife began, the north-central portion of Western Virginia was soon infested with bands of roving out- laws who robbed, persecuted and many times killed the defense- less people. Most of the guerrillas, or bushwhackers as they were called locally, were in sympathy with the Confederacy, but at least one group was pro-Union. The citizens of Braxton, Roane, Gilmer and Calhoun Counties probably favored the North more than the South, but the organized bands of outlaws made their life miserable. It was evident the war could not be won by the north without control of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, running through desolate and mountainous Virginia. Early in May, John Letcher, the Confederate Governor of Virginia, tried to call out the state militia in the western part of the state ordering them to muster at Charleston, Parkersburg and Grafton. 8 * General Lee ordered Colonel Geo. A. Porterfield to go to Grafton and select a place to receive the militia, but the letter was intercepted by the Un- ion soldiers adding greatly to the confusion and panic in the upper Ohio Valley. On May 13, the Department of the Ohio was officially formed, and Major General George B. McClellan assumed com- mand. On the 24th, he received telegrams from the Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff confirming the rumor that a camp of militia had been created in the Grafton area, but gave no fur- ther instructions or orders to advance. It apparently was the purpose of the Richmond Government to try to hold Western Virginia as long as possible and coerce the inhabitants into the Confederacy. 35 The Baltimore riots had disrupted communications and it was difficult for troops in the Ohio Valley to keep in touch with the seat of war in Washington. Telegrams that did get through went unanswered. On the 26th, McClellan received intelligence that the seces- sionists were advancing from Grafton toward Wheeling and Parkersburg and were destroying the railroad. Without a direct order from Washington he made preparations for invading Vir- ginia. The same day he issued two proclamations, one to his soldiers ordering them to cross the Ohio River and the other to the inhabitants of the area, explaining the reason for the inva- n4 George B. McClellan, Report on the Organization and Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac; to which is added an account of the Campaign in Western Virginia, New York, 1864, p. 12. 35 McClellan Report, p. 12. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 21 sion. The Ohio troops always considered the Western Virginia area as enemy territory. 36 It made the letter writing more in- teresting. Colonel James B. Steedman, with his own 14th Ohio Infantry Regiment in company with the 18th Ohio Infantry Regiment and Barnett's Battery, was ordered to take possession of Park- ersburg on the morning of May 27. The Ohio troops then assembled at Marietta, paraded and pranced through the streets until they were ordered to board the steamer Ohio Number 3, and landed at Parkersburg, Va. Many of the local residents of Marietta, who had always been at odds with the Virginians, raced their horses to Belpre, O., 13 miles south, and were ferried across the Ohio River to see the expected massacre of their hated enemies. The soldiers made a great show of "liberating" the telegraph office, then operated by a staunch Union man. 37 Colonel Benjamin F. Kelley, with the 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment, moved from Wheeling in the direction of Fairmont on the 27th. Colonel J. Irvine, commanding the 16th Ohio In- fantry Regiment, was directed to move from his camp at Bel- laire, O., into Virginia and support the forward movement of the 1st Virginia Infantry. 38 Brigadier General Thomas A. Morris moved his brigade of Indiana Volunteers by rail from Indianapolis to the troubled area. He reached Grafton on June 21, and was given command of all troops in Western Virginia. As the assembled Union troops in front of them were strong, the Confederates fell back to Philippi, a distance of 20 miles in the direction of Beverly. 39 Brigadier General Morris made plans to attack the Confed- erate forces at Philippi. The two columns were to advance. One, under Colonel B. F. Kelley, consisting of five companies of the 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment, detachments of the 15th and 16th Ohio Infantry Regiments and the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment, was to march by a country road east of Tygarts Val- ley to the rear of Philippi. The other column was in the charge of Colonel Ebenezer Dumont of the 7th Indiana Infantry Regi- ment, and his orders were to proceed on the turnpike from Web- ster with part of the 6th and 7th Indiana Infantry Regiments, the 14th Ohio Infantry Regiment, two sections of Barnett's Bat- tery and attack from the front. Before the Union troops could get into position, the enemy received intelligence of their approach and fell back. Colonel 3G Charles Leib, Nine Months in the Quartermaster's Department; or, the Chances for Making a Million, Cincinnati, 1862. '"Clipping from a contemporary newspaper. n8 McClellan Report, p. 15. n8 McClellan Report, p. 18. 22 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Kelley received serious wounds, but was the only casualty in the Union forces. The engagement was the first land battle after the Presidential call for troops. 40 Colonel George A. Porterfield later denied many of the accepted accounts of the battle, and stated he was not pursued when he left the town. 41 The poorly equipped Union soldiers could not press on and hold Cheat Mountain Pass, but stayed at Philippi and the Cheat Mountain Line. In the meantime, the Confederate Brigadier General, Robert S. Garnett, occupied Laurel Hill and Rich Mountain commanding the two roads leading to Beverly. 42 The Richmond Government cast her lot with the Confed- erates and the Union statesmen in Wheeling organized the Re- stored Government of Virginia. Francis H. Pierpont, an old friend of Dr. Harris, was elected Governor. Virginia was then under two state governments, one at Richmond, controlled by the Confederates, and the other in Wheeling, both trying to en- force order, collect taxes and recruit soldiers for their side of the coming conflict. In July, McClellan captured Laurel Hill and Rich Mountain, removing much of the support given by the guerrillas" in the mountain area of Virginia. The stage had been set for Dr. Harris' entrance into the Civil War, which was to make him famous. 40 Benson J. Lossing, A History of the Civil War, New York, 1912, p. 168. 4 information taken from an original Colonel Porterfield manuscript in the author's collection. 42 McClellan Report, p. 19. 48 There is some argument today over the use and meaning of the terms, bushwhacker, guerrilla, home guards and Partisan Rangers. When local law enforcement broke down, as it did in some areas of Western Virginia in 1861, bands of outlaws began robbing the citizens. To counteract that, they organized companies of Home Guards. Sometimes the outlaws organized home guards to cover up their activities. They were the bushwhackers who had little if any loyalty to either side. Citizens who were loyal to the Union or Confederacy organized to help the government of their choice and cooperated to some extent. It was necessary to fight under cover and they were the real guerrillas. In some instances there was no way to dis- tinguish one band from another. The Confederate Government recognized those in sympathy with their cause and tried to give them legal status for protection if captured, but the fact remains they were operating inde- pendently. The Confederate Government called them Partisan Rangers, the Federal Government, guerrillas, home guards, and bushwhackers. The citizens who lived in the area, almost without exception, called them bushwhackers, according to people who were living during the Civil War. The question will never be satisfactorily answered to any degree of satis- faction for anyone. Chapter Four From Doctor to Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Harris continued his medical practice in Glenville during the first half of 1861, but the war clouds gathered and the fu- ture of Western Virginia was uncertain. When it became evi- dent serious trouble would develop, many people kept their sympathies to themselves to protect their families and it was impossible to know which side they were on, although some did not seem to care one way or the other. The only safe subject of conversation was religion, but in the divided House of God the strained relationship was insincere. It was indeed a desolate land. On May 26, Lieutenant Colonel Francis B. Pond of the 17th Ohio Infantry arrived at Petroleum, Ritchie County, with or- ders to proceed to Hughes' River to protect the Staunton Turn- pike from Glenville through Burning Springs to Parkersburg. When sufficient provisions and munitions arrived, he advanced to Glenville and established headquarters there. 44 Brigadier General Henry A. Wise, then operating in the Great Kanawha Valley, sent Captain R. A. Caskie north from Charles- ton with a detachment of cavalry on the evening of July 7. The 17th Ohio Infantry was camped around the courthouse, not knowing Caskie was in the vicinity. The Confederates surround- ed the town and kept up a sporadic firing until daylight. When the cavalry fired on the pickets at Camden Flats, across the river from Glenville, Dr. Harris' son John, a boy of about ten years of age, was in the vicinity hunting cows. 45 The bullets were flying but Harris immediately started across the river to find his son and met him running toward home. He in- formed his father of his brush with death, and stated the leaves from the trees fell around him in a shower during the skirmish. A Mr. Edwards, a scout, succeeded in escaping through the lines and reported to the commander at Buckhannon. On the evening of the 8th, Caskie and his men left Glenville and re- turned to Charleston by the way of Arnoldsburg and Spencer. Dr. Harris realized his family was in a precarious position and knew the Union forces could not protect the citizens from the Confederate and bushwhacker raids. Sometime between July 8 and 17th, he moved his family back to his old home in Ritchie County. Dr. Harris was strong in his defense of Lincoln and the Union 44 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and Index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR), ser. 1, vol. 2, p. 213. 45 Boyd B. Stutler letter, Dec. 12, 1959. 24 Major General Thomas Maley Harris and his allegiance to the Restored Government of Virginia in Wheeling. He wasted no sympathy on the people who were in favor of seceding from the Union, but at a later date sanctioned the seceding of West Virginia from the rest of the state in a way that was considered by many to be equally illegal. In Ritchie Court House, he had no medical practice and little desire to continue in that field during the emergency. With his ability as a surgeon and physician he could have joined the Army in that capacity, but he thought he could serve his country in other ways to better advantage to both himself and the government. He was thinking of the many undecided citizens in the back- woods that would be lost to the Confederacy if an opportunity to join the Union was not given them. Dr. Moses Hall, Harris' brother-in-law, returned to Ritchie Court House and recruited a company of soldiers. They were mustered into the 3rd Virginia Infantry Regiment as Company K on July 4, as part of a great Independence Day celebration, with Captain Moses Hall as their captain/ 6 When Dr. Harris returned to Ritchie Court House, he told Captain Hall of condi- tions in Gilmer County and of his desire to help in recruiting soldiers for the Union Army. With Hall's introduction, he con- tacted the military authorities in Clarksburg and was told to see Governor Pierpont regarding an appointment in the armed services. Harris wrote to Governor Pierpont on July 17, stating that the counties of Gilmer, Calhoun and Braxton would resist the Wheeling Government and asked for a military force to be sta- tioned in the three counties to protect the loyal citizens. 47 Pier- pont asked Harris to come to Wheeling and he arrived there the last of July. He explained fully the problems of the interior and the Governor asked him to return and recruit a regiment of volunteers. Harris was promised command of the regiment if he succeeded. 48 Harris and Pierpont were not strangers, both families being prominent in Ritchie and other nearby counties, and had visited in each other's homes in the past. Pierpont had confidence in Harris, but knew he lacked experience in recruiting and had little knowledge of the standard methods of military procedure in the armed forces. To counteract that deficiency, he ordered Orderly Sergeant J. Loomis Gould of the 3rd Virginia Infantry to help him in his work of regimental organization. Governor Pierpont had previously asked the Federal Govern- "Theodore F. Lang, Loyal West Virginia from 1861 to 1865, Baltimore, Md., 1895, p. 276. * 7 T. M. Harris to Governor Pierpont, July 17, 1861, in Wheeling In- telligencer, July 22, 1861. 48 A. P. Lockard, History of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Pocahontas Times, Marlinton, W. Va., Jan. 24, 1929. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 25 ment for the privilege of recruiting several regiments under the Restored Government of Virginia, but permission had not been granted. He explained to Harris that although there was some recruiting being done, it was unofficial and to not give the oath to his men until permission was granted, although there was no doubt it would eventually be done. Harris was directed to form his regiment, to be known as the 10th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, under the protection of Brig- adier General W. S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Ohio. As he was to report to the army commander in Clarks- burg, he decided to locate his regimental headquarters there. In that location he would be free from guerrilla harassment and still be near his recruiting field. The vicinity of Clarksburg had already been thoroughly scouted by others and the number of men enlisted by him was small. A company was not formed from that area until the spring of 1862. 49 On Aug. 3, Pierpont received an order from the Federal Gov- ernment to recruit eight regiments of infantry and two of caval- ry. 50 That was short of the twenty regiments suggested by Harris to be used for the protection of the inhabitants. 51 On the same day, he telegraphed permission for Harris to officially be- gin recruiting. A few men had been enlisted but there was still much work to be done before a regiment could be mustered. Harris invaded the heart of the guerrilla country in Braxton County and organized a recruiting station in Sutton, with Ser- geant Gould in command. The first company was formed there and was named Company A. 52 It was not entirely a Braxton County company, although some Federal records so state. The Official Records of the Rebellion list it as being recruited at the Head of West Fork in Lewis County. 53 Recruiting was slow in the hill country at the beginning of the war. Men that were in sympathy with the Union were afraid to leave their families to the mercy of the guerrillas and refused to join, although some of the single men signed up when possi- ble. Many of the inhabitants were driven from their homes in Gilmer, Braxton, Webster, and Pocahontas Counties. 54 The citi- 49 OR, ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 665, where Harris is erroneously listed as com- manding the 12th West Virginia Infantry. Lockard. 50 James Leslie, Jr., Chief Clerk, Washington, D. C, to Governor F. H. Pierpont, Aug. 3, 1861, in Calendar of the Francis H. Pierpont Letters and Papers in West Virginia Depositories. Prepared by the West Virginia His- torical Records Survey, 1940, p. 20. W. B. Cutright, The History of Up- shur County, West Virginia, 1907. 51 Charles H. Ambler, Francis H. Pierpont, Union War Governor of Vir- ginia and Father of West Virginia. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press, 1937, p. 123. B2 Records in the National Archives, Washington, D. C. 53 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 510. "Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 285. 26 Major General Thomas Maley Harris zens of Wirt County, especially the oil field workers, were flee- ing for their lives. Returning Confederate soldiers were quietly doing as much damage as possible and that included spreading rumors to panic the inhabitants. Local law enforcement had completely broken down and tax collectors, toll gate keepers, and county officials were either killed or driven from the coun- try. Soldiers of both armies were arresting civilians. The South- ern sympathizers were sent to Camp Chase in Columbus, O., and the Union prisoners were sent to Richmond. Everyone was slow to express their opinions and avoided contact with their fellow man if at all possible. 55 Into that maelstrom of human emotions, Dr. Harris and Ser- geant Gould boldly made their way, looking for recruits. It was dangerous work, and death lurked around every corner. It was some time before the 10th Infantry Regiment was strong enough to protect itself, and protection to the civilians in any measurable degree was out of the question. The mountain sec- tions were never safe at any time during the Civil War. Although recruiting was slow, the men that did join were well adapted to fight in the rough country. They knew the terrain, the ways of the guerrillas, and they had the added incentive of fighting for their homes. As soon as each company elected its officers, it was put into service defending the frontiers of the Union line. Harris reported to Brigadier General W. S. Rosecrans, De- partment of the Ohio, as well as to the Governor of the Restored Government of Virginia. On Sept. 1, 1861, Brigadier General O. M. Mitchell was given the Department of the Ohio and was Harris' commanding officer until Oct. 1 1, when the Department of Western Virginia was formed from the Department of the Ohio, and Rosecrans was given command. 56 Colonel John L. Zeigler had charge of the incomplete and unattached regiments in the Department of Western Virginia, which included the 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Virginia Infantry Regiments, with his headquarters at Ceredo, Wayne County, Va., on the Ohio River near Huntington. 57 By the middle of October, 1861, Harris had five or six squads of forty to seventy men scattered in different counties along the line. He wrote to Governor Pierpont stating he would like to have the men sworn in by Lieutenant C. C. Whitson and sub- sistence given them for two weeks. 58 In Lewis County, there was a vague line separating the 55 Ambler, p. 123, gives a good account of conditions at that time in Central West Virginia. 56 Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 255. "Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 336. OR, ser. 1, vol. 5, p. 636. B8 Dr. T. M. Harris to Governor Pierpont, Pierpont Papers, p. 51. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 27 Northern from the Southern sympathizers, the village of Har- mony being the strategic point of defense. Company A was re- ceiving recruits in the area; and as they thought they might be there for the rest of the winter, started building a fort on the property of James Pickens for their protection. The earthworks consisted of a ditch and the barracks were "only two apart- ments, one built of rough logs and the other of thick boards," to quote a contemporary correspondent. 59 The position was called Fort, or Camp Pickens, and the position, if not the fortification, was an important one during the war. It helped the weak garri- son to hold off the guerrillas, but its main purpose was to close the mountain pass between the north and south. It is almost impossible today to visualize the raids of the bushwhackers, the terror they spread and the general conditions under which Harris tried to recruit his regiment. One old soldier stated : "The bushwhackers are composed of a class of men who are noted for their ignorance, dupicity and dishonesty; whose vices and passions pecularily fit them for the war- fare in which they are engaged. He sallies forth with the stealth of a panther and lies in wait for the straggling sol- dier, courier or citizen and to whom the only warning is the sharp click of his deadly rifle. He kills for the sake of killing and plunders for the sake of gain. Parties under the cover of darkness steal into a neighborhood, enter the resi- dences of loyal citizens, rob stores, tan yards and farm houses of everything they can put to use, especially arms, ammunition, leather, clothing and salt." 60 Devil Bill Parsons and his Partisan Rangers made life miser- able for citizens of the troubled area, especially in the southern part of Lewis County. In Braxton County, the Ben Haymond Rangers were the ruling force and nothing could be done to stop them. John Riffle and a man named Foley who were attached to the rangers attacked William DeBolt and Henry Brooks, army messengers, killing DeBolt and severely wounding Brooks. Soon afterwards, two other messengers were attacked, James Flesher of Weston being killed and Milton Cutright wounded. 61 A company of home guards whose loyalty was questionable was organized in Lewis County by William G. Pierson and called Pierson's Rangers. They kept the country in a turmoil and were nearly as troublesome as the bushwhackers who made no pretense of being legitimate. 59 Dr. Roy Bird Cook, Lewis County in the Civil War, 1861-1865, 1924, Jarrett Printing Co., Charleston, W. Va., p. 55. 80 Charles Leib, Nine Months in the Quartermaster's Department; or, the Chances for Making a Million, Cincinnati, 1862. ax Cook, p. 104. 28 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Harris' Company A was the first to be completed, but there were no modern arms for them. The Restored Government of Virginia in Wheeling had given some old smooth bore muskets to the United States Quartermaster and 45 of the antiques were issued to the company. They immediately started arresting citi- zens they suspected of associating with the notorious Ben Hay- mond. 62 Harris' men began associating with Pierson's Rangers who were considered loyal citizens by themselves if not by others. The arrangement was to cause embarrassment to Harris. The new recruits of Company A were for the most part green and uneducated. They were not sure who they were supposed to obey. Some of them had served previously in Captain Tom- linson's band of home guards, and when on Aug. 19 he ordered six or seven of them to meet and assist Ranger Pierson, they thought it was their duty to obey. 63 They met Pierson on the Bulltown Road with an equal number of local citizens and by nightfall entered the village of Jacksonville where they ar- rested Porter M. Arnold, William Francis and William Brake, the local hotel owner, all peaceful citizens. With the prisoners in front, they marched up the Walkerville Pike to a point where a lane intersects the main road. Without warning, the men of Company A and Pierson's civilians opened fire on the defense- less prisoners. Brake was killed at the first fire and Francis fell as if hit. Arnold started to run but the second fire cut him down with 13 bullets entering his body. In the confusion of shooting Arnold, Francis made his escape. The detachment then marched up the pike to the home of George Blair, who was shot as he stood in his doorway with a lamp in his hand. Francis made his way to Weston where he notified the mili- tary authorities of the tragedy. Dr. T. B. Camden with a de- tachment of men furnished by Captain Rowland of the 1st Vir- ginia (Union) Cavalry, then in command of the post, started on a forced march to Jacksonville arriving about dark. The citi- zens were terrified, expecting Pierson's mob to return that night. Arnold was brought into town but nothing could be done for him and he died on the 22 nd. Two of Harris' soldiers, Enoch Cunningham and Christian Simons, had been recognized as members of the band. Harris had no faith in the so called home guards and other self elected law enforcement officers. When he heard some of his men had been involved in the senseless killings he held an investigation. Learning that Captain Tomlinson had told his men he was still their commander until they were sworn into the United States Army and knowing the captain would try to 02 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. 63 Dr. Roy Bird Cook stated the authority of the order was not known. Evidently he did not know of the Harris letter to Rosecrans. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 29 clear himself, he sent a telegram to Governor Pierpont asking him to have nothing to do with Tomlinson until he heard from him (Harris). 64 Pierpont evidently believed the men guilty for on Nov. 20 he issued a proclamation offering a three-hundred-dollar reward for the arrest of Pierson, Cunningham and Simons. 05 Corporals W. S. Purdy and J. C. Clark of the 3rd Virginia Infantry Regiment arrested the three men on the 24th and lodged them in the jail at Buckhannon. They telegraphed Governor Pierpont asking what they should do, 66 and he ordered them removed to the county jail in Weston to be held for trial. Harris was getting nowhere with his appeals to Pierpont re- garding Cunningham and Simons. On Dec. 5, he wrote to Rose- crans explaining the men had previously served under Captain Tomlinson in the home guards and they thought they were sup- posed to obey him. 67 The men were exonerated of the charges brought against them, although, there seems to be no record of the trial if there was one. Cunningham and Simons were inducted into Company A of the 10th Regiment on March 13, 1862. Cunningham ad- vanced to the rank of corporal and Simons was detached as brigade teamster in November. 68 Pierson evidently elevated himself in the eyes of the military authorities for Major Gen- eral Franz Sigel appointed him a civilian scout to the army and Colonel Nathan Wilkinson stated he was an energetic and re- liable Union man. He was murdered on the porch of his home in 1864. 69 Most of Harris' Company A was in Sutton and although they were weak in number he wanted to quarter them there for the winter. They had received their issue of winter clothing from Clarksburg and did not suffer from the cold weather as some of the other companies were to do. 70 04 Pierpont Papers, p. 62. 65 Cook, p. 106. Pierpont Papers, p. 66. 66 Pierpont Papers, p. 66. 87 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. 08 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, pp. 260-1. 09 Cook, p. 110. OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 2, p. 127. 70 Record of Events of Company A, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, National Archives. T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. In writing of the Civil War years in West Virginia, the problem of regional description is a difficult one. The area was Vir- ginia until June 20, 1863, but in many of the battle reports it was described as Western Virginia, or West Virginia. In the text of this book, until West Virginia was officially formed, the word Virginia is used. The footnotes, being bibliographical, are listed in some places as West Virginia, as in the Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment. These records are so listed and filed in the National Archives. 30 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Company B was being organized in Upshur County and in December had 80 men. The company began to gather in camp by Sept. 8, and was mustered into service Dec. 7, 1861. Colonel D. Hewes of the 3rd Virginia Infantry Regiment, under whose wings the infant company was formed, held an election and ap- pointed their commissioned officers. Lieutenant Whitson mus- tered the company into the 10th Regiment, but there was a mistake in the order and it was necessary for Harris to send Captain Howard to re-muster them in. The company was armed with 45 of the old smooth bore muskets with which to defend Buckhannon, and Harris asked that rifled guns be sent to them immediately. 71 Harris organized a recruiting station in Weston, Lewis Coun- ty, early in the fall of 1861 and put William D. Hall in charge, who recruited Company C. By October, Hall had the company organized, although it was not sworn into service until the fol- lowing March. 72 Hall was elected captain of the company. Armed with 40 guns and with almost no clothing, Harris ordered them to Troy in northern Gilmer County, where they suffered much from the inclement weather. The company had been promised more guns, and when they did not arrive Harris re- gretted having sent them into the wilderness in such a helpless condition. On Nov. 20, Harris only had two complete and eight incom- plete companies, a total rank and file of 400 men. 7 " Harris had hopes of recruiting several companies in the more thickly populated county of Wood, at the junction of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers, but there he ran into professional opposition. He hired Mr. V. Bukey to set up an office in Parkers- burg for recruiting, but did not offer a bonus as was done by many other regiments. Colonel Rathbone offered Bukey $100 to desert the 10th Regiment and $2.50 for each soldier he signed up. That was too much opposition for Harris and he re- leased Bukey from his recruiting job. Bukey was given a com- mission as lieutenant in the 11th Virginia Infantry. 74 Harris never succeeded in getting a company from that county. He re- ported to General Rosecrans that he ". . . preferred to go into such counties as Braxton and Nicholas and reclaim seeesh and form companies if necessary to buying up a regiment." 75 General McClellan, in his romantic reports to Washington, stated re- 71 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 72 Record of Events of Company B, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, National Archives. 73 OR, ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 665. 74 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 1, p. 489. 75 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans. Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 31 emits rushed to join the fold, 70 but that was seldom true with the 10th Virginia Infantry. The guerrilla bands had been halted in their plundering to some extent and many retreated to the south in fear, but by Dec. 9, they were again plundering and murdering. The incom- plete companies of the 10th Regiment were more or less con- fined to the villages, and even there were in grave danger. A large two-story log house located at the Big Bend of the Little Kanawha River was used as a fort by George Downs and Peter Saurburn, and their Partisan Rangers. Perry Conley, another of the guerrillas operated on the north side of the river, ranging back into Gilmer, Braxton, and Webster Counties. In December, his gang murdered at least two people and robbed seven fam- ilies. 77 Perry Hayes and Ben Haymond returned from Webster County where they had taken refuge when portions of the 10th Regiment reached that region. On the way north they fired on a supply train near Bulltown. Robert Ervin, another ruffian, re- turned to Calhoun County and was one of the right-hand men of Perry Hayes. Harris' lines of communication were still in a formative state, and it was difficult for him to distinguish between rumor and fact. He believed Perry Conley was in charge at the Big Bend Fort, when his territory was north of the river. His scouts brought in information that guerrillas could be assembled at the fort in six hours time, which was probably correct. They knew the weakness of the 10th Regiment and declared open warfare against Harris. Five of the Braxton home guards were captured by the outlaws and carried off as prisoners of war. 78 In desperation Harris wrote to General Rosecrans: "In communication with you a few days ago some ac- count of the conditions of things in the counties of Gilmer, Calhoun, Braxton, and Webster. My object in that com- munication was chiefly to show you that the loyal portion of the people of those counties needed aid very badly and at the same time to enable you to see how that aid must come to be most effective. Guerrilla bands not only have free access to all those counties, but many of these organi- zations have been and are being formed there and carry on their work of plundering Union men with very little let or hindrance." 79 It appears Harris had little if any contact with Colonel Zeig- ler on the Ohio River, who was theoretically his commanding 78 George B. McClellan, Report on the Organization and Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac; to which is added an account of the Campaign in Western Virginia, New York, 1864, p. 6. 77 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. 78 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. 79 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 5, 1861, in National Archives. 32 Major General Thomas Maley Harris officer. However, a few of his men did serve with Zeigler in the Ohio Valley, but the number was small and which companies went there is not known. 80 On Dec. 13, 1861, Harris was given his commission of lieu- tenant colonel by the Restored Government of Virginia, and the official command of the 10th Regiment of Virginia Volun- teer Infantry. The adjutant general informed him he would have him sworn into the United States Army with power to swear in his own companies when they were at the required strength. Mr. Adams of Bethany was appointed quartermaster for the regiment and was given orders to arm and clothe the men. 81 Soon after Harris' appointment, the guerrillas entered Glen- ville and destroyed the machinery and equipment on his oil lease. He estimated his loss at $750 and tried to collect from the government, but was informed it would take a special act of the legislature to make such a payment possible. Although there was one company of soldiers in Glenville, the citizens wanted more protection and Harris asked permission to send Captain Morgan there with his company. Soon after his ar- rival, he recruited men to raise the company strength from 27 to 70. Harris also asked that companies be kept at Arnoldsburg, Bulltown, Sutton, Spencer, Smithville and Burning Springs. The guerrillas were in control of most of the area south of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 80 OR, ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 665. Lockard. 81 T. M. Harris to General Rosecrans, Dec. 19, 1861. in National Ar- chives. Chapter Five Formation of 10th Regiment Inclement weather usually slowed down military activities during the Civil War, but there was no rest for Lieutenant Col- onel Harris during the winter of 1861-62. That period was prob- ably his most trying time during the entire conflict as he trav- eled continuously trying to bring his regiment up to full strength. It was his intention to visit his recruiting stations in Tyler, Barbour, Upshur, Harrison, Lewis and Braxton Counties in January, 82 and made arrangements for supplies to be sent to those places. But by Jan. 24 he had only been able to visit Ritchie and Tyler Counties because of high water. 8 At that time, the 10th Infantry Regiment had three complete companies with seven partly under arms, a total of 480 men. 84 Company D was holding the town of Weston with Captain Samuel A. Rollyson in charge most of the time. 85 By the last of March, the regiment numbered 800 men. In the backwoods counties, Lieutenant Colonel Harris and Sergeant Gould actually risked their lives among the lukewarm but excitable Confederates, trying to talk them into permitting their sons to join the Union Army. 80 It was a wonder that any man could go among them with "Lincoln talk" and live to tell the story. Not only did most of the Western Virginians south of the railroad think of themselves as enemies of the invading armies, but the Union soldiers, especially from Ohio, considered it alien territory. 87 Sergeant Gould was to be well paid for his efforts for he was eventually made Captain of Company B. 88 The first week in March the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment was officially accepted by Brigadier General R. H. Milroy into the Cheat Mountain District, Department of Western Virginia, although several of the companies were not up to full strength. They were to remain in that unit for only a few days however. 82 T. M. Harris to Adjutant General H. J. Samuels, in Calendar of the Francis H. Pierpont Letters and Papers in West Virginia Depositories. Prepared by the West Virginia Historical Records Survey, 1940, p. 74. 83 Pierpont Papers, p. 79. S4 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index. Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 789. 85 Dr. Roy Bird Cook, Lewis County in the Civil War, 1861-1865, 1924, Jarrett Printing Co., Charleston, W. Va., p. 55. 86 Charles Leib, Nine Months in the Quartermaster's Department; or, the Chances for Making a Million, Cincinnati, 1862, p. 128. 87 Leib, p. 128. 88 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 262. 34 Major General Thomas Maley Harris On March 11, the Mountain Department was formed under the guidance of Brigadier General W. S. Rosecrans, who turned the department over to Major General John C. Fremont on March 29. The Cheat Mountain District, including the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment was transferred to the new command retain- ing General Milroy as commander." 9 The Mountain Depart- ment included all the territory west of the Department of the Potomac, and east of the Department of the Mississippi. 90 As soon as Fremont assumed command, he ordered Lieuten- ant Colonel Harris to stretch his troops in a thin line along the frontier from Glenville to Elkwater, and that was to be his line of defense for seven months. 91 Up to that time, Harris had been operating on orders from the Restored Government of Vir- ginia; but on March 17, he received his commission as lieuten- ant colonel of the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment from the United States Army. 92 Harris had the difficult task of holding the Glenville-Elk- water line and completing his recruiting at the same time. Dur- ing the winter, he moved his headquarters to Camp Pickens in southeast Lewis County, but early in 1862 moved to Beverly in Randolph County with Company A, which had been re- cruited by Capt. Morgan Alexander Darnell, and soon after- ward ordered Company B, which had remained in Buckhannon, to join him. Company C completed its organization in Weston early in the year and remained in Glenville during the winter. Company D moved from Weston to Buckhannon March 24, and these two companies joined Harris in Beverly. Company E, or- ganized at Russell's Mills and stationed at Weston, was sworn in April 12, and then moved to Buckhannon. 93 They did not leave for Elkwater until May 12. 94 Nimrod Hyre was elected Captain of Company F, which was organized in Braxton County. 95 Com- pany G, organized in Glenville by Lieutenant John McAdams, mustered on April 13 for the first time and was sworn in May 6. Company H was organized at Philippi, Barbour County, by William M. Hays. He commenced recruiting March 22 and held his first muster April 13, the company being sworn into the United States Army May 8 at Philippi. Company I was re- cruited at Piedmont and New Creek, Mineral County. On ""Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 335. 90 OR, ser. 1, vol. 8, p. 605. "Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 285. 9 "General Thomas M. Harris record file in National Archives. 93 Pierpont Papers, p. 102. "Record of Events of Company E, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, National Archives. 9 "John D. Sutton, History of Braxton County and Central West Vir- ginia, 1919, pp. 175, 178. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 35 March 23, General Milroy ordered Company I to occupy Buck- hannon. They held their first muster as a company April 1, 1862, 30 men answering roll call, and immediately started scouting. Their initial foray netted them five guerrillas. I. P. Kuykendall organized a recruiting station in Ritchie Court House in February, but succeeded in recruiting only 43 men. The territory had previously been stripped of manpower by Dr. Moses Hall and others. Lieutenant Colonel Harris paid a visit to his family in March, and learned there probably would be no more men added to the company. He communicated with Governor Pierpont, asking permission to transport the men to West Union in Doddridge County to complete the company. Permission was granted and they arrived April 15. Company K was the last recruited by Harris. 90 Many of the new recruits were mountain men who had never been away from home. Although brave when confronted by ene- mies, they dreaded facing the unknown. Harris talked his old friend, a Mr. Furr of Glenville, into signing up as a member of the 10th Infantry. When the recruits marched north to the rail- road to be transported to headquarters, Furr was with them. The train stopped and the order was given to enter the coaches but Furr would not move. He said he knew nothing about the train, had never seen one before, and had no intention of enter- ing the cars. In desperation Harris ordered some of his men to fix bayonets and prod Private Furr onto the train. After much cursing and skirmishing by the men and dancing about by the victim, he was forced to the top of the steps where he turned and faced his colonel in a rage exclaiming, "Colonel Harris, I know you well. In fact I knew you when you were so poor you could not pay my little chil- dren for a gallon of blackberries they picked for you." With that off his mind he entered the car and gave no more trouble. Lieutenant Colonel Harris had gained a soldier but lost a friend. He also acquired the nickname Blackberry Harris. 87 Harris was forced to accept anyone that would take the oath to complete his regiment and many misfits were in his 10th Virginia Infantry. Mortimer W. Gibbony was a prime example. He joined and deserted several units before enlisting in Cap- tain Lewis M. Marsh's Company B at Clarksburg, Nov. 11, 1862. He was eventually hung at Parkersburg, W. Va., for murder in 1866. 98 "Record of Events of Company K, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, National Archives. "Related by an old acquaintance in Glenville. See Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 283. 98 C. E. Douglas, The Murder of Abram Deem . . . with a Confession of Mortimer W. Gibbony, 1957. Also see Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 273, and Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1865, p. 181. 36 Major General Thomas Maley Harris The 10th Virginia Infantry could offer nothing but token pro- tection to the frontier in the spring of 1862, and the residents of Gilmer County decided to raise a company of home guards composed of men unable to serve in the regular army. But, the act was a farce for many of the new recruits were in sympathy with the Confederacy. When the company of modified bush- whackers began recruiting, one Union man wrote to Governor Pierpont, stating that Captain P. Owens was a prominent seces- sionist, 1st Lieutenant William Powell a liar and a thief, also a vile secessionist and had nearly destroyed the country, 2nd Lieutenant William Campbell was on the outskirts of society and too lazy to work but made a living plundering his neighbors on the Sabbath and also a rabid secessionist and not treated with respect even by them. He asked the Governor to check with Lieutenant Colonel Harris to verify the statements made." Harris replied to the Governor's letter, stating he had heard of the election in Gilmer County, and of William Powell, Joshua P. Owens and William Campbell being elected, and if Major Cox should make a return of the election without notifying him (Pierpont), of the character of the men, it would show that the major was incompetent in his position and thought it better to do without a company of militia in Gilmer than to have the rebels as officers. 100 The turmoil and unrest in Western Virginia was a thorn in the side of the Union commanders. In many instances loyal citi- zens could not be given adequate protection and the guerrilla bands were in a position to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the most important link with the agricultural west. A good illustration of the unsettled condition can be obtained from a report of Brigadier General R. H. Milroy to Major General John C. Fremont, on April 12. The information was gained from Lieutenant Colonel Harris' reports from the hill country. "Major General Fremont: "I learn from various sources that robbers, thieves and murderers are organizing under the name of guerrillas, for the purpose of robbing, plundering and devastating the counties of Western Virginia. One of the cut throats cap- tured by my forces a short time since had a number of blank commissions from Governor Letcher for guerrilla Captains and Lieutenants. Would suggest that if there is a live Governor at Wheeling, he be sent out into the different counties to hold meetings, organize the civil and military powers, and form Union home guards for the protection of their homes, and to relieve the United States troops now scattered at various posts and stations. I am greatly crip- 'Pierpont Papers, p. 95. "Pierpont Papers, p. 98. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 37 pled by details made for these purposes, and if I could have the full regiments of my command I will go wherever you order or permit. Two guns and a portion of the men of Captain Hyman's Battery, are left at Beverly for want of transportation. If you can cause the immediate filling of the requisition made by Captain Hyman upon Major Clary it will give me one full and one efficient battery and greatly oblige me. "If you will order supplies for me at New Creek, I will put all my transportation on the line between this and that point. Would suggest that government stores, except sub- sistence, be withdrawn from Cheat Mountain, Elkwater, Huttonsville, Beverly and Buckhannon, and removed to Clarksburg or Grafton, and the United States troops be withdrawn from the line, except a few Virginia troops to keep down the guerrillas. Colonel Harris, of the 10th Regi- ment, reports to me still. The distance between us and the difficulty of forwarding orders to him has compelled me to order him in case of threatened danger to report the same to your headquarters for your orders. I hope this will meet your approval." 101 In April, the 10th Virginia Regiment was transferred from the Cheat Mountain District to the Railroad District of the Mountain Department, Brigadier General B. F. Kelley com- manding. 102 Early in April, General Milroy was attacked near Monterey, Highland County, by a force of over one thousand Confederates, but succeeded in routing them with a heavy loss to the enemy. Later a small force was sent out from Romney and they at- tacked on Grass Lick near Lost River and were again re- pulsed. 108 General Fremont lost no time in taking the offensive against the guerrillas. On April 14, he ordered Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox to direct Colonel George Crook to send detachments from Sutton and Summersville on April 17, into Webster Coun- ty to destroy the bushwhackers. 104 The place of rendezvous for the troops was to be Addison in Webster County, all arriving simultaneously. Major Ebenezer B. Andrews with a detachment of the 36th Ohio Infantry Regiment left Summersville on the morning of April 17 and started for the meeting place. 105 Lieutenant Colo- nel Harris was ordered to provide 200 troops from his command and they were to work closely with a detachment of the 1st 101 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, pp. 71-2. 102 Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 337. 108 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 1, p. 5. 104 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 78. 105 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 1, p. 439. 38 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Virginia Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Charles D. Law- son, then stationed at Sutton, all under the command of Harris. Harris ordered 25 men in Weston to join 50 in Sutton and proceed. A detachment of 50 men from Company B with Cap- tain Thomas D. Murrin and 50 men of Company D, both com- panies then stationed in Buckhannon, would proceed to Addi- son. They arrived on the morning of April 19, having seen no guerrillas. Captain Morgan A. Darnall with a detachment of 80 men of Company A stationed at Bulltown, was to follow Lieu- tenant Lawson, the commander of the cavalry company. Lieu- tenant James P. Conley was second in command of Company A. The movement was not accomplished without resistance. The cavalry was attacked on Holly Creek on the 17th, by a force of Partisan Rangers estimated to number between fifty and sixty. A running fight was kept up but Lieutenant Lawson was forced to fall back on the protection of the infantry commanded by Captain Darnall. They succeeded in killing five of the bush- whackers. The next morning the 1st Cavalry and Company A of the 10th Virginia Infantry attacked the enemy, completely routing them; killing five, wounding and capturing several oth- ers. They also captured a number of horses that had been stolen from Union men and some goods that had been taken from a store in Bulltown. On the 19th, they killed another of the guer- rillas. They joined with the other troops at noon on April 19. 10e With the movement of the troops in the spring campaign, it became evident that the old defense lines and commands would not be effective. The 12 units in the Cheat Mountain District were divided between Milroy's and Schenck's Brigades and the Railroad District on April 19. Brigadier General Milroy, being active in the field, was relieved of command of the Cheat Moun- tain District. The boundary lines were redrawn and shortened to occupy Braxton, Webster, Upshur and Randolph Counties, and Lieutenant Colonel Harris was given command. It was a temporary appointment for he retained his 10th Regiment, of- ficially listed as being in the Railroad District. 107 When the Federal troops entered Addison, they found it had been deserted long before by its rightful inhabitants and was a rendezvous for the guerrillas who had organized under Duncan McLaughlin, calling themselves the Webster Dare Devils. The muster roll of the band was found giving a list of the members. The village was burned along with a small salt works belonging to McLaughlin. The following morning the detachment of the 36th Ohio In- fantry Regiment returned to their station and the detachments 106 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 1, pp. 5, 439. The number of casualties differ in the reports. 107 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 193. OR, ser. 1, vol. 51, pt. 1, pp. 578-9. Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 337. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 39 of the 10th Virginia Infantry scoured the Holly Creek region for the enemy, but found they had retreated to the mountains. On this expedition, Company A had one man killed, two cap- tured and one wounded. There were no other losses to the 10th Regiment. In the meantime, Brigadier General Robert C. Schenck marched his men to Seneca Creek and North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac and General Milroy advanced from Monterey down the North Fork. Lieutenant Colonel Harris was notified that if it was possible for him to do so, to send detach- ments to the Tygarts River Valley for two or three days to watch all the passes through Randolph County and the South Fork and kill or capture all marauders that attempted to es- cape. 108 The expedition was a success^ and most of the men returned to their posts within five days. In April, Company K made an- other scout from Beverly to Elkwater and returned to Buck- hannon. By the 30th, Harris moved his headquarters to Buck- hannon, a safer area from which to operate. On May 4, Harris was ordered to make another expedition into Webster County, to start the following Thursday; and Milroy was asked if he could help in the undertaking. 10 " Colonel Albert Tracy telegraphed Harris in Weston, warning him that 300 guerrillas were on the North Fork of the Potomac and on Seneca Creek frightening and driving the Union families from the country. Harris reported to Colonel Tracy: "Buckhannon, May 11, 1862. "Col. Albert Tracy: "I have 100 men under Captain Morgan in Webster County, ordered to scout the country for ten days from the 8th, in order to take in detail detachments of the guerrillas that will return to Webster in small parties and by differ- ent routes when driven by our forces from Calhoun, Gil- mer and Braxton. Have three good companies in Braxton, under Captain Darnall, disposed at different points scout- ing and to cut off retreat of the forces that attacked Am- oldsburg. My Glenville Company is being used for the pro- tection of Gilmer County, though out of my district, as it has been recruited in that county and is still recruiting, not yet being full. The company stationed here is scouting in Webster and Braxton. The Barbour Company was mus- tered last week with a first lieutenant and is still recruit- ing; lacks 23 men of being up to the minimum, and, as we have no other troops in Barbour, is charged with the duty of protecting the bridge across Tygarts River Valley at Philippi. 108 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 78. 1 09 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 133. 40 Major General Thomas Maley Harris "The forces cannot be removed from their present em- ployment without leaving counties named exposed to the ravages of guerrillas. It would also be impossible to con- centrate them within a week. I await your orders. "T. M. Harris, Lieut-Col. 11th (sic) "Va. Volunteers." 110 It was evident Harris did not know of the panic that was in the ranks of the Union commanders and the general condition in the guerrilla country. He did not think his troops were in danger of being wiped out but Tracy knew better. In answer to Harris' long telegram Tracy sent another. "Headquarters, Army in the Field, "Petersburg, Va. May 11, 1862. "Col. T. M. Harris, "Buckhannon, Va. "... Dispatch from General Milroy at Franklin says that the enemy are throwing strong force down by Allegheny, Cheat Mountain and Beverly, and may get as far as Graf- ton. You must concentrate at Buckhannon. General Kelley informed to this effect. Norfolk taken by General Wool and the Merrimac blown up. "Albert Tracy, Col. and Assistant "Adjutant General." On May 10, General B. F. Kelley arrived in Parkersburg with three companies and moved the following day to Elizabeth and Burning Springs, and from there, to Spencer and Arnoldsburg. He did not have reliable information on the number or position of the Partisan Rangers, but did say the people in that part of the country were near panic. 111 The 10th Virginia Infantry continued to scout the mountain- ous country. Company A had seven counties for its territory and captured several guerrillas. Company C with two commis- sioned officers and 50 men left on a scout May 6 and returned the 13th, killing three bushwhackers. On May 16, they marched to Snatchburg (now French Creek), Upshur County; on the 17th, to Buckhannon, and on the 18th, 14 men scouted Webster County. During the months of May and June, they were sta- tioned at Beverly as were the men of Company C. On May 4, Company E moved to Elkwater. At that time, Company F was stationed at Sutton. 112 On May 15, Harris reported everything quiet in his com- mand, but it was the lull before the storm. 110 OR, sen 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, pp. 174-5. "'OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 175. ll2 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. Chapter Six Guerrilla Warfare The line of defense through the guerrilla country, set up and maintained by Lieutenant Colonel Harris, kept the Partisan Rangers partly restricted; but at the same time, caused them to organize more efficiently. However, his scouting and skirmish- ing had relieved the pressure on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road and also gave confidence to the loyal citizens of the troubled area. His ability in maneuvering with his incomplete and poorly equipped regiment had been noticed by the War Department; and although the regiment had not reached full strength, on May 20, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Harris was com- missioned a colonel. He asked the Governor of the Restored Government of Virginia to commission his brother-in-law, Cap- tain Moses Hall, a lieutenant colonel and attach him to the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment, which was done on May 30. 113 Shortly after the skirmish at Arnoldsburg on May 5, there occurred one of the brother-against-brother tragedies that haunted families for years after the war. Colonel Anas Ansal marched a company of Union Home Guards to Sutton shortly after the town was burned looking for bushwhackers loyal to the Southern cause. Part of the company was sent to Laurel Creek and the rest to Birch River. Lieutenant James P. Conley was a member of the group and his brother, Perry Conley, was one of the guerrilla leaders. The guerrillas were located, and in a hand to hand conflict, James killed his brother Perry. James was advanced to 1st lieutenant Sept. 12, 1862, but was dis- missed Sept 12, 1864. 114 When warm weather dried up the mud roads, Harris com- pleted his reorganizing of the 10th Virginia Infantry. Major Henry H. Withers was given command of the post at Sutton with Companies A, C and F. Company E remained at Buckhan- non under Captain Lewis M. Marsh; Company G was stationed at Glenville under Captain James M. Ewing. Companies B and D were already at Beverly and Colonel Harris ordered H, I and 118 Minnie Kendall Lowther, History of Ritchie County, (West Vir- ginia), Wheeling News Litho Co., Wheeling, W. Va., 1911, p. 443. Theo- dore F. Lang, Loyal West Virginia from 1861 to 1865, Baltimore, Md., 1895, p. 276. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, erroneously states the date was May 30. 114 John D. Sutton, History of Braxton County and Central West Vir- ginia, 1919, p. 191. Michael Egan, The Flying Gray Haired Yank, Phila- delphia, Hubbard Brothers, Publishers, 1888, p. 33. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 267. The name is some- times spelled Connolly. 42 Major General Thomas Maley Harris K to reinforce them. On May 28, Company H hiked to Philippi and Buckhannon, returning June 4 to Philippi. Two days later the company went to Belington and on the 30th went back to Beverly. Captain Thomas D. Murrin's Company D, with 60 men, made an expedition from Beverly to Mingo Flats on June 12. From there they marched to Dry Fork of Cheat River by the way of Beverly and returned June 25. Captain Murrin was an experienced officer and had previously served ten months in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Company E was ordered to Buckhannon where it arrived May 24, but their stay was short for on the 29th they hiked to Roaring Creek on a scout, returning to Buckhannon on June 12. May 24, Company I scouted New Creek. Colonel Harris' Headquarters Company was in Buckhannon and his 10th Virginia Infantry was in the division guarding the railroad but their work was not usually on the line. Their scout- ing extended 100 miles south of the road. Colonel Nathan Wilk- inson's 6th Virginia Infantry was responsible for guarding the railroad bed and bridges. Company I was detached from the 10th Virginia Infantry much of the time. General Kelley ordered Captain James A. Jarboe to report to him with his men, but on June 20, sent him back to Colonel Harris by the way of the Seneca. Harris' thin line of soldiers could cope with the situation, but fearing the arrival of a larger force of Confederates, General John C. Fremont asked Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, to send General Kelley one or more regiments of regulars to relieve him. The force was to be kept mobile and was to be used to help Colonel Harris at Buckhannon when the railroad was secure. The Southern forces were strong at Allegheny Summit and it was thought they would attack from that point. 116 Colonel Harris had been seriously handicapped by a lack of artillery support and the terror of the guerrillas, but the situa- tion was relieved somewhat when General Fremont sent four pieces of artillery to the 10th Infantry. 116 He had previously re- quested permission of the Wheeling Government to recruit men for an artillery company but had not received a reply. On June 18, he again asked why his request had not been granted and suggested that Captain A. C. Moore be appointed recruiter and captain. He had the guns, horses, ammunition, etc., but no one to operate them. The useless artillery was of some assistance as Harris made a show of the guns, hoping it would keep the guer- rillas quiet. 117 115 General John C. Fremont to Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, in War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880- 1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 402. 119 Fremont to Stanton, OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 428. 117 Calendar of the Francis H. Pierpont Letters and Papers in West Vir- Major General Thomas Maley Harris 43 Colonel Harris was at a disadvantage when he recruited his regiment. He could not offer a bounty as other regiments were doing and no doubt had promised more than his authority per- mitted. On June 18, a protest was made by James H. Jarboe and A. W. Barclay, residents of New Creek, Mineral County, to Governor Pierpont, asking if he approved of Colonel Harris' plans for removal of his soldiers from New Creek for duty in the west. When Company I was formed there, the citizens were promised the men would serve in Hampshire, Hardy and ad- joining counties for the protection of the inhabitants. 118 The residents of Braxton County again registered a com- plaint of harassment and at the request of the Governor, Colo- nel Harris sent Lieutenant Henry Bender of Company F with a few soldiers to investigate and found a band of guerrillas un- der the command of Eli Goff who made a stand at the residence of Andrew Ware. They were defeated by Lieutenant Bender and his men. One guerrilla, John Butcher, was killed in the skirmish. Eli Goff, his brother, Smith, Warner and Lake were captured and sent to Atheneum Prison in Wheeling. 110 Colonel Harris stated in his report he had captured Hay- mond, Coal, and Goff, killed three men, wounded five, and took eleven prisoners with some arms. He also forwarded the infor- mation secured by his scouts as to the strength of the Confed- erate Army at Allegheny Pass. 130 On the 18th, Harris sent Com- pany B from Buckhannon to Camp Forguson on Leading Creek to stop the guerrillas. 131 The 10th Infantry had not been assigned a surgeon and medi- cal officer at Buckhannon, where Harris located a military hos- pital for the regiment. He had been assisted by William M. Worthington who had been commissioned assistant surgeon since January 3, 1862, but he resigned April 12. Governor Pier- pont ordered Dr. George C. Gans to report to Colonel Harris as his assistant. He arrived April 28 and asked the Governor to give him a lieutenant's commission, which was done on July 8. From the organization of the 10th Virginia Infantry to June 19, 1862, regimental medical reports show that 169 cases were treated and there had been no deaths. 132 Early in the spring of 1862, a Dr. Hertzog was accused of murdering Garland Ferrell, a Northern sympathizer, in Green- brier County. David Boughman of Greenbrier appeared at the ginia Depositories. Prepared by the West Virginia Historical Survey, 1940, p. 135. 118 Pierpont Papers, p. 132. 119 Sutton, p. 193. iao OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 1, p. 662. lll Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry, National Ar- chives. 1 "Pierpont Papers, p. 133. Report of the Adjutant General of West Vir- ginia for 3864, p. 46. 44 Major General Thomas Maley Harris 10th Virginia Infantry Headquarters in Buckhannon on June 24, and stated he would appear as a witness at the trial. Harris telegraphed Governor Pierpont asking if Dr. Hertzog would be tried by a military commission and if he should hold the wit- ness. He also suggested that Mathew Corbin, a prisoner held in Wheeling, would also give important testimony in the case. 123 The Federal troops at Middletown were attacked by a cav- alry force June 15, and were forced to fall back to Winchester. General John E. Wool, who had been ordered to guard the rail- road, asked General Kelley to concentrate all his available troops at New Creek, but decided to leave one regiment at Clarksburg until more information on the situation was avail- able. He thought Colonel Harris could protect himself in the mountains from any force then in the vicinity, but constantly warned him that Beverly was a precarious position to occupy and not to accumulate stores or extra baggage. 12 * No mention was made of the 10th Virginia Infantry advancing to fight the guerrillas. Precarious or not, Colonel Harris still maintained a constant warfare against the Partisan Rangers; and in June, Captain James A. Jarboe with a detachment of Company I succeeded in capturing several bushwhackers on Seneca and North Fork in Pendleton County. They were marched to Buckhannon, and on July 19, were dispatched to Wheeling under the guard of Ab- solom Barclay to be imprisoned. 125 Guerrilla warfare, like a festering sore, kept breaking out in unexpected places. When one nest of outlaws was broken up, the men that escaped migrated to another point and set up a new camp from which to operate. Early in July, reports came in of increased guerrilla activity on Powell Mountain; and Colonel Harris was notified it was his duty to break it up. Captain Morgan A. Darnall with his company A of the 10th Virginia Infantry was given the important task of guarding the military telegraph lines from Weston to Summersville. They probably saw more guerrilla fighting than any other company in the regiment. Colonel Harris decided to give them a rest in camp, and on July 2, ordered Captain Darnall to march his men from Beverly to Sutton, a distance of 80 miles, where they ar- rived on the 9th for a two-week stay. Marching that distance in order to rest two weeks hardly seemed worth the effort. When Company A arrived in camp, Captain Nimrod M. Hyre marched Company F from Sutton to Powell Mountain, a short ridge in Nicholas County where the guerrillas were entrenched. They succeeded in killing three and capturing seven bush- 123 Pierpont Papers, p. 135. 12 *Pierpont Papers, p. 145. 125 Pierpont Papers, p. 146. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 45 whackers and after 15 days of scouting and skirmishing, re- turned to Sutton. 128 The Mountain Department merged into the First Corps, Army of Virginia, June 22, 1862. The Railroad District of the Mountain Department seems to have remained unassigned until July 22, when the Eighth Corps, Middle Department, was formed from the old Middle Department. Colonel Harris' 10th Virginia Infantry was attached to the new Railroad Depart- ment in the Eighth Corps, Middle Department. General B. F. Kelley again assumed command of the Railroad District, he apparently had been removed June 26. Major General John E. Wool was assigned to the Eighth Corps July 22. 127 Harris knew the importance of holding Cheat Mountain Summit, and asked Governor Pierpont to send him reinforce- ments. Instead of using his time recruiting, he turned his full attention to the seriousness of the situation. The 84th and 86th Ohio Infantry Regiments were composed of soldiers who had enlisted for three months and as their time was about to expire, the outlook for holding the mountain passes did not look bright General B. F. Kelley also appealed to the Governor for more troops and tried to explain the dangerous position of the 10th Virginia Infantry. 128 Harris' scouts brought in the distressing news that the Con- federates were advancing through Cheat Mountain Pass. It ap- peared that a serious invasion had started, but he was deter- mined to hold the posts he was expected to protect. On Aug. 1, Captain Jarboe marched Company I to Timber Ridge to rout a nest of bushwhackers that had been murdering and robbing in the vicinity. On the 6th, Company D marched from Beverly to Camp Morrin on Dry Fork of Cheat River to get information on the invasion, and the same day, Company B hiked to Camp Forguson on Leading Creek, returning on the 31st to Beverly. Company F marched to the headwaters of Holly River on the 22nd, and from there to Greenbrier County by way of an un- explored region in Webster called the Gulf. On the way, they were attacked by bushwhackers, one of the outlaws being killed in the skirmish. Major Withers led an expedition on the 31st, marching to Bulltown in expectation of meeting Brigadier Gen- eral A. G. Jenkin's Cavalry, but what the company of foot sol- diers could have done if they had met seems uncertain. It is believed no other regiment in the Civil War marched more miles than Colonel Harris' 10th Virginia Infantry as he kept them on the move, scouting and fighting the guerrillas. 128 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. During the Civil War, residents of the area usually called it Powell's Mountain, and is so written in some reports. 127 Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, pp. 337-339. 128 Pierpont Papers, p. 169. 46 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Governor Pierpont was disturbed when he received informa- tion of the invasion through Cheat Mountain Pass from Colonel Harris, 11 ' 9 and on the 21st, telegraphed the War Department in Washington telling of the danger to the Union forces. By that time, Harris had achieved a reputation for sending accurate re- ports to his superior officers and to Governor Pierpont; and Washington was alarmed at the turn of events. General H. W. Halleck asked General Wool if he could send three regiments to help Colonel Harris. He replied that he did not have three, not even one regiment to spare from any station east of New Creek and Cumberland. However, he telegraphed Brigadier General Kelley, who had 5,000 men at that time, to use two regiments to support Colonel Harris if necessary. 180 Company H left Beverly for a scouting expedition to Cheat Mountain on Sept. 7 and returned in six days. Company F left Sutton with Adjutant Oliver P. Boughner in command to de- stroy the Confederate fort at Big Birch but they were them- selves surprised and 14 of their own men were captured. The Army and Department of the Ohio was formed Sept. 19 consisting of the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois* Wis- consin and Kentucky west of the Tennessee River, including Cumberland Gap. The 10th Virginia Infantry, with the 13 other units in the Railroad District of Western Virginia, General Kel- ley commanding, were attached to the new army and was called the Railroad District of West Virginia. 181 The relentless pressure of the Confederates and guerrillas against the 10th Virginia Infantry continued and General Kel- ley knew it would be necessary for Colonel Harris to concen- trate his troops in a more central location and ordered him to move his headquarters from Buckhannon to Bulltown in Sep- tember. During that month and through October, Companies B, C and E were at Camp Hartsuff. Colonel Nathan Wilkinson, commander of the 6th Virginia Infantry, ordered Company D of the 10th to report to him at Clarksburg; but after much bickering over right of command, the company was transferred to Bulltown on the 22nd. There was little cooperation between Harris and Wilkinson during the Civil War. Company F re- mained at Sutton. Colonel Harris could assemble seven com- panies on short notice after the regiment was reorganized, the first time he had been able to do so. 132 129 Pierpont Papers, p. 172. 130 OR, ser. 1, vol. 12, pt. 3, p. 619. 131 OR, ser. 1, vol. 19, pt. 2, p. 338. Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, pp. 524-526. 132 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. W. B. Cutright, The History of Upshur County West Vir- ginia, 1907, p. 311. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Vir- ginia for 1864, p. 285. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 47 In September, Colonel Harris sent an expedition to Hightown in Highland County Virginia under the command of Captain James A. Jarboe. Lieutenant A. W. Barclay accompanied him with Company I. They located a band of guerrillas and succeed- ed in capturing several. As they marched toward Parkersburg on the Staunton Pike, others in the band set up an ambuscade and in the skirmish two of the prisoners escaped. According to the Confederate report of the incident, Captain Jarboe gave orders to his men to kill the prisoners if they were again fired upon. His lieutenants stated they would not carry out that order. One of the prisoners later reported the details to G. W. Randolph, Secretary of War of the Confederate States. 133 The cavalry company so desperately needed by Colonel Har- ris had not yet attained full strength, although Lieutenant Wil- liam C. Hebner had succeeded in signing up 70 recruits; and the Restored Government of Virginia was asked to accept the new company when completed. 184 The defeat and loss of msn at the skirmish of Big Birch still irritated Harris, and on Oct. 6, a detachment of Company C, commanded by Adjutant Oliver P. Boughner again tried to break up their encampment. They were successful and captured nine of the guerrillas. Trouble was brewing in the Big Kanawha Valley and the Union commanders began shifting troops in that direction. It proved to be one of the rumblings of war that produced nothing and the Confederates moved east without a major conflict. Stonewall Jackson controlled most of the Valley of Virginia, and was a constant threat to the western part of the state. He increased his activities and threatened to invade by way of Win- chester and Romney. The lines of communication to the east were broken and it was not known if Jackson occupied Win- chester. The Union commanders knew the threat was not an idle one, and planned to combat it. The general flow of troops was to the east on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the com- manders concentrated their men along the line, waiting for transportation. General R. H. Milroy, who had a part in the Big Kanawha scare, was sent to the Beverly area. As he was the ranking officer, he took command of the 10th Virginia Infantry and other troops in the vicinity, although it appears it was not done on a general order. There was some friction between him and General Kelley as to whom would give orders but the War Department ordered him to report to Kelley. Late in October, Milroy directed Harris to concentrate his forces in Beverly in preparation for meeting the Confederate troops moving in their direction. Company B left Camp Hart- suff on Nov. 4, and marched to Beverly by Middle Fork River 133 OR, ser. 2, vol. 4, p. 899. 13 *Pierpont Papers, p. 200. 48 Major General Thomas Maley Harris arriving on the 13th. On the 1st, Company F left Buckhannon and arrived on the 12 th. Company C hiked from Built own to Sutton, Powell Mountain and on to Beverly. Milroy left his brigade Nov. 7, and went to New Creek where he had eight regiments of infantry, two batteries of artillery and three companies of cavalry. 135 Information on the Confederate troop movement around Winchester was received by the Army Command in Washing- ton, and on Nov. 13, General Halleck telegraphed General Kel- ley informing him that Jackson had left Winchester and was marching west for the purpose of destroying the railroad. Gen- eral Milroy still had 2,000 troops at Beverly and General Jacob D. Cox told General Kelley to call on these troops if necessary. Kelley ordered Milroy to move his troops as fast as possible to Webster, where transportation on the railroad would be wait- ing. 130 The following morning Milroy telegraphed that they were on the move. General Kelley erected fortifications and earthworks the previous summer at New Creek, seven miles from the road, and he wanted to make a stand there if Jackson's forces made an attempt to enter Western Virginia. 137 The situation appeared desperate and General Halleck ordered General Cox, com- mander in the Kanawha Valley, to send as many troops as pos- sible to New Creek to occupy the fortifications. They were to proceed by boat down the Big Kanawha and to Parkersburg on the Ohio, where trains would be waiting to transport them to the east. 138 Company B, 10th Virginia Infantry, arrived at Webster Sta- tion on Nov. 17, having marched by the way of Philippi. Com- panies C and F were already there, and the same day Company E arrived from Bulltown. The following day the troops were transported on the Baltimore and Ohio to New Creek. 139 Gen- eral Kelley, General Milroy and Colonel Gustave P. Cluseret could assemble 20,000 men in their commands at that point. 1 * A strict training program was started in New Creek, and for the first time for most, the men were drilled in regiments and in the arts of warfare. It was their duty to fight experienced armies and most of them lacked instructions in the correct pro- cedures of military fighting, especially in discipline. In the past they had been successful in keeping the guerrillas in check, but it was a different situation with war hardened troops facing them. 135 Lang, p. 105. 136 OR, ser. 1, vol. 19, pt. 2, pp. 577-8. 137 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 763. 188 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 768. 139 Record of Events of Company A, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, National Archives. 140 OR. ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 768. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 49 Jackson, who had excellent communications, decided the mil- itary force from the west was too powerful to attack; and by the 19th, it was evident he would not fight. Kelley telegraphed Major G. M. Bascom, Assistant Adjutant General, he could hold Western Virginia. 141 A few of Milroy's men were still in Randolph and Upshur Counties, and when Jackson failed to at- tack, they returned to fight the guerrillas. 14 "' Companies A, B and E of the 10th Virginia Infantry marched to Petersburg and Moorefield, skirmishing most of the way. They killed one, wounded five, and captured three Confederates. 143 Colonel Harris rode to Moorefield with his men. He received an order from Headquarters to levy three days subsistence from the citizens of the town in retaliation for aiding Captain E. H. McDonald of the Confederate Army. The order was to be car- ried out by Lieutenant John McAdams, Acting Quartermaster. The first order was issued Dec. 11; and the following day, an- other was given, listing the quantity of provisions demanded. A deadline of 4 p. m. was set for the citizens to deliver 1,200 pounds of beef, 700 pounds of pork, 1,150 pounds of flour and 1,200 pounds of corn meal or their town would be burned. If the food was not available, the citizens could pay cash. 144 The food was delivered. Colonel Harris listed his regiment as being in the Army of Occupation at that time, but the reason for doing so is not clear. 145 In a reconnaissance move, General Cluseret entered Stras- burg, Va., on Nov. 21, and captured twenty prisoners. A force of Confederates camped near Woodstock and he fell back to Wardensville. A supply train sent by him was attacked at Ward- ensville by 350 of Colonel John D. Imboden's men but they were repulsed with a loss of six killed, wounded, or taken prison- er. The Union loss was six killed. Companies A, C, E and per- haps others of the 10th Virginia Infantry were in the battle. 140 During the confusion of organizing and marching to new po- sitions, several promotions and changes of command were made among the higher ranking officers. The wording of the orders was not clear and caused resentment among them. Major Gen- eral Robert C. Schenck took charge of the Middle Department, Eighth Army Corps, on Dec. 22, 1862, and he was notified his 141 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 775. 142 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 143 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 144 OR, ser. 3, vol. 3, pp. 8-9. 145 OR, ser. 3, vol. 3, pp. 8-9. 146 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 701. Record of Events of the 10th West Vir- ginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. 50 Major General Thomas Maley Harris command included the defense of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road to the Ohio River. 147 Much damage had been done to the railroad by the Confed- erate forces and the first concern of General Kelley and the Railroad Division was to repair the road. Previously, the rail- road had made its own repairs, 148 but Kelley ordered his soldiers to the task and rebuilt the track at the astounding rate of three- fourths of a mile a day. There was some skirmishing in the Valley of Virginia and jockeying for positions to hold during the winter months. Win- chester was the key point of the area and the Union Army was given orders to drive the Confederates south and hold the town at any cost. The Bluecoats captured Winchester and General Milroy ordered Colonel Harris to assemble his 10th Virginia Infantry there and build winter quarters. The instructions were to move in small squads^ scouting and skirmishing all the way if necessary. The assembly of the regiment was to be on Jan. 1, 1863. Company A marched from Wardensville by the way of Mid- dletown; Company C went through Strasburg and at least part of the regiment marched all the way to Winchester on the Northwestern Turnpike in disobedience of orders. During the march, the weather turned bitter cold and the soldiers suffered from the zero temperatures. Jan. 1, 1863, was the coldest that the old settlers could remember and several soldiers froze to death. The men on duty between Grafton and Piedmont suffered greatly from the low temperatures and high winds. Thomas Marion Matheny, a civilian scout in General Harris' regiment, 149 later stated the men slept in the open with only one blanket to protect them from the cold. Because of their extreme fatigue from forced marches they did not awaken when death threatened and some lost their lives. When daylight came, sev- eral soldiers had hands, cheeks, or other parts of their bodies frozen to the ground and water was heated to free them. Several 147 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, pp. 864 and 883. Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 339. 148 OR, ser. 1, vol. 5, p. 644. 14 '""The hiring of civilian scouts by officers of the United States Army was not unusual. Their pay was excellent, from $25 to $100 per week, but the danger of their being hung was equally high. The scouts were usually expert mountain men who knew the country. This scout's war record can be found in the following publications: Congressional Record 52 Congress 1892, p. 463. Index to Congressional Record, vol. 22, p. 153, House Bills H. R. 12252 and 12254. Congressional Record 51 Congress, 2 Session, vol. 22, p. 13, H. R. 13254, Feb. 1892, p. 1261. Comprehensive Index to Pub- lications of the U. S. Government 1891-1893, by Airnes, War Claims of Thomas Marion Matheny as scout, Rec. Feb. 17, 1892, H. B. 4354, H. R. 51, 1, vol. 2, no. 396, p. 1. Congressional Record, Jan. 30, 1896, p. 1128. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 51 were dead and later in Winchester some of the men had hands amputated. 160 Many soldiers of the 10th Regiment were on the sick list the rest of the winter, and from Dec. 1, 1862, to July, 1863, 43 men died of sickness mostly from the effects of the march to Win- chester. There were no battle casualties during that period. The men were not able to fight. 151 On Dec. 20, 1862, Colonel Harris temporarily lost one of his most valuable men. Major Henry H. Withers was captured near Strasburg and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond. The Confed- erate authorities learned he had been a member of the home guards before his enlistment in the United States Army and was in command of a company of sixteen men who made an emergency expedition into Gilmer County when Captain Abram Parrill and his party of Partisan Rangers raided the area. With- ers drove the rangers out of Glenville and captured a dozen horses that had been stolen from Union men. Captain Parrill was shot by Withers and the son of Parrill was killed by one of the other men in the company. The Confederate Government considered it an act of murder and ordered Withers to be held for trial as a civilian. That proved the guerrillas were recognized by the South as being part of their forces, but considered the home guards loyal to the Union to be outlaws. Colonel Harris contacted Captain John O. Cravens, Assistant Adjutant General in Winchester, asking him to call the case to the attention of the United States Government and see if they could get the articles of war to apply in Withers case. 152 He later returned to the North and resumed his duties in the Union Army. 150 Sutton, p. 193. 151 Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 286. 1C2 OR, ser. 2, vol. 5, p. 459. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY Chapter Seven The Jones-Imboden Raid Milroy's Division in Winchester, a part of the Eighth Army Corps, was formed early in January 1863; and was composed of Colonel Harris' 10th Virginia Infantry, five other infantry regiments, five cavalry units and two batteries. 153 On Jan. 1, General Robert H. Milroy was commissioned major general to date from Nov. 29, and the promotion caused resentment as his commission was taken from the quota allotted to the Virginia troops instead of from Indiana where he belonged. That stopped promotions all along the line and because of it he had very few friends. 151 The reason for his promotion was a mystery to the other generals as they believed he was unreliable. They could not depend on his dispatches telling of the approaching enemy. It was thought his frequent cry of "wolf" would eventually re- sult in his capture. He was so distrusted that when the Confed- erates threatened Winchester, and he telegraphed his superiors he could hold the town if he had more men, General H. W. Halleck stated it was not safe for him to command a large army. 155 The railroad rebuilding progressed rapidly and the entire line was opened to traffic Jan. 5. The 10th Virginia Infantry was assigned to picket duty in Winchester and on the eastern por- tion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 156 Colonel Harris ordered his men to build winter quarters, but if they thought they would settle down to picket duty they were mistaken. General Milroy's idea of railroad protection was to keep expeditions probing southward. Many scouting trips were made up the Valley of Virginia by Harris and his men. 157 Jan. 8, Milroy made a bold stab into enemy territory as far as Wood- stock, but he was chastised by General B. F. Kelley for doing so without orders. 158 Jan. 20, part of the 10th Virginia Infantry went on an expedition, capturing two prisoners; and on March 4, marched to Strasburg, Va., returning with five prisoners. 159 153 Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 341. 15 *Theodore F. Lang, Loyal West Virginia from 1861 to 1865, Balti- more, Md., 1895, p. 105. 155 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index. Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 21, pp. 954-5. 156 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 157 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 286. 158 OR, ser. 1, vol. 21, p. 961. 159 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 54 Major General Thomas Maley Harris The 2nd Division of the Eighth Corps, Middle Department, was formed Feb. 5, 1863, from Milroy's Division, Upper Po- tomac, with Milroy in command. The 2nd Brigade, of which Harris' regiment was a part, was commanded by Brigadier Gen- eral G. P. Cluseret from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12. Colonel George Hayes of the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry commanded until the 10th Virginia Infantry left the brigade. 100 The 4th Separate Brigade of the Eighth Corp® was formed March 1 1, with Briga- dier General B. S. Roberts in command and the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment was transferred to it, remaining until the new West Virginia Government started operating in June. 101 General Roberts, an overbearing commander in whom his men had no confidence, established his headquarters in Weston, Lewis County, Virginia, and started a campaign of terror against the natives that caused much criticism. He was so dis- liked that even the Northern sympathizers objected to the Re- stored Government in Wheeling. His plan was to run all the women, children and old men out of the country if there was a breath of suspicion against their loyalty to the Union. One com- plaint against a family, regardless of how flimsy the evidence, and they were driven from their homes. His "war on the wom- en" was long remembered by those he had hurt. Much criticism has been leveled at the bushwhacker outlaws, but here was a case of legal brutality. 162 The Winchester area was secure, but a far more dangerous situation was developing. Although the western part of Virginia had suffered from the guerrilla raids, they knew little of actual warfare. The Confederate Army was preparing to change that. On April 24, Generals William E. Jones and John D. Imboden marched from the eastern side of the mountains for the invasion of the west with a combined force of about 3,364 men. The pur- pose of the raid was to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road, tear up the telegraph lines and then do as much general damage as possible. There was some thought in Imboden's mind that he could hold the region once it had been captured. 163 One of their first acts was to attack Colonel George R. Latham who commanded 878 men at Beverly, and force him to retreat to Buckhannon. General Roberts called in his troops from Birch, Sutton and Bulltown to the same place and tem- porarily halted his war against the civilians. On April 29, Rob- erts retreated to Clarksburg and was reinforced by Brigadier 160 Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 344, states it was Brigadier General A. Cluserett, which is probably wrong as there is no other mention of this name in the Official Records. 16 Oyer's Compendium, vol. 1, pp. 343 and 383 states it was General Order No. 20 that created the 4th Separate Brigade, dated March 28, 1863. 162 Lang, p. 106. 103 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 98. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 55 General John R. Kenly's brigade. 1 ni General Roberts worked his men to the point of exhaustion digging trenches and building earthworks around the town. Even after the Jones-Imboden raid started, it was thought to be a minor affair for on May 5, Brigadier General Washington L. Elliott, with Colonel Harris' 10th Virginia Infantry, 110th, 122nd and 123rd Ohio Infantry Regiments scouted up the Val- ley of Virginia. On the 4th, they reached Strasburg and Wood- stock, and on the 9th returned to Winchester. They succeeded in capturing five prisoners in a fight near Edinburgh 05 On their return they received the alarming report that Jones and Imboden were tearing up the railroad tracks between Clarksburg and Parkersburg. The growing rumor stated the Confederates had at least 8,000 men on the raid, and if help was not sent soon, all Western Virginia would be taken and Pennsylvania would be in grave danger. The Restored Government of Virginia in Wheeling was pre- paring to leave. Governor Pierpont telegraphed President Lin- coln May 7, stating he was satisfied he could get no help from the volunteer forces for the defense of Western Virginia. 100 The post office, banks and other business establishments were packed and ready to flee to Ohio at a moment's notice. The ordinance officer at Wheeling telegraphed headquarters asking if the supply depot should be blown up if the Confederates in- vaded the town. Clarksburg residents, being nearer the center of operations, were even more panicked. Colonel Nathan Wilkinson tele- graphed Brigadier General B. S. Roberts that Grafton and Web- ster had fallen and he was preparing to evacuate Clarksburg in two hours as he expected an attack by that time. 187 The raid did not materialize, for on May 5, Imboden's scouts reported Clarksburg had received reinforcements and trenches were be- ing dug. The Confederates had no time to capture the fortifica- tions and detoured to the south. Clarksburg was the only town of any size in the path of the raiders that did not fall into their hands. The efficiency of the raid was not helped when the Southern forces swept into Western Virginia in two columns instead of a combined force, although, they probably spread more terror. Imboden advanced through the South Branch Valley to Bev- erly and Buckhannon, while Jones went by Oakland, Rowles- burg, Kingwood, Morgantown, Fairmont and Philippi. 168 104 Lang, p. 107. lfl5 OR, sen 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, pp. 142-3. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. 196 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 2, pp. 345, 447. lfl7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 92. 168 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 102. 56 Major General Thomas Maley Harris General B. F. Kelley, then in Baltimore, had faith in the ability of the 9th and 10th Virginia Infantry Regiments to fight in the mountainous territory since they had been recruited in the troubled area, and requested General Robert C. Schenck to return them to Western Virginia to stem the advance of Jones and Imboden. He promised to send the 14th Virginia In- fantry as soon as possible. 169 Lieutenant Colonel William H. Chesebrough objected to the troops being sent west as he thought it would weaken Winches- ter to a dangerous degree, but the threat to the Union forces in the west was of more concern at that particular time; and on May 7, he ordered the 9th and 10th Virginia Infantry Regi- ments to proceed, and stated that cars on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would be waiting for them the next day in Mar- tinsburg, Va., for transportation to Grafton. Railroad equipment was at a premium as all available cars were being used to trans- port General Joseph Hooker's prisoners to Northern prisons, 170 Previously the 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment had been ordered by General Robert C. Schenck to help General Kelley in Western Virginia, and on the 7th and 9th, the entire brigade except detachments of the 1st and 3rd Virginia Cavalry and Battery L, 5th U. S. Artillery were ordered by Schenck to reinforce him and were temporarily detached from their di- vision. 171 He ordered Kelley to push the 9th and 10th Virginia Infantry to Wheeling and Parkersburg if he found it advisable; but on the same day, Roberts telegraphed Chesebrough that these two regiments with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 14th Virginia Infantry and a battery were to occupy Beverly. 172 Colonel Harris arrived in Charles Town with his regiment May 11, and General Kelley telegraphed Roberts he was send- ing the 10th Virginia Infantry on to Clarksburg. Cars could not be obtained and the following day Harris marched the regiment to Harper's Ferry and there found transportation. On the 12th, they were on their way to Webster Station where they arrived May 17. 173 General Kelley informed General Roberts, "You will find the 10th Regiment of Virginia a fine regiment." 174 When the Confederate raiders detoured Clarksburg and swung south toward their own lines, Colonel Harris was ordered to hold his men at Webster Station and make reconnoitering ex- 169 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 2, p. 436. 170 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 2, pp. 436, 442-3. 171 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 143. 172 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 2, pp. 453-4. 1 "Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 174 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 2, p. 468. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. There is some discrepancy of dates in the source material. Major General Thomas Ma ley Harris 57 peditions into the surrounding territory. 175 Company I, under Captain J. A. Jarboe, was again detached from Colonel Harris' command on May 14. Company G was stationed at the Middle Fork Bridge where it remained until the end of June. 176 General John D. Imboden expected the Virginians to enlist in his Confederate Army, but like Captain John Brown four years before at Harper's Ferry, he was disappointed. He stated in his official report, "Their spirit is broken by the tyrant where they are true to the cause, and those that are against us are the blackest hearted most despicable villains upon the continent. 177 Instead of increasing his army through enlistments in West- ern Virginia, many deserted when he ordered his men not to capture horses for their personal use. The fast pace set by the Confederate commander was too strenuous for many of them and large numbers were left at Beverly and Buckhannon, sick or unable to travel. Some of the Confederate soldiers were detailed to drive captured horses and cattle to the south and the forces of the raiders dwindled to about 2,300 men. When Colonel A. W. Harman's splinter group of Confederate raiders, the 12 th Virginia Cavalry, was repulsed at West Union, they rode to Ritchie Court House, Colonel Thomas M. Harris' home town, and found 75 old men, boys and misfits comprising the Ritchie County Home Guards drawn up in formation pre- pared to fight. Harman recognized their bravery, but also saw the situation was more humorous than dangerous, and talked the men into surrendering their arms. He did not harm the in- habitants or destroy the town, probably out of respect for the brave but helpless home guards, and rode on south joining General William E. Jones the same evening, May 7. 178 On May 9, General Jones extended his raid as far west as Burning Springs, Virginia's prosperous oil field, destroying the drilling and pumping equipment and 150,000 barrels of oil. The fire could be seen in Parkersburg, forty miles to the west, and panic engulfed the Ohio Valley. The burning oil flowed down the Little Kanawha River destroying everything in it's path. Many families in Parkersburg moved to the Ohio side of the 175 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry, Regiment, National Archives. 176 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 286. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 177 OR, sen 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 104. 178 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 134. Hamill Kenny, West Virginia Place Names, Piedmont, W. Va., 1945, p. 299, states the name of the town was Harrisville, although the post office was Ritchie Court House until 1890. In some of the official reports, Harrisville was used and in others, Ritchie Court House. For conformity the name of Ritchie Court House is retained in this book until the name was officially changed by the Federal Post Office Department. 58 Major General Thomas Maley Harris river, the men remaining with horses to guard their homes from looters, but ready to swim the Ohio at the approach of the Con- federates. 179 Ohio troops crossed the river and occupied Park- ersburg. There still was no serious threat to the Southern Army, but as the Ohio soldiers gathering at the western terminal of the railroad might prove to be troublesome, the raiders retreated to their own lines across the mountains. In their lightning 30- day thrust across Western Virginia they traveled 700 miles, killed twenty-five or thirty men, wounded several times that number, captured nearly 700 men with arms and one piece of artillery, destroyed two trains, 16 railroad bridges, one tunnel, and took home 1,000 head of cattle and 1,200 horses. The great- est damage done was to the morale of the natives. Brigadier General W. W. Averell was ordered to Western Virginia May 18 to command the 4th Separate Brigade, reliev- ing Brigadier General B. S. Roberts. He was directed to organize his headquarters at Weston or Buckhannon and draw his sup- plies from the quartermaster depot in Clarksburg. His command included Colonel Harris' 10th Virginia Volunteer Infantry as well as the 28th Ohio Infantry, 2nd, 3rd and 8th Virginia In- fantry, 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, Company C, 16th Illinois Cavalry, Company A, 1st Virginia Cavalry, Company C, 3rd Virginia Cavalry, 3rd Independent Company Ohio Cavalry, and Battery B, and G, 1st Virginia Artillery. AverelFs command was composed almost entirely of Virginians. 1 * Averell reported to Weston May 22 to take command of his men, who were pleased at the change of commanders for his record as a leader was well known. 181 He was to occupy the ter- ritory between the railroad and the Great Kanawha River, but his force was to be kept mobile as a reserve cooperating with General B. F. Kelley. He was informed he might be called on to follow the enemy, cross the mountains to the east, or fight in the Valley of Virginia. His main duty was to guard the passes on Cheat Mountain. Averell ordered Colonel Harris to move the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment back to Buckhannon leaving Company I at New Creek and Company G at Middle Fork Bridge. They did not move as a unit; each company commander was on his own, and arrived at the rendezvous from June 3 to 8. 182 Upshur Coun- ty was found to be free of Confederate soldiers, Jones and Im- 179 Contemporary newspaper reports in Marietta College Library. ,s 'OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 209. 181 Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 343. Theodore F. Lang, Loyal West Virginians from 1861 to 1865, Baltimore, Md., 1895, pp. 107-8. 1H2 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 286. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. Major Genera! Thomas Maley Harris 59 boden had previously retreated to the east, and Colonel Harris marched the 10th Regiment on to Beverly arriving June 8 and 9. He organized a military camp to guard the backwoods coun- ties. His men fought the guerrillas who had again become arro- gant when Jones and Imboden made their raid. Company G re- joined the regiment at the end of June, but Company I was still detached from the regiment and was sent to Petersburg to do guard duty. 183 Colonel Harris and the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment were permanently detached from the 2nd Division, Eighth Army Corps, by General Schenck. 184 Harris' men had been poorly armed, but were now issued 58- calibre Enfield Rifles. 185 Ewing's Battery and two independent companies were with Colonel Harris at Beverly. One company of the 10th Virginia Infantry was left at Buckhannon. 186 18n Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 184 OR, ser. 1, vol. 25, pt. 1, p. 143. ,Nr, Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. ls,i OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 210. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. Chapter Eight Confederate Expedition to Beverly The unhindered Jones and Imboden raid into Western Vir- ginia opened the eyes of the Confederate generals to the un- protected condition of the area, and they mounted their sum- mer offensive from the northern part of the state, aimed at the west. The raid had also demonstrated to the Union Army their lack of cavalry units was a hindrance and they tried to remedy the situation. A cavalry mounting and training station was opened in Bridgeport, east of Clarksburg, and on June 3, 1863, the 3rd Virginia Infantry was sent there to be mounted. On the 9th, the 8th Virginia Infantry arrived in camp. 187 The haste in which the station was activated limited the amount of training possible. Cavalry supplies were not available in Clarksburg, and the Wheeling supply depot was unwilling to issue quantities suf- ficient to equip regiments. General William W. Averell was with Colonel Harris at Bev- erly June 14 when he received a dispatch from General Robert C. Schenck telling him that General Richard S. Ewell had at- tacked the Union Army at Winchester with Jackson's old di- vision, and was trying to advance west on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Averell was ordered to concentrate his forces at Grafton and guard the mountain passes. He left for Clarks- burg, issuing orders to his troops to be ready to move in one hour if necessary. 188 The following morning he received a dispatch telling him to forget the idea of concentrating at Grafton, but to push his troops on to New Creek. 189 At Laurel Hill he received another message stating the entire country was to be abandoned, but gave no instructions for doing so, and no orders were given to dispose of the immense quantity of stores at Clarksburg and Webster. He dispatched orders to Colonel Harris and all other post commanders to move their troops to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad without delay for transportation to the east. Only the cavalry companies were to remain behind as scouts. 190 Harris lost no time in marching the 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment and Ewing's Battery to the railroad and waited for orders from Averell. General B. F. Kelley objected to Colonel Harris' evacuation from the important post at Beverly, and in answer to his re- 187 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 209-10. 188 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 207. 189 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 208. 190 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 206. 62 Major General Thomas Maley Harris quest, was given permission to hold that point. He notified Ave- rell of the change and Colonel Harris was ordered to take his regiment and Ewing's Battery back to Beverly on the 16th. Kelley's apprehension regarding Beverly would prove correct in the next two weeks. Equipment arrived in Bridgeport for the mounting of the 3rd and 8th Virginia Infantry Regiments June 15, and as the need for them at New Creek was urgent, they left on the 17th. Their cavalry training had consisted of how to saddle a horse and from what side to mount, which the farm boys already knew. They were mounted, but were still infantrymen hitching a ride. A company of soldiers was left at Clarksburg and Webster to guard the stores which would have been looted by the inhabi- tants if not protected. The Union sympathizers in the northern part of Western Virginia had been trying for two years to set up a separate state government with the full cooperation of the Restored Govern- ment of Virginia under Governor Francis H. Pierpont in Wheel- ing. It was impossible to get a fair and impartial vote from all the people in the state since the southern part was under the control of the Richmond Government. The state secessionists were willing to leave Virginia, but at the same time condemned the Southern States for leaving the National Government. They finally decided all the counties in Western Virginia could have voted "if they had wanted to," and declared the election legal. President Lincoln doubted the legality of the move but finally signed the Statehood Bill after much political pressure was ap- plied. On June 20, 1863, the infant State of West Virginia was born and went into operation in Wheeling with Arthur I. Bore- man as the first Governor. Officials of the Restored Govern- ment of Virginia moved to Alexandria to try to enforce their government in the rest of the state, which they did not fully suc- ceed in doing until the close of the war. June 20, was spent by Colonel Harris and his command in Beverly with rejoicing and speech making. The Union citizens in Beverly, probably in the minority, met at camp headquarters to lend their moral support. Colonel Harris had been in full accord with the Restored Government of Virginia and the formation of the new State of West Virginia. His severe Presbyterian upbringing taught him the evils of slavery and in his unmitigating way had loudly urged its abolishment long before the war. The creating of West Virginia had separated the western from the eastern people, whom he considered unacceptable in his way of life. The Department of West Virginia was formed by the Army June 24, 1863, and Brigadier General B. F. Kelley was given command. He reorganized the department from the Eighth Army Corps, Middle Department June 28, and Harris' 10th Major General Thomas Maley Harris 63 Regiment was transferred to the new organization as a part of Averell's 4th Separate Brigade. All regiments in the Department of West Virginia were renamed to conform with the new state. Harris' regiment became the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regi- ment, although he had previously used the name in some of his reports. 191 General Kelley was popular with his men and was Colonel Harris' personal friend. He was never pompous, but a com- mander to be trusted in battle, a soldier's soldier. At a social function he was described as follows. "Kelley is a tall angular looking personage, with a thin hatchet like face, and grayish hair and whiskers, from 55 to 58 years of age. He was dressed in an old seedy gray suit and looked like a Quaker, run to seed." 192 General Kelley and Colonel Harris generally agreed on the military situation in West Virginia, and it was Kelley who kept Averell off Harris' back in their arguments. There was little time for celebration or rest for Colonel Har- ris and the 10th West Virginia Infantry, for on July 2, his scouts reported a large force of Confederates under the command of Colonel William Jackson driving in his direction and he was in immediate danger. The enemy was estimated to number 2,200 but the Official Records of the Rebellion state there were 1,700 men and two pieces of artillery. Although the 10th Regiment had 921 seasoned three year men, only 750 were on active duty. 193 Harris still had command of Battery G, 1st West Vir- ginia Artillery, better known as Ewing's Battery, and two com- panies of cavalry. 194 When scouts reported Jackson's advance to Harris, with an estimation of their strength, he telegraphed headquarters in Clarksburg he probably would not be able to hold Beverly against the superior Confederate Army. General Kelley ordered General Averell to go to Harris' aid with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd and the 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry Regiments. 195 The 28th Ohio Infantry and Keeper's Battery were recalled from New Creek to Philippi to fill the vacancy left by Averell. To make matters worse, the telegraph to Beverly ceased to operate about noon on the 2nd, probably the work of advance Confederate scouts, and it was impossible to get information from headquarters on conditions there. liU OR, ser. 1, vol. 23, pt. 1, p. 5. Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 383. '""William S. Lincoln, Life with the Thirty-Fourth Mass. Infantry, Worchester, 1879, p. 157. 19:i Minnie Kendall Lowther, History of Ritchie County, (West Vir- ginia), Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling, W. Va., 1911, p. 443. lfl4 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 3, p. 158. 195 OR, r,er. 1, vol. 27, pt. 3, p. 496. OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 210. 64 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Colonel Jackson divided his command into several columns and advanced by the way of Clover Lick, Big Springs, Green- bank, Claven's Cabin, and Cheat Mountain Pass. 199 Major J. B. Lady proceeded with his two independent companies and parts of three others to the rear of Beverly, on the road leading to Buckhannon, to cut off the Union forces if they should try to re- treat. He turned left two and one half miles beyond the Crouch fortifications and with the help of local guides found his place in line. He was ordered to advance when he heard the Con- federate artillery.' 97 Colonel Harris entrenched Ewing's Battery, with their four pieces of artillery, in the rear of Beverly on Butcher's Hill, near the Philippi Road. 198 In order to feel out the enemy and de- termine its position, Colonel Harris ordered part of his forces to scout on Back Road, leading to Buckhannon, but they were driven back by Captain J. W. Marshall, assisted by Captain John S. Spriggs, who executed a flanking movement and nearly succeeded in cutting off their retreat. 199 Captain John Righter captured Harris' fourteen man detachment of pickets on the Huttonsville Road. Captain Jonathan Gould and Wilben Perry, who were on their way home on furlough were also taken pris- 200 oner. Colonel Jackson placed his two pieces of artillery in position one mile from Ewing's Battery on Butcher's Hill and ordered it to start firing as a signal for the engagement to begin. The artillery kept up a duel but Colonel Harris had the better of the engagement, for only about one in fifteen of the Confederate shells exploded. Part of Jackson's men had not come up to the battle line as ordered and that delayed his plans. 201 Jackson had previously dismounted most of his cavalry in preparation for the assault on Harris' fortifications when his scouts reported Averell's reinforcements coming at a gallop on the Philippi Road. 2 "" At 2 p. m., seeing the hopelessness of his situation, he retreated and went into camp at the Crouch forti- fications, posting his infantry, artillery, and part of the cavalry between there and Huttonsville. 203 Early the next morning Averell advanced and engaged Jack- son's Army with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 3rd and 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Ewing's Battery, and a de- 190 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 806-7. 197 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p, 806. 198 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 806. 190 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 811. 200 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 807, 811. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. 201 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 808. 202 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 808. 203 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 808. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 65 tachment of one hundred and fifty of Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry, and drove them across Elk Water." 04 It had been a miserable campaign, having rained almost continuously except for part of one day. The 10th West Virginia Infantry had been fighting a year and a half, but the engagement at Beverly was the first time the entire regiment had operated in battle as a unit. 205 Averell withdrew his forces to Beverly July 4, where an order was waiting for him to proceed to Hancock, Maryland with the mounted portion of his command. The 28th Ohio Infantry Regi- ment with Keeper's Battery in Philippi, were ordered to proceed without delay to Beverly and reinforce Colonel Harris. They arrived on the 6th and Averell left with the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 3rd and 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry, march- ing northward to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Some fighting had developed around Winchester and General Averell was directed to reinforce the Union defenders. On the 6th, Keeper's Battery and the 8th West Virginia Mounted In- fantry went by train to Cumberland, Maryland. Two days later the four independent companies were forwarded and on July 9, the 10th, 11th, and 12th West Virginia Infantry, 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and Ewing's Battery were entrained for the east." 00 Averell was disgruntled with the action at Beverly and un- justly tried to place the blame on Colonel Harris. "Had Colonel Harris furnished me with timely warning on the approach of the enemy, I should have killed, cap- tured, or dispersed his entire command. As it is> he had received but a slight lesson. "I shall replace Colonel Harris with the 28th Ohio and 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, post the 10th West Virginia at Philippi, the 2nd, 3rd and 8th West Virginia at Buckhan- non, and assemble the independent companies of cavalry at Weston under Major (Thomas) Gibson, and 14th where they may picket the Bulltown and Sutton Road and learn a little discipline."" 07 General Kelley evidently disagreed with Averell's plans for Harris, for the 10th Regiment was returned to Beverly. Colonel Harris was greatly depressed by the action of Colonel Jackson. They were not strangers. Jackson was born in Clarks- burg, lived part of his life in Ritchie County, and was Harris' 204 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 805-6. 205 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 286. 2(H! Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 207 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 805-6. 66 Major General Thomas Maley Harris neighbor. He had been a Commonwealth attorney, jurist, and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Lieutenant Gov- ernor of Virginia, Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court, and ended up with the ignoble name of Mudwall Jackson to dis- tinguish him from his more famous cousin, Stonewall. He had recruited a regiment for the Confederacy behind the Union lines, mostly in the Ritchie County area, much to the discom- fort of Colonel Harris,"" 8 More than ninety percent of Company F, 10th West Virginia Infantry had been recruited in Braxton County, and as most of them had not been on a furlough since enlisting, Colonel Harris decided to let them make a scouting expedition to their home county for a visit. Captain Nimrod H. Hyre went to his home on Salt Lick and was entertaining as his guests, Orderly Sergeant John D. Baxter, Orderly Sergeant Samuel E. Knicely, Privates E. B. Wheeler and William M. Barnett. A few other unnamed privates were there as well as George D. Mollohan, Harvey Hier, and M. L. Barnett, neighbors of the Hyre family. Orderly Sergeant John D. Baxter had some difficulty with the guerrillas in the area on a previous scout. His commanding officer had ordered him to go to the residence of the Tuning family on Salt Lick and confiscate some of their property as they were known to be Confederate sympathizers. Late in the evening the Tunings started firing on the Hyre home. Captain Hyre, over the protest of Baxter, decided to sur- render the soldiers, rather than have the wrath of the outlaw band fall on the civilian householders. The captives were tied together and marched to the south. At least part of the civilians were taken along by the guerrillas. They stated some of the prisoners were to be sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, and oth- ers including Sergeant Baxter, were to be put to death. The de- tachment started toward Colonel William L. Jackson's camp in Pocahontas County, Baxter and Wheeler tied together, and Knicely with Barnett. Two succeeded in untying themselves and communicating the fact to the others, waited for a favorable time and at a signal plunged into the brush, two on one side of the path and two on the other. Barnett was recaptured. Later the guerrillas released Hyre and Barnett, two civilians, and the others were taken to Jackson's camp and on to Libby Prison. 200 Colonel Jackson still remained to the south of the United States forces in Beverly, and created an unhealthy condition for Harris. It was evident there would be more raids from the south and east before the end of the year and would probably end in 208 Lowther, p. 443. Ezra J. Warner, Generals in Gray, Louisiana State University Press, 1959, p. 153. 209 J. J. Sutton, History of the Second Regiment West Virginia Cavalry Volunteers Portsmouth, Ohio, 1892, p. 195. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 67 favor of the Confederacy. General E. Parker Scammon com- municated his fears to General Kelley, who decided to take the offensive. General Averell was given orders to take the expedition south, drive Jackson from Huntersville and destroy the saltpeter and powder works nearby. It was necessary that this be done before a drive could be made on Staunton. Averell was to take the 2nd West Virginia Infantry, 8th West Virginia Infantry, Gibson's Battery, Ewing's Battery, 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry for accomplishing his mission. General Averell left Winchester August 5, and proceeded by North Mountain, Wardensville, Moorefield, Lost River, and Petersburg. Colonel Harris and the 10th West Virginia Infantry, in company with the 2nd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, was ordered to meet the expedition and form a junction at Hunters- ville. Averell arrived at Huntersville to wait for Harris' detach- ment from Beverly. They arrived during the day, with 350 men of the 2nd and 10th Regiments and Keeper's Battery. The following morning the march was resumed and Jackson's army was driven through Warm Springs and over the mountains in the direction of Millsborough. Averell destroyed the salt- peter and gunpowder factory five miles above Franklin which was a severe blow to the Confederacy. On the orders of General Kelley, the 10th was sent back to Huntersville to maintain a guard and the remainder of the ex- pedition advanced in the direction of Lewisburg. On the way he made a side raid and destroyed another saltpeter works on Jackson River. A battle was fought in Greenbrier County, with General Sam Jones and Colonel George S. Patton that lasted two days, but when the enemy received reinforcements and ammunition, at the same time the Union supplies were running low. Averell was forced to make an orderly retreat. The expedition was not a success. On the 28th, Averell reached Greenbrier Bridge or Marling Bottom, where Colonel Harris was holding the 10th in readiness. On the 29th they moved to Big Springs, but the enemy had blocked the road for a half mile with fallen trees and some delay was made while the way was cleared. That gave the men a chance to feed and rest their jaded mounts. On the 31st, Ave- rell arrived in Beverly and made his report to Kelley. There was much praise in the report for many on the expedition, but praise for Harris and the 10th West Virginia Infantry was con- spicuous by its absence. 210 - 10 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, pp. 29 to 66. Marling Bottom was also called Marlings Bottom. Hamill Kenny, West Virginia Place Names, Piedmont, W. Va., 1945, p. 402. 68 Major Genera! Thomas Maley Harris General Averell mounted much of his infantry and most of the regiments were mounted in part, but Colonel Harris 10th Regiment never rode horses/ 11 Maybe that was how they gained the name of the Galloping 10th. ,u A p Lockard History of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Pocahontas Times, Marlinton, W. Va., Jan. 24, 1929. Chapter Nine The Battle of Droop Mountain Brigadier General John Echols' Confederate Army at Lewis- burg, West Virginia, again threatened the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and late in October 1863, General B. F. Kelley decided to break up their encampment before the beginning of winter. 212 Brigadier General William W. Averell was in Beverly with headquarters of the 4th Separate Brigade, directing the patrols to the south and guarding the mountain passes. Colonel Thomas M. Harris posted a detachment of the 10th West Virginia In- fantry at Bulltown, Braxton County. Company I was still at Petersburg, West Virginia, and the remainder of his regiment was at Beverly. 213 Averell's brigade consisted of the 28th Ohio Infantry Regi- ment, 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, Major Thomas Gibson's Light Artillery, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry Reg- iments. Kelley ordered Averell to move south November 1, to Lewisburg. He was directed to leave the infantry there as a rear guard, and with the mounted troops proceed to Union, Monroe County, West Virginia, and on to the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, striking it near Dublin, Virginia. Their main objective was to destroy the bridge over New River. If that plan was found to be impractical, the infantry and Keeper's Battery were to be returned to Beverly. The mounted troops and the remain- ing battery was to march by the most convenient road into the South Branch Valley, returning to New Creek the same way. They were to carry ten days rations of hard bread, sugar, coffee and salt, depending on the country for their other needs. 214 Colonel Harris recalled his men from the outposts to form part of the expedition. Company I, being on detached duty and not an active part of the regiment, remained at Petersburg, West Virginia. Company B was detailed as Provost Guard. Colo- nel Augustus Moor commanded the 10th West Virginia Infan- try, 28th Ohio Infantry, and Keeper's Battery. 215 General Averell moved south on the Staunton Pike November 1, by Bartow and Greenbank to Huntersville, skirmishing most of the way. They drove the enemy pickets before them and cap- 312 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index. Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 499. " 13 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. LM4 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 500. " 15 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 70 Major General Thomas Maley Harris tured or dispersed the guerrillas who tried to hinder their prog- ress. Southern sympathizers kept General John Echols informed of the Union troop movements and he prepared for battle. Brig- adier General Alfred N. Duffie left Charleston November 3, with his detachment, moving east to join Averell. General Averell reached Huntersville at noon on the 4th, 2 "' and learning from his advance scouts that part of Colonel W. L. Jackson's command with about 600 men was at Marling Bot- tom, dispatched the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry to Mill Point to cut off their retreat toward Lewisburg. The 2nd and 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry and one section of Ewing's Battery was sent to Marling Bottom to attack. The entire command moved to Mill Point on the 5th, but was stopped by a Confederate artillery company stationed on a high bank above the road. The Union artillery drove them from their position and Averell's army moved ahead. 217 As the Confederates retreated, their ax men blocked the road behind them with fallen trees and succeeded in making a junc- tion with Jackson's forces, presenting a formidable front of 4,000 men under Brigadier General John C. Echols, who commanded the 14th Virginia Cavalry, 22 nd Virginia Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Derrick's Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel George M. Edgar's Battalion, Colonel William L. Jackson's Brigade, and seven pieces of artillery. There was sharp skirmishing on the 5th, but as General Duf- fie was not expected to arrive until the 7th, Averell moved cau- tiously. He wanted to delay the battle until he was sure of help from the Kanawha Valley reinforcements if they were needed. 218 Colonel Augustus Moor left Mill Point soon after daybreak on the 6th, with Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry, 28th Ohio Infantry, and one company of cavalry, marching to near Hillsborough where they prepared breakfast. At 8 o'clock, he was ordered to take his command to the right and rear of Droop Mountain to feel out the enemy and get in position to attack. Moor had native guides who detoured the brigade nine miles. He later condemned the guides as being inefficient but contemporary maps indicate it was the best route over a range of hills and into the next valley, where the brigade turned left toward Droop Mountain. 210 As they marched through the valley, Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry advanced on the right of Colonel Moor's command and was in the unenviable position of holding the ex- - M "OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, pp. 500-5. l7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 509. 318 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 500. ~' D Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confed- erate Armies, Washington, 1891-1895, plate 135B-2. Major Genera! Thomas Maley Harris 71 treme right of Averell's entire army. They would bear the brunt of any flanking movement by General Echols, but fortunately for Harris that did not happen. Moor was at a disadvantage in communicating with head- quarters. Lieutenant A. Clarkson Merritt of the signal corps ac- companied him on his nine mile march but on only one occasion was he able to communicate with General Averell's headquar- ters because of the brush and rough terrain." Moor's move was expected by the Confederates and he found three large detachments of Echols' army in the valley, en- trenched behind natural fortifications at the base of the moun- tain who forced the Union troops to take cover until the news could be sent to Averell. The battle lines were drawn up with Colonel Harris on the right and to his left were Moor's 28th Ohio Infantry with a company of cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel F. W. Thompson's 3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Lieuten- ant Colonel A. Scott's 2nd West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Colonel J. H. Oley's 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry, Colo- nel J. N. Schoonmaker's 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, with Cap- tain J. V. Keeper's Battery B, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery and Captain Chatham T. Ewing's Battery G, 1st West Virginia Light Artillery on a ridge behind Schoonmaker. 221 When General Averell received information of the three de- tachments of Confederate troops confronting Colonel Moor in the valley, he ordered a move to the right by part of his com- mand. The Confederates retreated to the top of Droop Moun- tain, thinking Averell was trying to separate them from Echols. It was impossible for horses to advance through the thick un- derbrush in secrecy. Averell ordered his cavalry to dismount and carry their arms at a trail. They marched four miles in a north- west direction and by staying behind fences and in ditches were able to reach the rear of the Confederate Army without being detected. Moor moved to the position vacated by the retreating outpost. The army was in position at 1:45 p. m. and a general cautious advance was ordered all along the line. The mountain was rough and the troops could not see more than thirty or thirty five yards. The 28th Ohio Infantry was the first to reach the breast- works near the summit of the mountain and the Confederates charged them with bayonets. Their "rebel yell" demoralized the Union men who retreated in disorder until Colonel Moor or- dered them to take cover. Colonel Harris was having a difficult time advancing through the heavy concentration of horses, army equipment, and underbrush, and had fallen behind, but when the bayonet charge developed, Moor ordered him to advance "'"OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 509. ""'Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confed- erate Armies, Washington, 1891-1895, plate 135-B-2. 72 Major General Thomas Maley Harris on the double and front the regiment by inversion with his hard- ened troops and form on the right of the 28th Ohio Infantry, which was promptly done. His quick thinking saved the Union right flank from crumbling. The other troops in Averell's army advanced steadily toward the top of Droop Mountain, and as soon as Colonel Harris moved into line, a general advance was ordered at 3 p. m. which drove the Southern Army from their fortifications and down the mountain in a disorderly retreat. The 10th West Virginia Infantry had marched almost to the point of exhaustion but they were ordered to keep on advancing. Colonel Moor pursued the enemy six miles beyond the battle- field, much of the time on a run, and encamped. Major Thomas Gibson's Independent Cavalry Battalion pursued the retreating army until dark. 222 Colonel Harris was acquiring a reputation as a mountain fighter and one incident occurred at the Battle of Droop Moun- tain that passed from soldier to soldier through the Union Army. He had two possessions of which he was inordinately proud, his flowing reddish whiskers and a beautiful riding horse, Old Coaly. When he led his regiment up Droop Mountain in a flanking movement during the final charge on the Confederate defenders, he was met by a heavy musketry fire. A bullet passed through his beard cutting out a large wisp. He stripped out the severed whiskers, bounced off his horse and threw the reins to Adjutant John Warnicke saying, "Here John, take this horse to the rear. I'm afraid he'll get hurt." He then continued to lead the charge on foot. 225 Harris never again rode Old Coaly into battle. Averell reached Lewisburg on the 7th and found General Duffie had arrived the night before with four infantry regiments and one section of artillery. Later in the day the combined armies moved in the direction of the enemy in a column four miles long, 224 but they soon encountered a blockade of fallen trees a few miles out of town. To add to Averell's troubles, Gen- eral Duffie notified him that his men were fatigued and their feet so badly blistered they could only march ten miles a day. They were inexperienced troops, had little knowledge of war- fare and with only one day's rations left it was impossible for them to advance. 225 The entire expedition was slowing down with tired soldiers, prisoners of war, arms, and other plunder and it was time for 222 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, pp. 500, 510, and 512. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. 223 As told by Ham Griggs, a member of the 10th West Virginia Infantry to Boyd B. Stutler. 224 A. P. Lockard, History of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Pocahontas Times, Marlinton, W. Va., Jan. 24, 1929. 225 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 504. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 73 Averell to reorganize. On the 8th, he ordered General Duffie to march his men to Meadow Bluff, and Colonel Moor, with the 10th West Virginia Infantry, 28th Ohio Infantry, and Keeper's Battery, to return to Beverly, taking with them 82 prisoners, all men dismounted in battle, captured horses and arms, and de- stroy the Confederate camps in their line of march. 229 At Hillsborough, Moor recovered fifty-five of his own men wounded in the fighting and transported them north in ambu- lance wagons filled with straw. Two men of the 10th Regiment were too weak to be moved and Colonel Harris left Assistant Surgeon Jonathan R. Blair of the 10th Infantry with them. He also had nine wounded Confederate soldiers to care for. Four Union and four Confederate soldiers had been left at the Moun- tain House but three died and it was thought only two others would live. On the 10th Colonel Moor moved his command north until they reached Elk Mountain at 10 a. m. where they encountered a blockade erected by bushwhackers under the command of a McCoy. The expedition was halted until a company from each regiment drove them away. The only loss to Moor was a few horses and cows. 227 After a long and muddy march, Colonel Harris led the 10th West Virginia Infantry to Beverly, the companies having walked from 165 to 200 miles. They rested a few days and Har- ris ordered Company B, still the Provost Guard, to take the prisoners to Wheeling to be processed and sent to prison. They marched 46 miles to the railroad and rode one hundred miles by rail, returning the same way Nov. 20. 228 Averell marched to White Sulphur Springs and recovered the wounded men left there after the Battle of Rocky Gap the previ- ous August, and arrived at New Creek November 17. The number killed and wounded in the Confederate Army was between 400 and 500 men. Averell's loss was less than 130. Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry lost seven enlisted men killed and 29 wounded, the largest casualty list of any regi- ment at the Battle of Droop Mountain. Company D, 10th West Virginia Infantry, changed stations and marched to Leedstown December 1, but was recalled to help remove the wounded from Greenbrier County on the 8th, and returned to Beverly with them. 229 Colonel Harris was not with his men on the second expedition to Greenbrier, for on December 3, he was assigned to the Gen- 226 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 504. 227 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 512. McCoy is not fully identified. 228 OR, ser. 1, vol. 29, pt. 1, p. 507. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. 229 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Washington, 1891-1895, plate 135C-1. 74 Major General Thomas Maley Harris eral Court Martial Board in Cumberland, Maryland, where he remained until February." 30 Lieutenant Colonel Moses Hall commanded the regiment. Scouting was again the order of the day for the 10th West Virginia Infantry. The hardships suffered by the men gave them short tempers which sometimes reflected on the civilian popula- tion. Major Henry H. Withers of the 10th Regiment was mak- ing a scout down Elk River. James McCourt saw the soldiers coming and tried to escape to the woods and was shot when he refused to halt. He was a harmless citizen but his terror cost him his life. 231 The Battle of Droop Mountain was the one more often dis- cussed after the war by members of the 10th West Virginia In- fantry. They were in other engagements that made Droop Mountain look like a minor skirmish, but it was their first full dress battle. Personal incidents were discussed and retold many times, but the one that engaged their fancy most was the Short affair. After the battle, a squad of men from the 10th Regiment were detailed to bring in the wounded and dead to a collection point. Their task continued late in the night. Andrew Jackson Short of Company F was a member of the squad. When he touched the hand of a dead soldier to lift him, he recognized a deformed finger on the corpse as belonging to his brother. They had clasped hands before the battle and wished each other luck. Now the deformed hand he held was cold in death. 232 230 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 231 John D. Sutton, History of Braxton County and Central West Vir- ginia, 1919, p. 202. " 32 Sutton, p. 190. There is no record of a soldier by the name of Short dying in the Battle of Droop Mountain. There evidently was an incident connected with the brother's deformed finger, but the truth cannot be de- termined today from the many versions told by the family. It may be the brother was only wounded. Chapter Ten Protecting the B. & 0. Railroad The Department of West Virginia was again reorganized late in December 1863, and General William W. Averell was given command of the 4th Division. The 1st Brigade, composed of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, 28th Ohio Infantry Reg- iment, and Battery A of the 1st West Virginia Artillery, was temporarily commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Moses Hall. In January 1864, Colonel Augustus Moor of the 28th Ohio Infan- try received a promotion to the brigade commander and held the position until April. Hall returned to Ritchie County on a sick leave. In his absence Major Henry H. Withers commanded the 10th West Virginia Infantry. 233 Confederate Major General Fitzhugh Lee scouted the South Fork of the Potomac the first week in January, and General Averell asked General Kelley if it was possible for the 10th West Virginia Infantry to make a forced march by the way of the Seneca, past Franklin, West Virginia, to cut him off on his return, 234 but Lee's men would strike a blow at the 10th instead. Company I, 10th West Virginia Infantry, was still at Moore- field Junction and on January 3, Lieutenant John M. Jarboe re- ceived orders to take twenty five of his men and guard a wagon train bound for New Creek, a distance of three miles. While they were away, the garrison remaining at the post was sudden- ly attacked by the Confederate forces who captured Lieutenant Michael Ahern and twenty one enlisted men. The Confederates were more interested in the post supplies than the prisoners. The remainder of Company I was directed to rejoin the 10th West Virginia Infantry at Beverly, where they arrived the 11th. 235 The reports of the raiders stated the 10th West Virginia Infantry was mounted, as captured papers indicated they were temporarily attached to a cavalry unit, but they were foot sol- diers. 230 The action was known as the battle at McNemar's Church. " R:i Wair of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index. Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 329. Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 385. Records of the War Department, the Adjutant General, Records Group No. 94, National Archives. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infan- try Regiment, National Archives. 134 OR, ser, 1, vol. 33, p. 329. ""■'Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry, National Ar- chives. L3G OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 1108. A. P. Lockard, History of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Pocahontas Times, Marlinton, W. Va., Jan. 24, 1929. 76 Major General Thomas Maley Harris The Southern forces were unusually active in the spring of 1864, and encouraged the guerrillas of West Virginia to step up their robbing and pillaging. It was reported they would enter the backwoods homes and take the last knife and fork from the table. On January 29, a delegation from the vicinity of Ander- son's Store petitioned General Kelley to return Companies A and B of the 10th Regiment to West Fork and Centre ville where they were recruited, to give protection to the civilians. The Wheeling Government ordered scouts to Webster County. The 28th Ohio Infantry, four pieces of artillery, and a few cavalry- men were left in Beverly. 237 When Lieutenant Colonel Moses Hall returned from sick leave he assumed command of the 10th West Virginia Infantry. He was lax in separating fact from rumor in his reports, and did not hesitate to report directly to General Kelley, instead of through channels, and that did not endear him to Colonel Moor. 238 Hall sent two companies of the 10th to Webster County early in February, and on the 11th a party of fifteen of the best men in the brigade was sent to Pocahontas County to capture Joe Guy and two of his henchmen, who had been causing trouble for the civilians. Hall was informed that Jackson's command was mounted and advancing into West Virginia, and he wanted to know their plans. 239 The scouting party returned from Webster County with seventeen prisoners including the celebrated guer- rilla, Dan Dusky, and the expedition to Pocahontas County re- turned with five prisoners, among whom was Major P. B. Ad- ams of the 42 nd Virginia Confederate Infantry. 240 When Colonel Harris finished his duties on the Court Martial Board in Cumberland, he was granted a twenty day leave of absence to visit his family in Ritchie County before returning to take command of the 10th West Virginia Infantry. 241 Colonel Moor was apprehensive of an attack on Beverly and asked for reinforcements to help him hold the post. One section of Keeper's Battery was sent and Moor kept his men busy build- ing fortifications. He thought Generals Echols, Jenkins, Jackson, and Rosser would attack him by June l. 242 The military Department of West Virginia extended from the Potomac River on the east to the Ohio on the west, beyond the Great Kanawha in the south and southwest and included the whole of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Harper's ,7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 510, 1246. 288 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 446. 239 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 552, 564. 240 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 572. 241 Field and Staff muster roll, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, March- April 1864, National Archives. 242 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 671, 716, 764, 789. He evidently meant Colonel Jackson. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 77 Ferry to Parkersburg. 243 President Lincoln removed General Kelley from command of the Department of West Virginia Feb- ruary 29, and gave the post to Major General Franz Sigel of the United States Volunteers, who assumed command March 10. General Averell was still in command of the division. General Ulysses S. Grant was assigned the Armies of the United States March 12, and Major General Henry W. Halleck was given the title of Chief of Command of the Armies. 244 For the first time in the Civil War the military forces of the United States would cooperate to the point of efficiency. Most new commanders thought it was necessary to make some sweeping changes to show the War Department how right they had been in their selection and General Sigel was not an exception. He tried to withdraw his troops from the outposts in West Virginia and maintain his line of defense at the Balti- more and Ohio Railroad, but Governor A. I. Boreman emphat- ically objected to leaving the counties then protected by the 10th West Virginia Infantry and other regiments to the mercy of the guerrillas and Confederates. The protection of Beverly was important as it was one of the key defense positions for the railroad as well as the central West Virginia counties. 245 General Grant agreed with General Sigel to some extent as he knew the war could never be won with much of the armed forces scattered over the country in small groups to protect the local citizens. However, instead of withdrawing the troops northward to protect the railroad, he decided to advance to the south, and directed Sigel to concentrate his troops at Beverly, to cooperate with troop movements from the Valley of Virginia and east from the Great Kanawha Valley. He was told to as- semble not less than 8,000 infantrymen, three batteries of artil- lery, and 1,500 cavalrymen at Beverly. Major General Edward O. C. Ord was assigned the command of the expedition with headquarters in Beverly. 246 The purpose of the movement was to cut and destroy the East Tennessee and Virginia Rail- road, a thorn in the side of the Union commanders. With the railroad destroyed, the threat to Beverly and the area north of the Great Kanawha would be eliminated. Brigadier General George Crook was ordered to advance east from Charleston, march to Saltsville, and form a junction with General Ord's troops. Their job was to destroy the vital iron works at Fincastle, Virginia. 247 General Sigel began assembling his troops in Beverly March 29, and removed many of his men from the Baltimore and Ohio l3 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 762. l4 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 618, 664, 762. l5 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 750. 16 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 765. t7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 758. 78 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Railroad."* 8 Part of his command was on furlough and he was given until April 15, to assemble his army." 11 ' The only troops left to guard the railroad were the 6th West Virginia, 23rd Il- linois, 54th Pennsylvania, 116th Ohio, and 34th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments. 2 "' Governor Boreman called out the state militia, an inefficient group, but able to keep the guerrillas at a distance. 251 By April 2, a gigantic troop movement was in motion toward their assembly points. Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia In- fantry and the 28th Ohio Infantry were already at Beverly. The 11th West Virginia Infantry was marching to join them by the way of Bulltown with 707 enlisted men and officers. Also on the way to assembly points were the 1st, 13th, 14th, and 15th West Virginia Infantry Regiments, the 3rd and 4th Pennsyl- vania Infantry Reserves and 2nd Maryland Infantry. 252 Brigadier General Jeremiah C. Sullivan was given command of the infantry and ordered to form his ten regiments, totaling 5,635 men, into two or three brigades. 253 More specific details on the reorganizing were given by headquarters on the 9th. The new division organized by General Sullivan was to be iden- tified as the 1st Infantry Division of the Department of West Virginia. Colonel Augustus Moor, commander of the 28th Ohio Infantry in Beverly, was told to organize the 28th Ohio, 10th and 11th West Virginia Infantry Regiments and the 3rd and 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Reserves into the 1st Provisional Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. 254 Colonel Joseph Thoburn organized and commanded the 2nd Provisional Brigade with the 1st, 12 th, 14th, and 15th West Virginia Infantry Regiments. Thoburn and Harris would work closely from that point on until Thoburn was killed later in the year. The 10th West Virginia and 28th Ohio Infantry Regi- ments were detached from the Cavalry Division, formerly the 4th, to which they had been temporarily assigned. 255 The Confederate commanders received information of the troop movement aimed at the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and in turn made hostile movements in the direction of Cumberland, Maryland, and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, with the invasion of Washington, D. C, a possibility, and that halted General Grant's plans. All units at Beverly were ordered to hold their positions and throw out strong outposts to learn ~ 48 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 764. L4n OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 799. 250 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 791. 51 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 812. '■'"OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 791. L " ! OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 791. L54 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 832. L5, OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 832-3. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 79 of the movements of the enemy. Four companies of infantry were sent to Philippi and four to Weston for guard duty. 256 Bushwhacker trouble flared again in Webster County and Captain L. T. Lawson left Weston with a company of cavalry to quiet them. A skirmish followed near Addison in which five men were killed. The cavalry retreated but met Captain Mor- gan Darnall advancing with Company A of the 10th West Vir- ginia Infantry. In a second attack twelve guerrillas were killed and four captured. 257 By the 19th General Franz Sigel asked General Grant to abandon the expedition to the South, post a small force at Bev- erly, use one regiment of cavalry to hold communications open between the troops on the Great Kanawha and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and advance all other infantry and cavalry units in the direction of Cedar Creek to threaten the enemy in the Shenandoah Valley. General George Crook could then march east and destroy the East Tennessee and Virginia Rail- road and the salt works. 25 " Grant approved of the change, but placed more emphasis on the movement east by General Crook. 259 One hundred and sixteen supply wagons were moving from Webster to Beverly with supplies for the expedition, but on the 16th the order was changed when part of the wagon train was within eight miles of its destination and the wagons were re- turned to Webster. When the movement south was abandoned, General Ord was relieved of his command in the Department of West Virginia. 260 Under the new plan of attack, it was necessary to send troops west to Parkersburg on the railroad and from there to Charles- ton by steamer to join Crook. Colonel Harris marched his 10th Regiment from Beverly to Webster on April 24, but on the 25th General Franz Sigel notified Major General Julius Stahel, then in command of the 1st Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions concentrating at Martinsburg, West Virginia, to make no plans for General Sullivan, Colonel Moor, and Colonel Harris until he communicated with him. On the same day he ordered Harris and the 10th Infantry to return to Beverly and wait for orders. Colonel Harris took his regiment on the second half of the troop movement his men knew so well, march to the railroad and return to Beverly. Colonel Augustus Moor was ordered to Martinsburg. General Sullivan was relieved from further duty at Webster on April 27, and was given command of the 1st In- fantry Division in Martinsburg. 261 23ti OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 823. Dr. Roy Bird Cook, Lewis County in the Civil War, 1861-1865, 1924, Jarrett Printing Co., Charleston, W. Va., p. 83. 257 Cook, p. 83. 258 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 901. 259 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 911. 260 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 911. 261 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 964, 976, 977, 989, 998. 80 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Without the support of Colonel Moor and the 28th Ohio In- fantry, the 10th West Virginia Infantry was in a dangerous po- sition with the Confederate forces of unknown strength nearby, and it was imperative that Harris should have reinforcements if they were to remain. The situation was so unstable that Gen- eral Sigel notified General Stahel he would not be responsible for anything that happened to Colonel Harris if he was not re- inforced at once. 10 " Colonel Harris did not want to risk losing his entire regiment to the Confederates. He knew he could not whip any force strong enough to have marched that far north, and kept his men constantly out on patrol within easy communications of head- quarters so they could retreat north in small groups through the woods if necessary. Only a few men were kept at the forti- fications. 263 The 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry was sent to Harris' aid and the 6th West Virginia Infantry was withdrawn from the rail- road and ordered there also as the 14th was to join General Crook in Charleston for his push to the east. The dismounted part of the 6th Virginia Infantry marched to Beverly as soon as the order was received. 264 Colonel Harris and the 10th West Virginia Infantry again changed organizations April 26. On that date General Franz Sigel ordered Brigadier General Max Weber to organize a Re- serve Division, Department of West Virginia, out of the old 1st and 2nd Provisional Brigades of the 1st Infantry Division, with headquarters at Harper's Ferry. 265 Colonel Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry was attached to the Reserve Division West of Sleepy Hollow. General B. F. Kelley was the division com- mander. The Reserve Division was a mammoth affair, con- taining thirty four regiments or other units. The reorganizing and maneuvering was in preparation for the fierce fighting in the Shenandoah Valley in the summer and fall of 1864. In the meantime, Harris continued to command at Beverly until Gen- eral Kelley sent him east. It had been the policy of the soldiers, both North and South, to requisition supplies from the civilians, but in Gilmer County, West Virginia, the people were starving and the order was re- versed. Assistant Adjutant General T. Melvin, of West Virginia, ordered government supplies transported there for the relief of the people. 266 262 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 988. 2Cy Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 2M OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, pp. 987-8. 2G5 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 987. Dyer's Compendium, vol. 1, p. 389, states the 10th West Virginia Infantry joined in May. 260 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 987. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 81 Colonel Harris, commander of the fortifications at Beverly, not only had his own 10th Regiment, but also the 6th West Virginia Mounted Infantry and detachments of the 21st New York Infantry. He reported to Colonel Nathan Wilkinson at New Creek. 2 ' 7 The Confederates were in possession of Bull- town. 2 " 8 Colonel Wilkinson reported to the Assistant Adjutant General, Department of West Virginia, that Colonel Harris would need all the troops then at Beverly, 2 " for although the men of the 10th were experienced mountain fighters, and cap- able of fighting under hardships, they could not hold the post alone. 270 Colonel Harris received a report from his scouts May 8, that Brigadier General John D. Imboden and Colonel William L. Jackson were preparing for an immediate attack on Beverly, and sent cavalry detachments with orders to advance thirty miles on the Staunton and Huntersville Roads to see if the report was true. He notified Colonel Nathan Wilkinson of his action and on the order of General Kelley, Keeper's Battery made a forced march to support Harris. 271 The scouting party to Pendleton County, West Virginia, re- ported General Imboden had marched to Staunton and Colonel Jackson was in Highland County, Virginia, threatening to at- tack Beverly, but Colonel Harris was confident he could con- trol him. Another scouting party was sent out on the Staunton Pike and marched to the Greenbrier River, encountering 100 guerrillas on top of Cheat Mountain, killing one and wounding another. 272 Two days later, on the 11th, General Max Weber reported a large force of Confederates under Generals Thomas L. Rosser and John D. Imboden were at Romney, West Vir- ginia, threatening the railroad. 27 " General Kelley asked Colonel Harris to send a scouting party into Webster and Braxton Counties for fifteen days to see if any Confederate activity was springing up there. 271 Maintaining lines of communications in West Virginia was difficult because of the rough country and the activity of the guerrillas. The Southern Army captured portions of the Balti- more and Ohio Railroad and the telegraph lines, making it im- - i7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 33, p. 1016. Field and Staff muster roll, 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, June 1864, National Archives. It appears only part of the 6th West Virginia Infantry was mounted. In the Official Rec- ords of the Rebellion, the regiment is listed as Infantry, Mounted Infantry and Cavalry. " y *OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 374. L09 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 373-4. 7 'OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 6. L7, OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 410. " 7L OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 419. 273 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 431. 274 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 463. 82 Major General Thomas Maley Harris possible for Harris to get information from the east for long periods of time. The only way he could separate rumor from fact was to send his own scouts to reconnoiter. His post at Bev- erly was important in the line of defense but was far more im- portant as an information center. On the 15th, a rumor reached Harris that General Franz Sigel's forces had advanced south through the Shenandoah Val- ley and west to occupy Lewisburg. As the telegraph lines were down, he sent Lieutenant Colonel Moses Hall with a detach- ment to investigate. 275 Hall led his men through Pocahontas, Webster, and Braxton Counties and learned that General Sigel was still at Woodstock, Virginia, but General George Crook had marched east and oc- cupied Lewisburg. 270 Hall and his men succeeded in capturing Major Marshall Triplett. The expedition was considered so im- portant that both Colonel Harris and Lieutenant Colonel Hall received compliments from General B. F. Kelley. 277 With General Crook in Lewisburg and the Confederates prowling around the South Branch Valley south of Romney, the mountain passes assumed more importance. Colonel Harris kept his scouts posted in the passes to prevent the encirclement of Beverly and Lewisburg by a surprise move. He established communications between Webster, Beverly, and Lewisburg to keep General Crook informed of enemy troop movements. On the 14th, a detachment of the 10th West Virginia Infantry marched from Beverly to Lewisburg, and on the 17th, Harris sent another. 27S Colonel Harris reported to General Kelley on the 28th that his scouts had gone beyond Franklin, Pendleton County, and at the same time Major General David Hunter's scouts had gone through Cedar Creek and found most of the Confederate Army had left the Valley. 279 On the 29th, Kelley ordered Colonel Harris to send a strong scouting party to Soldier White's on Dry Fork of Cheat River, the key to the Valley, to hunt for a Confederate expedition supposed to be there. 2H0 The scouts found everything quiet and two companies of home guards stationed at Soldier White's to keep order. 281 As a result of the expeditions, General Kelley reported to Governor A. I. Boreman that much credit belonged to Colonel T. M. Harris and his gallant mountaineers. 282 LT OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 450. ' 7i OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 458. - 77 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 92. " 7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 502. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. L7n OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 551. 280 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 555, 558. LS1 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 584. 282 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 92. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 83 General Sigel was removed from the command of the De- partment of West Virginia May 21, because of serious wounds he had received, and Major General David Hunter, better known in the South as That Damned Hunter, was given com- mand. 283 On June 7, General Kelley ordered Colonel Harris to send the detachment of the 6th West Virginia Infantry remaining at Beverly to Greenland Gap, the able bodied men by the Sen- eca route, and the disabled, with camp equipage and other gear by the way of Webster and New Creek. 284 The order was can- celed and Colonel Harris was told to hold the 6th at Beverly until further orders. 285 28! OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 508. The term, That Damned Hunter, is still used in the Shenandoah Valley and is not considered swearing, but is in the same category with Damned Yankee. Recently the author was in that area and asked about some still unrepaired Civil War damage to an old mansion. The reply was, "That Damned Hunter did that." LS4 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 605. 286 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 637. Chapter Eleven The Shenandoah Valley The Confederate Army was still much the same organization it had been the previous summer with but few changes. The three corps were commanded by Lieutenant Generals James (Old Pete) Longstreet, Richard Stoddert Ewell, and Ambrose Powell Hill. General Ewell's Second Corps of the Army of North Western Virginia was camped near Gaines' Mill, June, 1864. Ewell re- tired temporarily from field duty and the corps was given to Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early. General Robert E. Lee ordered General Early to move the corps, with two bat- teries of artillery, to the Shenandoah Valley and attack Major General David Hunter's forces from the rear. If successful, he was to move down the Valley, cross the Potomac River near Leetown, and threaten Washington. Lee did not give Early or- ders to capture Washington, knowing it was well fortified, but it was the general understanding he would enter the District if at all possible. General Hunter retreated from Lynchburg and fell back in the direction of Lewisburg, West Virginia, as he was short of ammunition and other military supplies. Colonel T. M. Harris, still in Beverly, learned of Hunter's plight and sent the 21st New York Cavalry to his aid. The Confederates did not follow Hunter, as they believed he had plenty of ammunition, and feared a trap. That would have seriously interfered with Gen- eral Lee's more ambitious plan for his army in the Lower Shen- andoah Valley. 286 General Lee's original order to attack Hunter seems to have been a camouflage for his real plans. The Union commanders thought General Early was trying to draw Hunter out of Lewis- burg, West Virginia, attack him, and withdraw. Lee's purpose was to relieve some of the pressure by General Grant at Petersburg, Virginia. A Valley campaign, including a threat to Washington might give him some relief. A short rest would permit Lee to consolidate and reinforce his fortifications in the Petersburg and Richmond area. Even then it was evident to Grant and Lee the last great battle of the Civil War would be fought there. 287 Not understanding General Lee's plans, and thinking General 286 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index. Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 635. ~ H7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 635. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, New York, The Century Co., (4 vols. 1887-9). 86 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Early's thrust at Hunter would be the end of the matter, the Union commanders were caught napping. It is not understood why General Lee gave Early orders to advance as far as the Lower Shenandoah Valley at that time. Replacement recruits were almost impossible to obtain and in the spring of 1864 the Army of Northern Virginia only con- tained 64,000 men. The Confederate soldiers had marched un- til they were worn out and more than half were without shoes. It was probably in desperation that Lee gave the order, to pre- vent Grant from making a major advance against the Confed- erate Army at Petersburg. 288 When the Union generals finally saw their error, they tele- graphed the War Department they were not prepared to fight General Early. The Confederate movement toward the Nation's Capitol was a critical move for the North and the President or- dered all available troops to the defense of the city and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The location of Washington in Southern territory was em- barrassing to the Union during the Civil War. Moving the en- tire Capitol was an impossibility so defending it was a necessity. To have lost the District of Columbia would have been a psy- chological defeat that could not have been countered on the battlefield. Major General Julius Stahel was given command of the 1st Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions and ordered to concentrate his men at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Under him were Colonel Harris' brigade, still consisting of the 10th West Virginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiments, a total of 1,250 men, detach- ments of cavalry regiments numbering 1,900 and 1,500 dis- mounted cavalry, a total of 4,650. He knew of Colonel Har- ris' expert leadership and the fighting ability of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment and ordered them to move east as soon as possible. No time was to be lost as General Early was moving down the Valley at a fast pace, arriving near Charlottes- ville June 16, and from there by train to Lynchburg. Brigadier General John D. Imboden had previously met with reverses and was driven back on General Early, but he was now ready to advance with the main army. A hurried telegram to Colonel Harris started his 10th West Virginia Infantry on the long march from Beverly. They marched ten miles to Leading Creek June 16, where they camped for the night. On the 17th they marched twenty miles to Philippi, and on the 18th, twelve miles to Webster for Cham- bersburg, Maryland. They were transported to Martinsburg, 28 *Millard Kessler Bushong, Old Jube. A Biography of General Jubal A. Early, Boyce, Va., 1955, p. 194, gives an excellent account of the move- ment in the Valley. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 87 West Virginia June 19, by way of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road. Colonel Harris remained in Beverly. He had been ill since February and was unable to travel. 289 General Stahel moved his infantry to Smithfield, West Vir- ginia, June 27. The following day the 10th West Virginia In- fantry Regiment, with some cavalrymen, marched to Leetown, three or four miles to the north and camped. By the 30th, Stahel moved 600 cavalry to Darkesville and the same number to Big Springs. A small detachment also moved to Bunker Hill, West Virginia. Colonel James A. Mulligan was given command of the troops at Leetown. 290 General Early's army reached Staunton, Virginia, June 23, and paused to reorganize and consolidate. His four infantry di- visions were commanded by Brigadier General John Echols, Major General John Brown Gordon, Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur, and Major General Robert Emmett Rodes. The cavalry consisted of the brigades of Brigadier General Bradley Tyler Johnson, Colonel William L. Jackson, Brigadier General John McCausland, and Brigadier General John Daniel Imboden. Brigadier General Armistead Lindsay Long com- manded three battalions of artillery. Major General John Cabell Breckinridge was created a command of two divisions from Gordon's and Echols' units." 91 This Confederate Army marched north, reaching Winchester July 2, and pushed on toward Lee- town. 292 The Union commanders were justified in being afraid. Colonel Mulligan did not have sufficient men to defend Lee- town in the face of such overwhelming odds, having only the 10th West Virginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiments, five pieces of artillery, and 1,000 dismounted cavalrymen. No help could be sent to him as General Stahel was even then preparing to retreat from Martinsburg. He ordered Colonel Mulligan to do the best he could with his small detachment and fall back slow- ly but only when hard pressed, fighting a rear guard action to cover the retreat of the main army. 291 ' By July 1, Colonel Harris was again with his troops and co- operating with Colonel Mulligan, preparing for the attack of the approaching Confederates. He kept his men digging entrench- ments at Leetown, but when Mulligan told him of the order to eventually retreat, he advised his men to rest if possible before the arrival of Early's advance cavalry. Colonel Mulligan was confident of Harris' ability and recommended he be given his " s9 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. no OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 680, 686, 696. L " J1 Bushong, p. 193. " 9 "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. J OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 175-6. 88 Major General Thomas Maley Harris old command, the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division in the new organization, which was done. The brigade still contained only the 10th West Virginia and the 23rd Illinois Infantry Regi- ments. 294 Brigadier General George Crook was given command of all United States troops in the Department of West Virginia west of the Alleghenies and south of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road on July 3. 295 The attack of the Confederates against Colonel Harris' hastily dug trenches was not long in coming. At 6 a. m. on the 3rd, Major General Robert Ransom, in command of the cav- alry, Department of Western Virginia, ordered Brigadier Gen- eral Bradley T. Johnson to attack at Leetown. At the same time another cavalry unit charged the 600 Union cavalry stationed at Darkesville, and 1,100 cavalry under Brigadier General John McCausland swung around the Union detachment at North Mountain and Williamsport Road, capturing the guard at North Mountain Depot. 296 Colonel Mulligan led his infantry out of the trenches after the initial cavalry charge and by hard fighting drove them back upon Generals Rodes' and Ramseur's Divisions, then returned to their trenches. Rodes and Ramseur marched their men twen- ty miles that day and they were not in a condition to fight. Gen- eral Early refused to order them to support General Johnson. 297 It was a losing fight for the gallant defenders at Leetown, although they stubbornly held the attackers at bay the entire day. Major General Franz Sigel, commander of the Reserve Di- vision with headquarters in Martinsburg, planned a general withdrawal and ordered Colonel Mulligan to fall back as slow- ly as possible to Kearneysville and Shepherdstown, where it was possible for his men to ford the river. Most of the stores and ammunition had been removed from Martinsburg and sent to Harper's Ferry. General Sigel planned to cross the Potomac River that night at Shepherdstown, join Brigadier General Max Weber's forces at Harper's Ferry and operate from there. The telegraph lines had been cut and there was no way to communi- cate with Generals Hunter and Kelley. The situation looked desperate indeed for the Union. Early's barefoot and hungry army was beginning to accomplish it's mission of relieving pres- sure on Lee at Petersburg. 298 294 Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 387. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, National Archives. - 95 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 2. 206 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 494. Bushong, p. 195. ~ 97 Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives, Bushong, p. 195. " flS OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 6. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 89 General Weber's staff advised him he could not hold Harper's Ferry and he retreated to Maryland Heights on the evening of July 4, after burning the railroad and pontoon bridges. 289 The Confederates were doing some bridge burning of their own. General Early knew his stay in the Lower Shenandoah Valley was temporary and ordered his men to do as much destruction as possible to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The bridges at the mouths of Patterson's Creek and the South Branch, the bridge at Back Creek, as well as the trestling of the Opequon and Rattling Bridges were destroyed. In addition, much track, station platforms, and culverts were torn up. 300 When the 10th West Virginia Infantry and other foot soldiers arrived at Sandy Hook, exhausted by the forced march, they occupied positions on Maryland Heights. The Union Cavalry stopped at Wevertown but was soon sent to Point of Rocks to harass the enemy at the crossing. About 7,000 of the Southern forces occupied Martinsburg and began reorganizing for the push to Harper's Ferry. The supplies they had expected to find at the abandoned quartermaster depot had been removed by the Union troops which was a great disappointment to them as they were needed to continue the raid. 301 Generals Rodes and Ransom crossed the Potomac July 5, and began maneuvering for battle. The Union guns on Mary- land Heights opened on them and the Confederate commanders soon saw it would be impossible to hold Harper's Ferry, even if they succeeded in capturing it, and withdrew most of their troops from the dangerous position, leaving roving patrols in the area to hold the Union Army on the Heights. 302 President Lincoln called on Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts for 100 day men to help stop Early, and ordered General Hunter back to the Valley of Virginia, 303 a place he had been trying to reach for some time. Two thirds of General Sigel's army was composed of these nearly useless summer- time soldiers and as he could only rely on his 10th West Vir- ginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry, he refused to leave the safety of Maryland Heights. 304 General John McCausland's Mounted Infantry, with other troops, were on General Sigel's immediate front towards Sharps- burg, and four divisions were on the opposite side of the river. Colonel Harris had his brigade entrenched on Maryland ""Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 495. 300 Festus P. Summers, The Baltimore and Ohio in the Civil War, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1939, p. 124. 3,n OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 175-6. 302 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 495. 303 Bushong, p. 198. 304 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 178-9. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 495. 90 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Heights with four other regiments of infantry and two battalions of the 5th New York Heavy Artillery. 305 General Sigel predicted the Southern Army would attack from the Maryland side of the river which proved correct for early on the 6th they began firing from there. The battle con- tinued for thirty six hours, almost without interruption, but the artillery duel was a battle of harassment for it became evident the move was a time gathering feint to permit the Confederates to harvest as many supplies as possible for their impoverished army. When General Early left the Upper Shenandoah Valley he detailed wagons and a guard to wait for a shipment of shoes previously ordered for his men. By the evening of July 7, the supply train arrived in camp and his barefoot soldiers were is- sued shoes. Later that night, Early retreated. General Rodes led his men through Crampton's Gap to Jefferson, General Breckinridge through Fox's Gap, and General Ramseur, with the supply trains, through Boonesboro Gap. General William Lewis' brigade moved the night before, destroying the railroad bridges and stores left at Harper's Ferry that they could not 306 use. Early on the 8th, General Stahel noticed the absence of Confederate troops in the vicinity but would not move from the safety of the fortifications without more information. When he learned the enemy was moving on Boonesboro or Frederick, he sent Colonel Mulligan toward Point of Rocks by the way of Jefferson with his men and a company of cavalry. That pleased Colonel Harris who always disliked trench warfare. General Stahel, with the rest of the army, was ordered to leave the protection of Maryland Heights and follow the Con- federate forces in the direction of Boonesboro by way of Pleasant Valley, but for some unknown reason he spent the night in Pleasant Valley instead of following orders, and was of little assistance. 807 General Early was marching in the direction of Washington and the War Department was in a frenzy. As General David Hunter was absent, Major General Lewis (Lew) Wallace was placed in command of the Middle Department and Major Gen- eral Horato Gouverneur Wright was directed to command all the forces pursuing General Early's army. 808 A skillful if late delaying action was fought by General Wal- 305 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 177. 300 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 495. :!07 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 180, 182-3. 308 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 71. General Lew Wallace gained more fame from his book, Ben Hur, than he did from his military career. He was General Harris' favorite of all the Union commanders. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 91 lace to give the army in Washington time to get their troops in position. Early was at the gates of the city on July 11, and from his position could see the Capitol Building, but like Moses and the Promised Land, he was prevented from entering. The following day a severe battle was fought and he withdrew. His men were exhausted and only a third of them were in a condition to fight. It was a hot summer and many of the soldiers of both armies collapsed from sunstroke. The campaign had been a hard one and was an unequal fight against the fresh Federal troops, even if they were green and inexperienced. Major General Horato Wright, with 15,000 men of the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps and several thousand under Brigadier Generals James B. Ricketts and John R. Kenly pursued Gen- eral Early. The Confederates retreated through Rockville and Poolesville and crossed the Potomac where Early was forced to halt and rest his men on the 14th and 15th. He approached the Valley of Virginia by the way of Snicker's Gap. Although Colonel Harris marched his brigade against Gen- eral Early's forces at the Battle of Washington, he was not in the battle. When the Confederates approached Snicker's Gap, Harris led his men back to the vicinity of Harper's Ferry and camped. Chapter Twelve The Battle of Snicker's Ferry Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early wanted to hold the Valley of Virginia if at all possible and gather the crops then ripening, but the Union forces were pushing him hard and that was out of the question. He retreated in an orderly manner and notified General Robert E. Lee he would rest his men a day or two at Leesburg. Major General Horatio Wright, in his en- thusiasm, reported Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early was fleeing up the Valley in confusion. Major General David Hunter, who had been on a wild goose chase and was looked on with disfavor, arrived at Harper's Ferry on the evening of July 14, and ordered Brigadier General J. C. Sullivan to command the defenses and the men guard- ing them. General Sullivan hastily reorganized his officers and removing Colonel Harris from his brigade, gave it to Colonel James A. Mulligan. The arrangement lasted only a few hours however, for when General Wright learned of Hunter's arrival, he ordered him to transfer his entire army to Leetown. Hunter marched west with Sullivan's and Mulligan's 7,000 soldiers, as well as 2,000 under Brigadier General Alfred N. Duffie, who arrived in Martinsburg by train from Parkersburg about noon on the 14th. Colonel Harris retained his brigade. 309 General Hunter marched his men on the old tow path of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to Berlin and forded the river which was nearly hip deep, and continued through Lovettsville by way of the Leesburg Pike. General Sullivan turned off the road and camped for the night at Hillsborough. 310 Several divisions were consolidating behind General Early, and if there had been sufficient cooperation in the Union lines on July 15, he would have been defeated. Instead, there was much misunderstanding among the commanders and Early moved steadily in the direction of Snicker's Gap. Major General George Crook proceeded to Hillsborough on the 16th, and assumed Brigadier General J. C. Sullivan's com- mand, including Hunter's, field forces. As little was known about General Early's plans, General Crook sent scouts in the direc- tion of Aldie to ascertain the true position of the Confederates and see if they were retreating or preparing for battle. When he was informed the rear guard of the enemy was in the vicinity, General Duffie ordered Colonel William B. Tib- 309 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 79. Record of Events of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment, Na- tional Archives. 310 Pond, p. 80. Sometimes spelled Hillsboro. 94 Major General Thomas Maley Harris bits, commanding the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, to attack the supply train. They captured 117 mules and horses, 82 wagons, and over 50 prisoners. The Union loss was twenty men. It was a spectacular maneuver, considering the small size of the Union brigade. Tibbits' success demonstrated the poor planning of General Wright, and indicated what could have been done if he had used his entire resources in the fray. Generals Hunter and Wright brought their forces together, but General Early slipped past, and there was no indication Wright wanted to fight him. 511 General Crook's forces were camped at Pursellville, July 16th, six miles from General Wright's headquarters. Wright or- dered a detachment under General Alfred N. Duffie to pursue General Early through Snicker's Gap and to the river, a place he was headed for without any pushing. General Duffie sent an order to Colonel Mulligan to accompany him with his men, including Colonel Harris and his brigade. When Duffie ap- proached Snicker's Ferry, he learned too late General Early had planted two guns on the opposite side of the river and lost 17 men before he could get out of range. 31 " All of General Crook's units proceeded through Snicker's Gap to the vicinity of Snicker's Ferry on the morning of the 18th. They kept away from the landing, knowing it would be suicide to try to cross in the face of the cannon fire. General Early ordered part of his men to proceed to the vicinity but kept a sufficient guard to defend the river crossing against the Bluecoats. General Crook directed General Duffie to march to Ashby's Gap to attack from there but to his surprise found the place guarded by cavalry and was driven back with a heavy loss of life. After crossing the Shenandoah River at Berry's Ferry he was again driven back with some loss of troops killed, captured, and wounded. 313 General Crook sent Colonel Thoburn with three brigades to Island Ford, one and one half miles below Snicker's Ferry, to attempt a crossing. He took his own division and the 3rd Bri- gade of the 2nd. That crossing was also protected but Colo- nel George D. Wells' 34th Massachusetts Infantry found a crossing where troops could wade and captured fifteen men and their captain on the other side of the river. The prisoners told of General Early's presence in the vicinity and stated Generals Rodes and Gordon were only a mile or two away. When in- 311 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 269, 572. Pond, p. 82. :!12 Pond, p. 82. 313 OR, ser. 1, vol. 27, pt. 1, p. 269. Pond, p. 82. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 95 formed of the situation, Colonel Thoburn told General Crook of his danger, but he was ordered to hold his troops in battle formation until a division of the Sixth Corps under Brigadier General James B. Ricketts was sent to help him. When General Ricketts arrived he saw the Union troops on the opposite side of the river were in a death trap and refused to have a part in the stupid plan and would not permit his men to cross. General Crook ordered his detachment to retreat but the order came too late. General Early sent Generals John Breckinridge and Rob- ert E. Rodes to stop the Union troops on their side of the Shen- andoah River who stampeded toward the crossing. No attempt was made to remove their dead and wounded. Colonel Thoburn lost 65 killed, 301 wounded, and 56 missing. The total loss to the Union was 422 casualties. The 10th West Virginia Infantry was more fortunate than many of the regiments, losing only one killed, five wounded, and one missing. The Battle of Snicker's Ferry, known locally as the Battle of Cool Spring, was a costly affair. 314 The opposite side of the river was found to be deserted on the 20th and a crossing was made. General Early retreated south on the Front Royal Road. General Wright descended from his safe place in the mountains and crossed the river, pur- suing the Confederate Army only far enough to learn the gen- eral direction of their retreat. 315 General Wright proudly announced to the world he had saved Washington and would return there at the end of two days. He also stated he would cross the chain bridge. Evidently he wanted to keep the expected welcoming committee informed. General Early had demonstrated his superior generalship throughout the entire campaign, although forced to retreat be- cause he lacked supplies. He had taken advantage of the nat- ural river barrier at Snicker's Ferry to rest his men and animals^ as he had done July 14 at White's Ford. Colonel Harris never had much faith in the courage and fighting ability of General Wright, and bitterly condemned him after the war. 316 314 Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 286. W. B. Cutright, The History of Upshur County West Virginia, 1907, p. 312. Millard Kes- rAer Bushong, Old Jube. A Biography of General Jubal A. Early. Boyce, Va., 1955, p. 211. n5 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 269, 282. 31 "Statement of General Harris to Thomas M. Matheny, one of his scouts, after the war. Chapter Thirteen The Battle of Kernstown General Jubal A. Early withdrew his troops southward after the Battle of Snicker's Ferry, arriving at Newtown July 20, 1864, Middletown on the 21st, and Strasburg on the 22nd. He refitted and reorganized his command, although there had been little disorganization during the previous battle." 17 General William Averell could have occupied Winchester, but refused to do so, knowing his inability to hold the town, and moved to Kernstown. General George Crook arrived in the Kernstown area July 22 to reform his men. Generals George Crook, William Averell, Franz Sigel and Horatio Wright were still in a position to deal General Early a crippling blow with their combined forces, but the advantage was not followed up. 11 " Major General Henry W. Halleck realized the danger of leaving Early undefeated and wanted Generals Wright and Hunter to pursue him, but would not give definite orders to do so. Hunter's men were still arriving from the Kanawha Val- ley and he wanted to organize a force to punish Early and drive him from the Valley, but in his own way and when he decided he was ready. General Horatio Wright cared but little as he was returning to Washington and his welcoming committee. The Union troops in the Valley of Virginia were left to their own resources. It was not Wright's idea alone, but he was pleased with the decision. On the 23rd, President Lincoln wired General Hunter, "Are you able to take care of the enemy, when he turns back on you, as he probably will, on finding that Wright has left?" Hunter replied he could not hold the enemy if he turned on him with his entire army. 110 Both the Union and Confederate States were dissatisfied with the outcome of the Early expedition. The North blamed their commanders for not cooperating, and the South thought Early should have captured Washington, which they seemed to think could have been done because of the repeated blunder- ing of the Union Army. 3 " Regardless of the bragging of General Wright, General 317 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 88. 318 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 327. Pond, p. 88. 319 Pond, p. 98. 320 Pond, p. 89. Richmond Examiner. 98 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Ulysses S. Grant knew of the danger in the Valley and believed Early was capable of marching through West Virginia devastat- ing the country as he went to the Ohio River and possibly as far north as Pittsburgh. He also knew Early was in a better military position than the Northern forces in the Valley because he was in friendly territory and had been escorted south and not whipped. He had no knowledge of General Lee's intentions regarding Early. General Lee had not given orders to withdraw from the Valley, as Northern commanders suspected, but had been left there to guard the gathering of the crops. 321 As soon as Early's scouts reported that General Wright and the Sixth Corps had returned to Washington leaving Generals Averell and Crook less than twenty miles away at Kernstown, General Lee was elated. How stupid could the Union generals be? General Crook was now on the same grounds occupied by Brigadier General James Shields when he repulsed Stonewall Jackson. " General Early advanced down the Valley Pike against Kerns- town, and at Bartonsville, a few miles south of the stand taken by the Union forces* General Stephen D. Ramseur's division was sent on a detour to try to turn Crook's flank if at all pos- sible. The cavalry was divided into two parts, one going east of Winchester and the other to the west. Their orders were to unite north of Winchester to cut off General Crook if he tried to escape. Crook deployed his three infantry divisions* com- manded by Brigadier General J. C. Sullivan, Colonel Isaac H. Duval and Colonel James A. Mulligan to guard the pike from any Southern surprise attack."'"' Colonel Mulligan's division was the 3rd, and Colonel Harris still commanded the 1st Brigade, consisting of the 10th West Virginia Infantry under Major Henry H. Withers and the 23rd Illinois Infantry commanded by Captain James J. Fitzgerald. Colonel Harris' brigade was expected to carry the initial shock of the coming battle. 3 " The 10th West Virginia Infantry had seven captains, six 1st lieutenants, one 1st lieutenant acting as adjutant, and 544 enlisted men. The 23rd Illinois, a much small- er regiment, contained one captain, one 1st lieutenant as act- ing adjutant, three 2nd lieutenants, and 280 enlisted men. 326 The loyalty and respect of the men in the 10th West Virginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiments for each other during the Civil War was unusual. When fighting together, they acted as one unit and respected the orders of the officers of both regiments. 321 Pond, p. 95. 322 Pond, p. 96. 323 Pond, p. 96 rona, p. »u. OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 307-8. OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 303, 306. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 99 In spite of the precautions taken, there was no warning of the approach of the Confederate Army. On the morning of July 23, Colonel Harris lined up his command for inspection when a slight skirmish was heard on their front and to the right of the Strasburg Road. 3 "" Harris ordered his brigade into battle for- mation. At 9 a. m. 827 orders arrived from headquarters for Colo- nel Mulligan's entire division to drive forward on a recon- naissance move, to learn if possible the strength of the attack- ers.'" Only skirmishers and scouts of the Confederate Army were near, and the Union cavalry soon drove them back two miles.* 19 Colonel Harris' brigade advanced one and one half miles to a stone fence without opposition. Harris stopped his men and ordered them to take cover behind the ready made protection as he expected a major charge at any time by the Confederate cavalry.' 5 " Infantry usually made a poor showing against cavalry but the stone fence would be of some assistance. The charge did not materialize, and Colonel Harris ordered his command to advance across the Strasburg Road to the right and beyond Kernstown, and then to a woods where skirmish- ing was in progress. The Union cavalry drove the skirmishers back. Harris' brigade was safe for the night but he knew his men were in a poor position to defend themselves from an early morning attack, and withdrew them to their old position be- hind the stone wall and there spent the night lying on their arms. 331 Colonel James Mulligan's 3rd Division found itself in ad- vance of the 1st and 2nd Divisions on the morning of July 24, and tried to hold their position. Colonel Joseph Thoburn's 1st Division, lying one and one half miles south of Winchester, was ordered forward to form a line of battle on the left of Colo- nel Mulligan. The cavalry advanced at 10 o'clock but was driven back on the 3rd Division, who stopped the retreat. 332 Colonel Harris ordered Companies B and G of the 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment to enter the woods to the right on a scouting mission, but sharpshooters drove them back before they were near the Confederate lines. The entire com- mand, which had retreated from the protection of the stone fence, was advanced to engage the enemy. They crossed the fence and proceeded a short distance but were again driven back three hundred yards to a small hill where Colonel Harris ordered them to lie down and rest for 15 minutes. The enemy was still advancing and Harris' men again retreated one hundred 328 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 306. 327 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 303. !28 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 315. 32e OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 306-7. 330 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 306-7, 315. 331 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 306-7. 332 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 292, 315. 100 Mapr General Thomas Maley Harris yards to a wood fence which they tried to fortify and hold. It was poor protection from the increased rifle fire of the Confed- erates who were steadily advancing and held them in a cross fire, killing two men in the 10th West Virginia Infantry and wounding eight or ten. Major Henry H. Withers sent word to Colonel Harris that it was useless to try to hold their precarious position and he ordered the men to retreat to the stone fence. They held the position for 30 minutes and as the enemy fire seemed to slacken, advanced to a stone church nearby. That part seemed easy and they skirmished on the double to the wood fence previously held, where they were stopped by enemy fire. They formed ranks without orders but could not hold the position. Colonel Harris' brigade was not gaining ground in the skirmish. He discussed the situation with Colonel Mulligan but was told to use his own judgment and do what he thought best. :i:i,i At noon, Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes was directed to form the 1st Brigade in line of battle to support Colonel Mulligan, and to advance and retreat with him. He marched his men to the front and formed on Mulligan's left. Colonel Harris rode his horse to the top of a nearby hill to view the skirmishers. He saw Colonel Thoburn taking a posi- tion on his right. As the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Division was on his left he thought he was safe, but also understood Tho- burn's danger on his unprotected right. :m Major Withers again notified Harris of the punishment his men were taking and he ordered the line changed with Captain Fitzgerald taking the position behind the stone wall. Colonel Mulligan arrived at Colonel Harris' post to work with him and personally direct operations. He was preparing to ad- vance with the men he was commanding at that time, and be- cause of Harris' coolness, asked him to support his movements. They advanced to the stone wall but the 2nd Brigade faltered and fell back in confusion. Colonel Harris held his position, waiting for the retreating soldiers to reform and support him, but was eventually forced to retreat or be captured. Colonel Mulligan joined Harris and complimented him for his gallant fighting and success in holding his section of the bat- tle line. A few minutes later he rode away to strengthen the courage of his beloved 23rd Illinois Infantry. 1 ' 5 The Confederate sharpshooters located Colonel Mulligan and his staff and seven of them crawled down a ditch until they were within range. They all fired at the same time, one of the bullets hitting him. :iiti Mulligan's men tried to carry him from 333 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 316. 3jl OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 316. 3:!5 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 303, 317. 336 Hu Maxwell and H. L. Swisher, History of Hampshire County, West Virginia, Morgantown, W. Va., 1897, p. 616. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 101 the field but the battle became so intense they were forced to leave him and he was captured. He died soon afterward. 337 Colonel Harris had dismounted, trying to urge his men to hold the line when a general advance of the Confederates swept them from the field. Harris was separated from his horse and could not keep up with the retreat. He narrowly escaped cap- ture. After running a mile, he came to part of his command near the top of the hill by the fort. About two hundred soldiers had rallied around the flag of the 10th West Virginia Infantry rep- resenting every company in his brigade. All of his officers not wounded or captured were with him. The 23rd Illinois Infantry became separated from Harris in the retreat and fell in with Lieutenant Colonel John P. Linton who was ordered to gather together as much of the 10th West Virginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiments as possible in his retreat to Martinsburg, W. Va. Harris retreated to Gerrardstown in good order once the rout was stopped, taking a course parallel to and to the left of the road leading to Martinsburg. At 9 p. m., he joined a column un- der Colonel Joseph Thoburn but shortly afterward became sep- arated in a dense woods. Leaving the woods, Harris rode to the front of his column and found it was being led by Colonel Wil- liam G. Ely of the 18th Connecticut, commanding the 2nd Bri- gade of the 1st Division. They were lost and it was necessary to locate a civilian guide who led them to the vicinity of a village near North Mountain where they rested for three or four hours. The march was resumed at 3 a. m. and Colonel Harris reached Martinsburg at 8 o'clock. He placed his small group of men in a position of defense with other troops under Colonel Isaac Duval of the 9th West Virginia Infantry, 2nd Division, in the defense of the Winchester Road. Early on the 25th, Colonel Jacob M. Campbell, 54th Penn- sylvania Infantry, was ordered by General Crook to command the forces gathered at the command post. He assembled his men and held the road until 4 p. m. The enemy infiltered the ranks of Colonel George D. Wells, 34th Massachusetts Infantry, and it became necessary for him to withdraw. The move forced Harris to fall back to protect himself. Wells again retreated and Harris reformed his lines the second time. Wells retreated through the town where Union troops reformed and drove the Confederates back to their original position in the woods on the Winchester Road. The 23rd Illinois Infantry reported to Colonel Harris' head- quarters and he placed them in the reserve line under Colonel Jacob Campbell of the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry, who had no part in the battle. 7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 303, 317 102 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Colonel Campbell marched his soldiers out of Martinsburg at 8 p. m. and arrived at Williamsport on the Potomac River at 2 a. m. They crossed without opposition.' 118 General Crook led his men to Pleasant Valley July 27, and camped to be reclothed and recruited. 339 The cause of the battle was the withdrawal of the Sixth Corps from the Valley. 14 " General Crook blamed his dismounted caval- ry for the defeat, saying between 3,000 and 3,500 of them re- treated at the first fire. Harris' 10th West Virginia Infantry was called the Gallant 10th by Colonel James J. Fitzgerald. 341 Most of Colonel Harris' losses were at Kernstown. The 23rd Illinois lost one officer and 13 enlisted men were killed, three officers and 60 enlisted men were wounded, and 37 men were captured or reported missing. The 10th West Virginia loss in- cluded 12 enlisted men killed, four officers and 53 enlisted men wounded, and 43 men missing, a total loss to the brigade of 226 men. 342 Many of Colonel Harris' old friends and neighbors were killed, wounded or captured in the battle. In the 10th, Captain L. M. Marsh and Lieutenant B. F. Shreve of Company E were wounded and captured. Lieutenant Ben Moats of Company K and Lieutenant A. Wilson of Company A were wounded but succeeded in making their escape. 343 The scattered troops of the 3rd Division were consolidated into a brigade to be known as the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infan- try Division, Department of West Virginia, and commanded by Colonel Jacob M. Campbell. The 23rd Illinois, 54th Pennsyl- vania, 10th, 11th and 15th West Virginia Infantry Regiments were included in the brigade. Major General David Hunter con- tinued to command the Department of West Virginia. 344 The War Department saw its mistake in withdrawing Gen- eral Horatio Wright and the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were returned to the Valley. 3 " 338 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 317-8. 339 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 317-8. 340 Pond, p. 99. 341 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 286, 304. 342 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 289. 343 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, p. 306. Lieutenant Ben Moats was Colonel Harris' neighbor and hunting companion in their home town, Ritchie Court House. 344 OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 1, pp. 294, 303. OR, ser. 1, vol. 37, pt. 2, p. 548. Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol 1, p. 386, vol. 3, p. 1664. 345 Pond, p. 99 Chapter Fourteen Battles of Cedarville and Berryville General Jubal A. Early controlled the Shenandoah Valley and demonstrated his ownership by destroying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad track. At Back Creek, his men overpowered the guard, drove the ironclad trains south and burned the rail- road bridges. 346 Brigadier Generals John McCausland and Bradley T. John- son began their raids in Northern territory, levying tribute from the towns; and if not paid in a short time, the torch was applied to their homes. Much damage was done at Cumberland, Md., where the coal mines were destroyed, including the operating machinery. Railroad repair stations and bridges were burned to the despair of railroad officials, who were having a difficult time keeping the road open to the west. Major General David Hunter assembled and centralized his forces at Halltown, the location used as a base of operations. Skirmishing never ceased in the Valley of Virginia, on the order of Hunter, who directed Colonel Harris to keep his men con- stantly out on patrol. They were again in their old scouting roll, keeping the Command informed of Confederate maneuvering. Harris welcomed all promotions, but his happiest moments were when he commanded his 10th West Virginia Infantry as he was doing at that time. The Union Army was on the defensive and would not risk fighting a major battle. When the scouts and patrols were threatened, the officers marched them to Harper's Ferry for protection. They went there so often the place was called Harp- er's Weekly. 347 General George Crook was in a dangerous position and re- traced his steps from Pleasant Valley through Harper's Ferry to rendezvous with the other troops at Halltown, arriving there July 29. On the same day, the Sixth Corps returned from Wash- ington to try to mend the damage caused by their departure from the Valley. Halltown was considered the only suitable lo- cation that could be defended until a reorganization could be accomplished. 348 General Early had been slow in advancing against the Union lines for several days. Colonel Harris' scouts reported most of 346 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 100. Millard K. Bushong, Old Jube, A Biography of General Jubal A. Early, Boyce, Va., 1955, p. 214. 34 'Pond, p. 137. Harper's Weekly was a popular periodical widely read in the Union lines. 348 Henry E. Davies, General Sheridan, New York, 1895, p, 141. 104 Major General Thomas Maley Harris the Confederate Army was busy harvesting wheat and trans- porting it south. Supplies were more important than winning a battle. Early moved his command six miles from Martinsburg on Aug. 4, and the cavalry crossed the river at Shepherdstown, pre- paring for battle. They strengthened and shortened their lines, knowing the Union Army would soon march south. Their scouts had seen the arrival of Generals Averell's and Duffie's cavalry, General James H. Wilson's Division of the Army of the Po- tomac, and the remainder of the Nineteenth Corps under Briga- dier General Cuvier Grover. 549 Men and horses fell by the hundreds in the severe summer heat. When a horse fell and later partly recovered, a lucky in- fantryman captured the not so lucky horse and squeezed an- other mile or two from him to save his own feet before the horse fell again. 350 To preserve prestige, the War Department decided General Early's success was due to the duplication of commands in the Union Army, and not to the stupidity of the commanders where some of the blame belonged. The suggestion was made to elimi- nate the military departments and form command corps with one commander in charge of all troops in any one troop move- ment. 351 The Union command had become inefficient. The Depart- ment of West Virginia included Western Maryland, the Depart- ment of the Susquehanna contained the State of Pennsylvania and three counties of Ohio, the Department of Washington in- cluded parts of Virginia and Maryland, and the Middle Depart- ment included Delaware and part of Maryland. That arrange- ment permitted the commanders to usurp power from each oth- er for their own personal gain instead of helping the Union. Major General Henry W. Halleck wanted to make a military division of the Departments of Pennsylvania, Washington, Maryland and West Virginia, with Major General Philip H. Sheridan in command of military operations. General Grant or- dered Sheridan to report to his headquarters and gave him temporary command of all the forces against General Early. Sheridan told Grant he was a cavalryman and did not want the infantry but was directed to follow orders. On Aug. 6, General Sheridan took charge of all the troops in the field and the following day an official order was issued in Washington creating the Middle Military Division in accord- ance with General Halleck's wishes. Sheridan usually called it the Army of the Shenandoah, and on Nov. 17, officially re- named it that. 352 849 Pond, pp. 122-3. 8B0 Pond, p. 108. 3B1 Pond, p. 112. 352 Pond, pp. 112-3, 115, 120. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 105 General Sheridan then commanded the most powerful army ever assembled in the Valley of Virginia. 353 Under him were the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, one division of the Nineteenth Corps, two divisions of the Army of West Virginia with Major General George Crook in command, one cavalry division of the Army of the Potomac, and shortly afterward the 3rd Cavalry Division of the Army of the Potomac and another division of the Nineteenth Corps. Sheridan lost no time in reorganizing his army and confirmed the appointment of Crook to the Army of West Virginia on the 8th. On the order of Sheridan, Crook promoted Colonel T. M. Harris to leader of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division. His 10th West Virginia Infantry was given to Major Henry H. Withers, the 23rd Illinois Infantry to Captain Samuel A. Simison, the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry to Lieutenant Colonel John P. Lin- ton, the 11th West Virginia Infantry to Lieutenant Colonel Van H. Bukey and the 15th West Virginia Infantry to Major John W. Holliday. This was the largest unit Harris had commanded and was a powerful fighting force. It was his leadership of the 3rd Brigade that eventually made him a general. 354 General Sheridan assembled his army at Halltown, near Harper's Ferry, and by Aug. 10, 1864, was ready to try his luck against General Early. He wanted to get between the Confed- erates and their reinforcements, but the cagey old Southerner was too smart to get caught in the trap. 355 Sheridan's entire army moved from the protection of Harp- er's Ferry in a southern direction at 5 a. m. on the 10th. When they camped that evening, their mass array of camp fires reached from Clifton to Berryville. Colonel Charles R. Lowell Jr.'s brigade of cavalry was at Summit Point and the rest of the Cavalry was on the Millwood and Winchester Pike. When General Early saw the formidable sea of Bluecoats on his front, he retreated toward Staunton. He was stopped on the Front Royal Pike by Brigadier General Wesley Merritt and was forced to take the Strasburg-Cedar Creek Road. 356 Sheridan split his army in two columns on the 12th, sending the cavalry and Sixth Corps through Newtown and the Infan- try, including Colonel Harris' brigade, to the point where the 353 Davies, p. 146. Pond, p. 121. 354 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 726. Fredrick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1959, vol. 1, p. 386, vol. 3, p. 1664. Colonel Van H. Bukey was again under the command of Colonel Harris. He had deserted Harris in the early recruiting days of the 10th West Virginia Infantry and recruited for another regiment. 355 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, New York, The Century Co., (4 vols., 1887-9), vol. 4, p. 501. 3E6 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 17-8. 106 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Strasburg Pike crossed Cedar Creek. The cavalry arrived first, skirmishing with the rear guard of the retreating army and con- tinued to fight until the arrival of the infantry who forced the Confederates to withdraw. 357 The reinforcements expected by General Early arrived and the following afternoon a Confederate force under Major Gen- eral Fitzhugh Lee, with the help of a brigade of Major General Joseph Kershaw's division, charged Brevet Brigadier General Thomas C. Devin's brigade. The enemy advanced boldly but was repulsed with heavy loss, leaving 300 prisoners on the field. 358 Colonel Harris' brigade was held in reserve and did not engage in the battle, sometimes known as the Battle of Cedar- ville. Although the Union won the skirmish, and Sheridan still com- manded the large army, he thought it was useless to try to hold his position at Cedar Creek in the face of reinforcements arriv- ing daily for the Confederates. Early probably expected the Un- ion Army to stay in position until at least the following day, but when night came, the great retreat north began in the direction of "Harper's Weekly." The infantry started first, being the slowest, followed by cavalry units driving the cattle and live- stock captured on the way south, and the harvested wheat that could be located. The remaining cavalry formed a rear guard to protect the army. The supply trains proceeded directly to Ber- ryville. 359 Sheridan gave orders that no more property was to be destroyed and no homes burned. The army retreated to the Clifton-Berryville Road, a position Sheridan had informed the War Department he would occupy as a true counter position. 860 General Early followed the Union Army north and engaged Crook's command two miles west of Charles Town, W. Va., the skirmish continuing into the following day. Colonel Harris' bri- gade fought valiantly but was forced to fall back with the rest of Crook's command to Halltown. 861 General Crook made a reconnaissance move against the Con- federates Aug. 24, drove in their defense line, punished them severely, and captured 20 men. The following day, Early drove Crook back to his old position. Skirmishing continued in the Valley with little loss to either side. A month had passed since General Lee sent Lieutenant Gen- eral Richard H. Anderson to Early's relief, and as little had been accomplished and no battles seemed eminent, he wanted him to return. Early had been able to keep the Union forces in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry and away from the south but 357 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 18. 358 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, pp. 502-3. 3E9 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, pp. 502-3. 360 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 19. 361 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 19. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 107 nothing else. General Grant had made deep indentations in the Southern lines at Deep Bottom and the situation was desperate. Lee ordered the troops loaned to Early to move south without delay and that forced him to change his previous plans for con- tinuing the war in the Valley. 8 " 2 General Anderson withdrew from Stephenson's Depot to Winchester Aug. 31, and on Sept. 3, began his march by the way of Berryville on his way to Richmond and the south to bolster Lee's army. The road was reported to be open with no North- erners in the vicinity. It was a coincidence that on that day General Sheridan was completing his battle line from Clifton to Berryville, and had placed General Crook with his command at Berryville. That was the ambitious plan Sheridan had discussed with Washington some time before. 363 In order to camouflage the withdrawal of the Confederates from the Valley, Major Generals Lunsford L. Lomax and Robert E. Rodes used their cavalry in a maneuver to cover the withdrawal of General An- derson and to prevent General Sheridan from knowing he had left the area. Only an accident prevented it from being carried out. Brigadier Generals Wesley Merritt and James H. Wilson were sent on a reconnoitering expedition to the front lines near Berryville, moving through Millwood and White Post to the Front Royal Pike. 364 Part of the Union Army arrived in Berry- ville as early as 3 p. m. When Colonel Joseph Thoburn and the 1st Division arrived, he ordered the 1st West Virginia and 2nd Eastern Shore Maryland Regiments to move one and one half miles west and establish strong picket lines. He seemed to be the only one to realize the Confederates might be in the vicinity. Less than an hour later, information was received of the enemy advancing along the main road. Anderson had stumbled into the Union pickets, a surprise to both armies. The Union skirmishers fired one round at the advancing Graycoats and retreated. Colo- nel Thoburn sent a runner to inform Crook of the advancing but still unidentified enemy in front of his lines. In the mean- time, Colonel Thoburn ordered Lieutenant Colonel John P. Lin- ton to take the 23rd Illinois, 54th Pennsylvania and 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiments to the support of Colonel Robert S. Rodgers who commanded the front lines, but found he had retreated. 365 Colonel Harris remained in the rear with his 15th West Virginia Infantry Regiment. The 23rd Illinois Infantry deployed as skirmishers and the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry advanced by the flank to the firing line. The reserve part of the 23rd Illinois was placed on the 382 Pond, p. 144. 363 Pond, p. 144. 384 Pond, p. 145. 365 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 367, 400-1, 572, 590. 108 Major General Thomas Maley Harris left connecting with a brigade of the 2nd Division, the 10th West Virginia Infantry in the center, and the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry on the right. Colonel Thoburn ordered a line formed on the crest of a hill three-fourths of a mile west of Berryville, and took possession of some old trenches in an open field on the left of the road; and also occupied a woods to the right. 366 When General Crook learned of the unexpected move of the Confederates, he was greatly alarmed as he did not know who they were or what they planned to do. Mounting his horse, he rode at full speed to the front to gather his own information as there was no time to wait for division commander reports. He ordered the rest of Colonel Thoburn's command to advance to the front in a protective line. Colonel Harris formed two re- maining regiments, the 15th West Virginia and the 123 Ohio Infantry, to support Colonel Robert S. Rodgers who held the key point in the attack. Harris rode forward where he could personally command his brigade and sent Lieutenant Colonel Linton with one company of the 10th West Virginia Infantry and one company of the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry to the front to assist the skirmishers. Linton's command was stationed in thick brush and their activities were confined to snapshoot- ing. They were severely shelled but the enemy did not have the range and most of the explosives passed high overhead. 367 The Union Army was driven back a short distance, but re- formed and former positions were regained. Skirmishing was continued until 8 p. m. when the lines became stationary and part of the Union men retreated one half mile and camped for the night. The Confederate Army had retreated and it was evi- dent the battle would not be resumed until morning. The can- nonading kept up its rumbling until 9 p. m. and then quieted. 368 General Crook ordered Major John W. Holliday to report with his 15th West Virginia Infantry to Colonel Thoburn's headquarters but in the confusion and darkness he could not find the 1st Division and formed in the rear of the 2nd, remain- ing until daylight. 369 At dawn, the 10th West Virginia and 23rd Illinois Infantry, on order of Colonel Thoburn, were quietly retired to a new line, the 54th Pennsylvania being left as advance pickets. Later the regiment commander, finding the enemy on both flanks and a skirmish line advancing to their front, withdrew and supported the main army. 370 36G OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 572. 367 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 386, 388. Atlas to Accompany the Of- ficial Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Washington, 1891- 1895, plate 82. 368 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 386, 400-1, 572. 369 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 386. 370 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 386-7. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 109 When Early learned of General Joseph Kershaw's blundering on the Berryville Road, he put three divisions on the move to their aid leaving General John Brown Gordon to guard Win- chester. He found Kershaw extending his skirmish lines, think- ing only a small detachment was in front of him. Early was worried about the safety of the large wagon train with Ander- son's army and ordered a division to guard Kershaw's left and then move across Sheridan's right to draw attention. Early learned of the powerful fighting strength entrenched in front of his lines and ordered General Anderson back to Winchester. General Early had arrived just in time to prevent a disaster for the Union cavalry of Crook's command would have butch- ered the Confederates and captured the large supply train. 371 Thirteen men were killed, 65 wounded, and 19 were missing in the 1st Infantry Division. Colonel Harris' old 10th West Vir- ginia Infantry lost one man. 372 Although the Union Army had won the battle, they were un- nerved by the experience. General Crook reported a detach- ment of only six men of Mosby's command were able to stam- pede his ambulance train. The Southerners were just as confi- dent as the Northerners were worried. Confederate General Stephen D. Ramseur relaxed the following two days, shooting quail. 373 371 Pond, pp. 145-6. Davies, p. 151. S72 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 367. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865, p. 286. 373 Pond, p. 146. Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode With Stonewall, The University of North Carolina Press, 1940, p. 308. Chapter Fifteen The Battle of Winchester During the Valley campaign in the fall of 1864, maneuvering never stopped. Other battlefields would be quiet for days or weeks at a time and during the lulls, pickets would visit be- tween the lines, but there was none of this comradery between General Jubal A. Early's and General Philip Sheridan's troops. Winter weather would soon descend on the Valley and each commander wanted to win a major battle and then send most of their men to Petersburg, Va. The side that could win a decisive battle, completely defeating their opponent and send troops south, would win the war. Neither side was destined to get its wish. Confusion and rumor were rampant after the Battle of Berry- ville. The newspapers, North and South, reported General Crook had lost an entire ambulance train to General Early after the battle when it was only the incident of six of Colonel John S. Mosby's men stampeding the wagon train, capturing one am- bulance and a dozen horses. 374 Northern speculators spread more rumors to control the market. 375 An uneasiness was on the land and it was evident a large battle was in the making. On the evening of Sept. 5, General Sheridan stated he thought a deci- sive battle would have been fought that day, but it was not until two weeks later that Early and Sheridan were in battle posi- tion. 376 Sometime before the 8th, General Robert E. Rodes advanced his men from Stephenson's Depot to Brucetown, and the same day General Sheridan ordered Crook to move his army to Sum- mit Point to counteract the move. Colonel Harris moved the 10th, 11th and 15th West Virginia, 54th Pennsylvania, and the 23rd Illinois Infantry Regiments to Summit Point and re- mained there until the 19th. 377 Robert E. Lee's order for General Richard Anderson to move south was still to be carried out, and although Early held them as long as possible trying to maneuver Sheridan into a battle while he had the added strength, time ran out on him. On Sept. 14, with much secrecy, Anderson moved his army unmolested and undetected through Chester Gap in the Blue Ridge to Cul- peper Court House. General Joseph B. Kershaw's and Major 874 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR) ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 24. 375 William R. Plum, The Military Telegraph During the Civil War in the United States, Chicago, 1882, (2 vols.), vol. 2, p. 271. 376 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 23. r7 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 387. 112 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Wilfred E. Cutshaw's troops were with Anderson. General Fitz- hugh Lee's cavalry remained with Early. 378 General Early had one advantage in the Valley of Virginia. The citizens were as loyal to the South as anywhere in the Con- federacy and the citizens kept him informed of the Union troop movements while Sheridan was forced to depend on his own scouts. It was difficult for the North to move troops without Early's knowledge. The removal and return of the Sixth Corps had demonstrated that. General Ulysses S. Grant became impatient with Sheridan and visited him in the Valley. When he heard his reasons for not pursuing Early and bringing about a major battle, he stated his satisfaction in Sheridan's plans and left. Sheridan did not like the idea of crossing the Opequon while fighting as it was a dan- gerous stream. A sudden storm might cut his army in two, His caution stemmed from the knowledge the coming battle would either stamp him as a successful leader or as a failure, and the fate of his future military career hinged on the outcome of that battle. The War Department had only appointed him as tem- porary commander to see what he could do. It was time for him to produce or fade out of the picture. Washington was waiting impatiently for a victory in the Shenandoah Valley and no doubt there was a warning from General Grant of an impending change in command if something was not accomplished soon. Sheridan's scouts and spies brought in information of General Anderson's move to the south and he knew the time for action had arrived.' 79 Although Early was hurt by the removal of An- derson, he was still strong with Breckinridge's, Gordon's, Ram- seur's and Rodes' infantry totaling about 8,500, Fitz Lee's and Lomax's cavalry of 2,900 men and Carter's artillery with 750. 380 During the evening of Sept. 18, General Sheridan studied in- formation brought in by his scouts relating to the location of Early's position and with his staff worked through the night on his battle plans. Runners were dispatched to his commanders to be ready to march at a moment's notice. At 2 a. m., his entire army with the exception of Crook's troops was awakened and at 3 o'clock were marching toward Winchester. 381 General Crook's army, still at Summit Point where it had been sent to watch General Rodes, was nearer the scene of the coming battle and did not move until daylight. They marched across the country on a dirt road to where the Berryville and 378 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 147. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, New York, The Century Co., (4 vols., 1887-9), vol. 4, p. 506. 379 Pond, p. 151. 380 Millard Kessler Bushong, Old Jube, A Biography of General Jubal A. Early, Boyce, Va., 1955, p. 232. 381 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 506. Pond, p, 157. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 113 Winchester Pike crossed Opequon Creek, arriving at 9 a. m. 383 After crossing the stream, they were halted and placed in re- serve. 383 Sheridan planned to use Crook's troops later on the left of the battle line to assist Major General James H. Wilson's cavalry in cutting off Early's retreat toward Newtown if he was defeated. 384 Although fighting had been in progress most of the morning, it was 11 o'clock before Sheridan had his troops in position to advance toward the battle line already established by General Early. By noon it became evident a Union victory would not be easily won if at all. If Early could hold his lines until dark, he might withdraw and evade a final accounting of military strength in the Valley. Sheridan directed Crook to move his troops to the front and to Major General William H. Emory's right, one brigade to extend on the right flank to Red Bud Run. 385 Crook ordered Thoburn to leave his smallest brigade to guard the supply trains and rapidly move the other two on the Winchester Pike to where the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps had been fighting for several hours. Thoburn's 2nd Brigade, being the smallest, was left at Opequon Creek. The 1st Brigade under Colonel G. D. Wells and the 3rd commanded by Colonel Thom- as M. Harris were marched toward the battlefield. The road was filled with supply wagons, artillery and men going to the front while ambulances and stragglers were trying to get to the rear. Progress in both directions was almost at a complete stop. 380 At one point, the road passed through a defile filled with a tangle of growth, known locally as Berryville Can- yon, 387 and there it was necessary for the wagons and artillery to remain on the road. 388 Thoburn finally ordered Harris and Wells to force their way through the woods on the right, which was done. The distance from the crossing of the Opequon to the fighting front was only two miles but there was a long delay before the troops arrived. Crook left his artillery on the road and they arrived at the battlefield an hour after the infantry. One artillery officer stated they advanced one step at a time. 389 Thoburn reported to General Crook with his two brigades and was ordered to place his men in two battle lines to the right of 382 William S. Lincoln, Life With the Thirty-Fourth Mass. Infantry, Worcester, 1879, p. 352. 383 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 361-2. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 506. 384 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 509. 885 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 509. 380 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 368-9. 387 Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confed- erate Armies, Washington, 1891-1895, plate 99. 388 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 361. 389 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 361. 114 Major General Thomas Maley Harris the road in the rear of a heavy woods, in which the Nineteenth Corps was then engaged in battle. Colonel Wells formed the 1st Brigade into the first battle line and Colonel Harris formed the second.""' The formation was in an open field behind a large woods with Red Bud Run at the right. 381 As soon as the lines were formed, the 1st Brigade advanced through the woods to near an open field on the opposite side. When they were in position, Colonel Harris advanced to form the second line behind them, under the personal supervision of members of Thoburn's staff. Advancing in a straight line was difficult because of the vines and brush. General William H. Emory, who was holding the right flank, had previously made a charge across the open space in front of the woods, but was driven back. He asked Thoburn to relieve his two brigades on the right flank to give him an opportunity to strengthen his lines. The 1st Brigade moved up in the line of battle with Harris supporting him in the second position. 392 Colonel Thoburn was worried about the unprotected ravine on his right, a morass so filled with water and undergrowth as to be almost impassable. He wondered if it was possible for the Confederates to cross the stream and outflank the Union lines. General Crook expected Thoburn to place his men across the ravine and connect his lines with Colonel Isaac H. Duval's di- vision which had been ordered to come up on the other side, thus presenting an unbroken line. 393 After a close inspection, he knew it probably could be crossed but he also understood he was expected to advance at a rapid pace when ordered into bat- tle and it could not be done by men in the slough, and did not try to occupy the muddy defile. He ordered Colonel Harris to turn two of his regiments, the 11th and 15th West Virginia In- fantry, at a right angle to the rest of the line, facing Red Bud Run. 3 " 1 Colonel Wells also placed one regiment in the same po- sition, making a continuous line. A few unlucky pickets were stationed in the water to give the alarm if the enemy should approach from that quarter. 395 General Sheridan made an inspection tour of his right flank, but made no mention of crossing the ravine. He ordered Tho- burn to charge as soon as Duval's division arrived. The two brigades were ordered to rest at the edge of the woods in preparation for the charge to be made. Colonel Harris rode to the front and found the 1st Brigade occupying the po- 390 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 368. 391 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 371-2, 378. Atlas to Accompany the Official Records, plate 99. 392 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 368. 393 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 368. 394 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 368. 395 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 368. Pond, p. 164. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 115 sition formerly held by the Nineteenth Corps. His own brigade was a few paces to the rear. Colonel Duval came up on the same side of Red Bud Run held by Colonel Harris and halted his men in the open field behind him. Learning of his mistake, he took his men across the stream and formed on the other side, in a direct line with Thoburn's troops. When General Sheridan was informed Colonel Duval had arrived, he ordered Thoburn to advance and break General John B. Gordon's lines in his immediate front.' 90 They charged with a yell, but the Confederates had retreated to a stone wall, where they took cover. Because of the rough country, the 1st and 2nd Brigades were soon merged into one fighting mass. The only troops still under Harris' direct control were the 1 1th West Virginia, 23rd Illinois and a portion of the 15th West Vir- ginia Infantry posted to guard the flank at Red Bud Run. The 1st Brigade, with the runaway 10th and 15th West Virginia and 54th Pennsylvania Infantry were composed of experienced men who fought without supervision. Although there were no distinct lines or fighting units, they cooperated in taking the stone wall. Part of the men would cover others who advanced and they in turn would protect them in their charge to the wall. The Confederates were compelled to abandon their po- sition and fall back. When the order was given to advance, Colonel Harris sent his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant H. H. King, to the right of the battle line to bring up the 11th West Virginia, 23rd Illinois and the remainder of the 15th West Virginia Infantry. He discovered the 34th Massachusetts had also left a detachment in the woods. The order to charge had come so suddenly that Colonel Wells of the 1st Brigade could only send a message for the 34th to charge and they had not received it. Harris' line stretched a half mile, his right flank still resting at Red Bud Run. He was careful to see that there was no gap between his right and Colo- nel Duval's left, but had difficulty keeping his scouts and skirm- ishers in the slough. Lieutenant Colonel William S. Lincoln, in his "Life With the Thirty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry," gives a good descrip- tion of Colonel Harris in the Battle of Winchester and perhaps it will not be out of place here. "While we were advancing over the slope, which ex- tended between our line and the stone wall behind which the enemy had taken his new position, a tall, fine looking officer, mounted on a large sized and powerful bay horse, galloped up on our left. Swinging wildly a dragon's sabre, he exhorted us in a voice which could be plainly heard above the roar of battle, to 'move faster, — double quick, — 8 Pond, p. 164. 1 16 Major General Thomas Maley Harris run,' as he rode down the line, looking the very demon of battle, he was recognized as a Colonel of a Western regi- ment, Col. Harris of the West Virginia Infantry, now commanding a brigade in our division. He had strayed from his own command, in his effort to follow it while charging through the thick undergrowth of the woods, and, in the excitement of the occasion, had mistaken the 34th for one of his own regiments. As he galloped along our lines, which, in disregard of his oft repeated orders, still moved at quick time, he thus addressed the writer, 'Cap- tain, take the double quick, double march, — march.' 'Colo- nel' I replied, point with my sword towards the centre, 'those colors are my guide; if you wish this regiment to move faster, you will find its commander in his place, and any orders from him will be cheerfully and promptly obeyed.' "The Colonel's eyes followed the direction in which my sword was pointed; and as they fell upon the tattered folds of the old White Flag of our state,- — he saw his error, and wheeling his horse, and giving him the spur, he dashed, under a perfect storm of shot and shells, to his command, on the left." 397 Crook's entire command was engaged in fighting a combina- tion of infantry and cavalry who had been trying to keep Major General Alfred T. A. Torbert from turning Early's flank. Gen- eral John C. Breckinridge's line was exposed to Crook, who advanced between Generals Gabriel C. Wharton and Clement A. Evans. Evans' brigade was rushed to fill the gap, and Colonel Thoburn's men soon received a flanking fire. 398 He then charged to the front as well as to the left and around the flank of the 399 enemy. At that point of the advance, Red Bud Run turned to the right in front of Colonel Duval, and it was necessary for his men to recross. That was finally done after finding a ford where the men would not sink out of sight in the ooze, and the division, covered with slime from the two crossings, formed the rear of Colonel Harris' command. A general charge was made from the stone wall by Harris' brigade but he made the mistake of ad- vancing over ground he erroneously thought had been cleared by Duval and his men received a murderous fire from the ene- my. They advanced, but were forced to take cover at the wall which stopped short and a portion of Harris' command had only the protection of the uneven ground. The Confederate artillery had the exact range of the 3rd Brigade and poured shells into their ranks and at the same time the musketry fire kept up its 397 Lincoln, p. 360. 398 Pond, p. 165. ""OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 368-9. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 117 deadly work against them. Colonel Harris was in a dangerous position. Lieutenant Oliver P. Boughner, acting as Harris' Assistant Adjutant General, who had accompanied the charge of part of the 3rd Brigade to the stone wall, left his protected position and advanced his troops to help Harris hold his position in the open, Without that help he probably would have been forced to fall back. Colonel Duval, seeing Harris' difficulty, advanced his divi- sion to help Harris and the men in the 3rd Brigade were encour- aged to advance singly, acting as sharpshooters. The move lessened the enemy fire, especially the artillery. Colonel Tho- burn, on hearing Harris was pinned down, rode to the right flank to direct operations in securing the line. Colonel Duval and Lieutenant Boughner received wounds and were carried from the field. Lieutenant Colonel John P. Linton, commanding the 54th Pennsylvania and directing oper- ations on Harris' left, was also wounded and retired. The situa- tion was critical until the Union cavalry, which had commanded a position on the right of Harris, made a sweeping charge across the front of the field, capturing many prisoners and driving the Confederates from their positions. That gave Harris a chance to reform his troops into an efficient fighting force. The enemy made one more effort to disorganize the Union line with artil- lery, but was not successful. The 3rd Brigade advanced across the battlefield in a nearly straight line, throwing out skirmishers as far as the fort on the ridge north of Winchester and were among the first to enter the town. 400 General Crook arrived and assumed command of the 3rd Brigade, ordering Colonel Harris to change his direction and sweep the hills west of Winchester. Most of the Union troops stopped at 5 p. m. when the Confederates were in a gen- eral retreat south, 401 but Harris scoured the hills around the town and at dark was as far south as Mill Creek, two miles from Winchester, where they camped for the night. 402 General Sheridan stayed with Crook's troops in their sweep south until darkness stopped the fighting. 408 No preparations were made for the night. Coffee was boiled and the troops fell exhausted on the ground. Winchester was a sad place that night. The town was filled with wounded, both Union and Confederate. During the battle, the injured who could walk entered the town to ask for help. 404 Throughout the night, the air was filled with groans, sighs, shrieks, prayers and oaths. 405 The battlefield was in the same 400 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 368-9. 401 Various accounts of the battle in OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 349-389. 402 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 389. 403 Henry E. Davies, General Sheridan, New York, 1895, p. 162. 404 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 510. 405 Pond, p. 167. 118 Major General Thomas Maley Harris condition. It was long after dark before all the wounded could be removed but the stretcher men could only locate the wound- ed that screamed for help. In a few days more than three hun- dred hospital tents had been erected in the vicinity of Winches- ter. 4 "" Many of the Confederate doctors remained behind the lines to help their men and were given supplies by the Federal Army to assist them in their work of mercy. 407 Colonel Harris' loss was heavy, especially in the 10th West Virginia Infantry which had fought on the hotly contested right sector. Occupying the left of Harris battle line, the regiment re- ceived a heavy fire from the woods, and at that point, Captain James M. Ewing, commander of Company G, and Lieutenant Charles B. McCollom of Company E and Acting Adjutant, died. The losses of the 10th West Virginia Infantry were nearly half of all the brigade, two officers and fifteen enlisted men were killed, one officer and seventy-seven enlisted men were wound- ed or missing. The 23rd Illinois Infantry had three enlisted men killed and nineteen wounded; 54th Pennsylvania Infantry, six killed, four officers and thirty-five enlisted men wounded and four missing; 11th West Virginia Infantry, one officer and two enlisted men killed and eighteen enlisted men wounded; 15th West Virginia Infantry, eleven enlisted men killed, two officers and thirty-six enlisted men wounded. The total loss to Colonel Harris' brigade was 238 men. 4 " 8 A final check showed Lieuten- ant Charles W. Kirby of the 11th West Virginia Infantry had been killed. 409 The total loss to the Union Army was 697 killed, 3,983 wounded, and 338 captured. The Confederate loss was 259 killed, 1,794 wounded, and 2,000 prisoners; but on the death list were the gallant Generals Robert E. Rodes and A. C. God- win. 410 Although there was much sadness and misery in Winchester, Washington was jubilant. The following morning President Lin- coln telegraphed General Sheridan, "September 20th, Major General Sheridan. Winchester Virginia. Have just heard of your great victory. God bless you all, officers and men. Strongly inclined to come up and see you. A. Lincoln." 411 Sheridan was appointed brigadier general in the regular 406 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 141. 407 As told by General Harris after the war. 408 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 115. 409 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 369. 410 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 24-5. Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode With Stonewall, The University of North Carolina Press, 1940, p. 310. Pond, p. 169. 411 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 61. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 119 army and assigned the permanent command of the Middle Di- vision. 4 ' 2 Although General Early had not been driven from the Valley, the Lower Shenandoah was now under Union control and would be held for the duration of the war. 4 " The victory was great, and badly needed by the Union; but Anderson's troops leaving for the south to relieve the hard pressed Lee had much to do with it. A few days after the battle, Colonel Harris was at 1st Divi- sion headquarters and met Captain Alexis C. Soley of the 34th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the men who had refused to obey his orders at the Battle of Winchester. At Harris' request the Captain related the experience and there was much merri- ment at his expense. Colonel Thoburn told him, "Never mind, Colonel, never mind; you've no reason to be ashamed of that adventure; you were nearer the enemy, and more exposed, than you would have been if you had kept with your brigade." In the laughter that followed, no one joined more heartily than Harris himself and was described by Colonel William S. Lincoln as both a brave and meritorious officer. 414 412 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 61. " 3 Pond, p. 171. * "Lincoln, p. 361. m #*» 1 :4llHli s ' «*>-"-' % Major General Thomas Maley Harris (1813-1906). Courtesy of Virginia Bly Hoover, French Creek, W. Va. 121 Thomas Marion Matheny (1839-1912). 122 Home of General Thomas Maley Harris in 1906. Home of General Thomas Maley Harris in 1960. 123 Funeral of General Thomas Maley Harris in 1906. The trial of President Lincoln's assassins. 124 1 «J o o OCAJU>. «OUtJ>, PATK8. «CASD. **s. eouurr, F& Ell II TftKi W IBUTftRY TABUf 08 MCPORTCBS XJ^iqp i O v o '^ 125 m & ; The Military Commission that tried the assassins of President Lincoln. iff* 1 ; The hanging of the principal assassins of President Lincoln. 126 w George W. Silcott. Courtesy Boyd B. Stutler. Peregrine Hays. Courtesy Boyd B. Stutler. Sergeant John D. Baxter. Killed in action at Droop Mountain Nov. 6, 1863. 127 Major General Thomas Maley Harris. Courtesy Boyd B. Stutler. Major Henry H. Withers. Courtesy Captain Henry Bender. Courtesy Boyd B. Stutler. Boyd B. Stutler. Colonel Moses S. Hall. Colonel Milton Wells. 128 ■■;'■■ ■ 1 Major General Robert H. Milroy. Major General George Crook. Kj- KJ> i^ Colonel Joseph Thoburn. 1 Colonel Nathan Wilkinson. 129 \ Major General William Starke Rosecrans in his headquarters at Clarksburg, (West) Virginia. From Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Magazine. t^mm Clarksburg, (West) Virginia, as it appeared a , c.=, 11 aFF <,c^ in 1861. From Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Magazine. 130 Federal troops landing at Parkersburg, (West) Virginia. From Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Magazine. mmwmm: Grafton, (West) Virginia as it appeared in 1861, From Harper's Weekly Magazine. 131 Confederate troops at Martinsburg, (West) Virginia. From Harper's Weekly Magazine. Battle of Philippi, (West) Virginia, June 3, 1861. From Harper's Weekly Magazine. 132 Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, as it appeared in 1865. From Harper's Weekly Magazine. ■■;■*' ;rf*y- * United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. From Harper's Weekly Magazine. 133 Federal cavalry charge in the Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864. ^ : &$siffiMk^ i-f I The night after a battle — Burying the dead and succoring the wounded. 134 IE 1, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1861. General Philip H. Sheridan's army on the march in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. 135 w* %-^mS y - Mt^'jp'ifi : SSr Attacking Confederate troops between Hurricane and Logan, Southwestern Virginia, 1861. , ill* pfeeiP Execution of a Federal soldier at City Point, Virginia, January 27, 1865. From Harper's Weekly Magazine. 136 Chapter Sixteen The Battle of Fisher's Hill Major General Philip H. Sheridan did not rest on his laurels earned at the Battle of Winchester. On September 20 his en- tire command was moving south after the retreating enemy. Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early had lost an important bat- tle, but he was still a strong adversary. Sheridan regretted it had been necessary to use General George Crook's men to turn the enemy's left flank at Red Bud Run, and then had been un- able to use him to cut off Early's retreat. As it happened, Early had only retreated when it might have been possible for Crook to delay him, permitting Sheridan to annihilate his entire army. Not having time to send out scouts to learn of Early's move- ments, General Sheridan moved his entire army south in a pro- tective battle formation. The Sixth Corps was on the left, the Nineteenth on the right and Crook's Eighth Corps in the rear. The cavalry preceded the infantry. Brigadier General William W. Averell advanced by the way of Back Road, Brigadier Gen- eral Wesley Merritt on the Valley Pike and Lieutenant Colonel Bartholomew W. Wilson on the Front Royal Road. During the night General Early retreated to his old strong- hold on Fisher's Hill, two miles south of Strasburg, a position he occupied in August. 415 The Valley of Virginia averages about 20 miles in width, with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Alleghenies on the west. At that point Massanutten Mountain, a stray from one of the mountain ranges, springs up from the valley floor making two parts of the Shenandoah Valley, midway between North Mountain on the west and the Blue Ridge. Fisher's Hill is a natural fortification in the West Valley, south of Tumbling Run. General Early spent most of September 20 and 21st, erect- ing new fortifications and strengthening the old. The Confed- erate line reached from Fisher's Hill to Little North Mountain. Early was so confident of his ability to hold Fisher's Hill he ordered the ammunition boxes removed from the caissons, and for convenience placed them behind the breastworks. He knew he would be in danger if Sheridan sent troops up the Luray Valley to attack from the rear, and ordered General Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry, then under Brigadier General William C. Wick- ham, to protect that corridor." 6 * 15 George E. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, pp. 173-4. 416 War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR), ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 48. Pond, pp. 175-6. 138 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Sheridan's army cautiously approached Strasburg where Early was expected to make his stand. Arriving at the town limits, he placed the Sixth Corps on the right and the Nineteenth on the left of the road. The Union pickets occupied the northern part of the town and the Confederates the south. The Bluecoats steadily advanced and drove the skirmishers in the direction of Fisher's Hill where the Confederate Army was entrenched. Sheridan placed Major Generals Horatio Wright and William Emory in position on the Heights of Strasburg on the 20th, with his cavalry on the right and to the rear of Emory extending to Back Road. 417 General Sheridan did not like the odds against a direct as- sault and wanted to place a detachment behind Early. He sent Major General Alfred Torbert with Lieutenant Colonel Barth- olomew Wilson's and Brigadier General Wesley Merritt's cav- alry up the Luray Valley with orders to cross over Massanutten Mountain to New Market and again turn north. To their sur- prise, they were cut off at Milford and did not succeed in dis- lodging the Confederate cavalry. 418 Later, Sheridan reported he sent his men after the retreating Confederates but that was evi- dently to disguise his blunder. Early occupied the signal station on Three Top Mountain, and from there could see the daylight movements of both armies. 410 Information on the Union's maneuvers was relayed from the post to Confederate headquarters. Sheridan could not carry the fortifications at night and Early thought he could de- fend Fisher's Hill. Crook's corps, being in the rear, did not enter Strasburg. As soon as it was dark they moved north of Cedar Creek to a dense woods one half mile west of the Valley Pike, one fourth mile south of the farm residence of Peter Hinkins and to the west of Hupp's Hill where Colonel Harris rested his tired men. 420 No fires were permitted for cooking as the corps was to be lost as far as Early was concerned. Colonel Harris' brigade had a strength of 1,465 officers and enlisted men. Major H. H. Withers still commanded the 10th West Virginia Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel Van H. Bukey the 11th West Virginia Infantry, Major J. W. Holliday the 15th West Virginia Infantry, Major E. D. Yutzy the 54th Pennsyl- vania Infantry and Captain S. A. Simison the 23rd Illinois In- fantry. 417 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, New York, The Century Co., (4 vols., 1887-9) vol. 4, p. 510. * 18 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 48. * 19 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 48. * 20 Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Con- federate Armies, Washington, 1891-1895, plate 99. Henry E. Davies. General Sheridan, New York, (1895), map at p. 174. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 139 Harris' men had been in the hard fighting at Winchester and in addition, had participated in the forced march south and were in a jaded condition. Although they were exhausted, Sheridan had something special in mind for them and anything special in the army could only mean danger, hard fighting and more fatigue. The fight at Fisher's Hill would not be an exception. Sheridan's plans for them indicated his confidence in the Army of West Virginia. On the 21st, Crook's men lay in concealment and Wright and Emory were moved up to the front of the enemy lines after a severe engagement between a portion of the Confederate troops and Brigadier General James B. Rick- etts' men. The movement drove Early's pickets to Fisher's Hill and General Sheridan knew they would not venture from their natural defensive position to fight. General Robert E. Lee had ordered Major General John C. Breckinridge to proceed with- out delay to the defense of Richmond, and as Early had also been deprived of assistance from Generals Fitz Lee and Rodes he was under a severe handicap. 421 Sheridan's position was secure with his men occupying a hill north of Tumbling Run and made no attempt to cover the entire front of the line except with skirmishers/ 22 It was evident the armies were in position for a battle the following day. On the 22 nd, General Sheridan made his plans known to his commanders. General Crook would try to turn Early's left flank by maneuvering through heavy timber on the eastern slope of Little North Mountain, a position Early thought the Union Army could not occupy. They were to use the same tactics so disastrous to Early at Winchester, with Crook's army on the right. It was necessary for Sheridan to move as many troops as possible to his right flank to assist Crook in his final charge, but it was also important that it be done without in- forming Early of his plans. 423 General James Ricketts' division had been removed from the Sixth Corps and placed opposite the enemy's left center. General Averell, with his cavalry, was to advance to Ricketts' front and right. This was done and the signal officer on Three Top Mountain, mistaking Ricketts' division for Sheridan's returning column, informed General Early who made his plans accordingly. At 2 p. m., Crook received orders from Sheridan to move his men to the side of the mountain. Colonel Joseph Thoburn's 1st Division moved by the right flank in two columns, and to the left of the 2nd Division. Colonel George D. Wells' troops com- posed the first line and Colonel Harris' brigade the second. The Union troops marched at right angles to the Confederates who were strung across the Valley and up the mountain to the tim- 421 Pond, p. 174. * 22 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 510. 423 Pond, p, 176, 140 Major General Thomas Maley Harris ber line. Crook did not maintain formal battle lines in order to take advantage of the ravines and larger groves of timber. 424 It was an outstanding demonstration of generalship to move such a large body of soldiers in complete secrecy, and it is to Crook's credit that he moved half his troops past the enemy's left flank before they were discovered. Early had placed a few skirmishers in the woods. When they discovered and fired at the Northerns on the mountain he had his first knowledge of the new danger to his flank. Crook advanced 200 yards after he was discovered and then faced Fisher's Hill in two columns, the 2nd Division on the right and the 1st on the left. He could have advanced behind the Confederate lines but time was im- portant. There no longer remained an element of surprise. Crook could still take advantage of Early's unpreparedness, but that situation would not remain long. The Confederate artillery be- gan firing shells into Crook's lines from the opposite hill, but little damage was done as they did not have the correct range. 425 Sheridan was keeping a close check on Crook's progress. When the enemy shells began exploding in the woods on Little North Mountain he knew they had been discovered. Crook signaled his position to Sheridan and gave a pre-arranged signal to at- tack. 420 The situation was about the same for Colonel Harris as it had been at the Battle of Winchester, with his men in the sec- ond line behind Colonel Wells' brigade. When the order came to advance the men charged down the mountain yelling loudly. In a few minutes the organized lines faded into an unidentifiable mass of running humanity in which the officers were completely lost. Harris' brigade was no longer in the rear. They were a half mile from the Confederate batteries but pressed forward through the mass of undergrowth and ravines to the edge of the cleared fields on the lower part of the mountain. There Crook succeeded in halting and reforming his men in the face of enemy fire. The order was again given to charge and they were soon fused into a disorderly fighting mass, but almost without exception the movement was toward the enemy lines, the troops advancing without orders. They were battle seasoned men, and having received the order to charge and take the enemy fortifications they needed no further instructions. Each soldier tried to out run and out yell the others, with the bolder in front who gave confidence to the meek. There were few stragglers. 427 At the second hill they came to a strong fortification extend- ing to the rear and right to protect the Confederate left flank. The Union line faltered but Ricketts' troops surged into the 424 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 70, 370. * 25 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 370. 426 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 370. 427 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 370. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 141 lines and soon the rest of the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were in the battle. Attempts were made to reform Crook's men but they could not be stopped. That was especially true of Colonel Harris' brigade. He would halt a few men and form them into line, but when he tried to stop others the reformed line would charge toward the enemy. It was not until General Crook ar- rived that order was restored. His men grumbled because they were not permitted to stay with the captured guns and much of the glory went to the late arrivals. 428 After the initial charge from the timber line at 4 p. m. a dis- tance of four miles was covered by Colonel Harris' brigade in the forward movement. They did not stop until they reached the pike. Colonel Harris, being in the rear, tried to urge the stragglers and cowards forward, but very few of them were from his brigade. At the pike, Colonel Thoburn halted to reorganize the 1st Division and marched along the road to the base of Round Top Mountain. The retreating enemy was not yet out of hearing and Harris' men cheered their victory for the next half hour. They camped for the night without blankets or food. The rest of Sheridan's army continued up the Valley in pursuit of Early, arriving in Woodstock at daylight where they stopped for a few hours rest. 429 Colonel Harris gave the color sergeant of his own 10th West Virginia Infantry credit for placing the first flag on the enemy's fortifications, the claim being supported by his comrades," but was disputed by others. 431 The 23rd Illinois and 11th West Vir- ginia Infantry Regiments were given credit for capturing sev- eral guns and battle flags. 432 Private George G. Moore, Com- pany D, 11th West Virginia Infantry, eventually received the Medal of Honor for capturing a flag at Fisher's Hill. 433 Before the battle, each corps was directed to establish their own field hospital in the Strasburg area where the wounded were to be processed and sent to Winchester. A few days later the general hospital headquarters was moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia. During and after the battle the Union Army again divided their medical supplies with the Confederate sur- geons. 434 428 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 370. 420 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 370. 430 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 390. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, Wheeling, John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1864, p. 287. W. B. Cutright, The History of Upshur County West Virginia, (1907), p. 312. Dr. Roy Bird Cook, Lewis County in the Civil War, 1861-1865, 1924, Jarrett Printing Co., Charleston, W. Va., p. 127. 431 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 203. William S. Lincoln, Life with the Thirty-Fourth Mass. Infantry, Worcester, 1897, p. 366. 432 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 390. 433 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 551. 434 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 142. 142 Major General Thomas Maley Harris Colonel Harris' loss at the Battle of Fisher's Hill was slight. In his first report he stated none were killed, two officers and thirty-eight enlisted men wounded and one missing. 485 Later it was changed to one killed and nine wounded. 436 Before the battle General Early had given orders to retreat at dark but he waited too long. 4 " His retreat should have been carried out the night before. General Early was not respected by his men and an incident occurred at the Battle of Fisher's Hill that did not improve their attitude. During the fighting a North Carolina brigade was running to the rear. Early rode up and ordered the 13th Vir- ginia Infantry to fire on them, but they refused. 438 General Early camped four miles south of Woodstock in Nar- row Passage, north of Edenburg. 439 If he had occupied Fisher's Hill when Major General Joseph Kershaw left him he probably could have held it against the charge of Sheridan's troops. 44 " Their defeat at Fisher's Hill made the Valley of Virginia the Valley of Humiliation to the Confederacy. 441 435 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 123. 436 Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia for 1864, p. 287. 437 Pond, p. 177. 438 Millard K. Bushong, Old Jube. A Biography of General Jubal A. Early, Boyce, Virginia, (1955), p. 241. 439 Pond, p. 178. 440 Pond, p. 182. 441 Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode with Stonewall, The University of North Carolina Press, (1940) p. 313. Chapter Seventeen Devastation of the Valley General Jubal A. Early's halt at Narrow Passage after the re- treat from Fisher's Hill was only to rest and feed his troops. His next camp was at Mount Jackson, halfway to New Market, where a temporary hospital was established. 442 At 1 p. m., September 23, General Philip Sheridan moved most of his army south from Woodstock, but left General George Crook's command to bury the dead and remove the wounded. That afternoon General Thomas C. Devin's cavalry attacked Early's exposed units, but as he had no infantry to hold the positions gained he was forced to retire. Sporadic skirmish- ing continued throughout the day but both armies were licking their wounds, jockeying for position and waiting for reinforce- ments. Neither was in a position or of a disposition to enter into a major battle at that place. The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were forced to halt one mile south of Edenburg as they were without rations. 443 The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps occupied Mount Jackson on the 24th; the Confederates having left after slight skirmishing. Early marched on the dirt road that led through Keezletown and Cross Keys to Port Republic, and at sunset halted at the forks where he formed a line of battle to protect his supply trains. After dark Early quietly retreated and camped fourteen miles from Port Republic. Sheridan's Eighth Corps, having fin- ished their cleaning-up operations at Fisher's Hill, arrived at Mount Jackson that night after a hard forced march. Sheridan's well laid plan for advancing up the Valley of Vir- ginia supplied by regular supply trains had been disrupted by the Battles of Winchester and Fisher's Hill. 444 Grant was calling continually for troops from Sheridan's command to ease his own position, but at the same time, wanted him to destroy the Con- federate railroads in Northern Virginia. It was evident the war would end the following spring and General Grant wanted to position his troops for the winter. Sheridan was reluctant to part with any of his troops and also refused to risk diluting his victories by advancing farther into the South. To do so would be military suicide. When General Lee was informed of the Confederate defeat 442 George W. Pond, The Shenandoah Valley in 1864, New York, 1883, p. 186. 443 Pond, pp. 186-7. 444 War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (70 vols, in 127 and index, Washington 1880-1901. Cited hereinafter as OR), ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 28. 144 Major General Thomas Maley Harris at Fisher's Hill he ordered General Joseph Kershaw's command to rejoin Early. 445 General Thomas Rosser's brigade was also ordered from Petersburg to the Valley of Virginia. 446 Lee's posi- tion was being threatened by Grant and he could not spare them; still he could not entirely abandon the Valley to Sheri- dan. The supply of resources and manpower in the Confederacy was beginning to weaken. On September 25, Early resumed his retreat. General Fitz- hugh Lee's and General Lunsford L. Lomax's cavalry found him between Point Republic and Brown's Gap. 447 Sheridan marched the Sixth and Nineteenth Corps up the Valley Pike to Harrisonburg where they arrived at 4 p. m. The Eighth Corps was temporarily stationed at the junction of the Keezletown Road and the pike where Sheridan's army had re- cently camped. That evening General Alfred Torbert reported to Sheridan with Merritt's and Wilson's cavalry. 448 They re- joined Sheridan when they heard of the Union victory at Fish- er's Hill. Sheridan promptly removed Averell from command. When the Confederate troops were stampeding after their de- feat at Fisher's Hill the cavalry was expected to follow them, but Averell camped instead and left the worn-out infantry to pursue the enemy fifteen miles. With the Union Army at Harrisonburg, Early made his stand in front of Brown's Gap. General Joseph Kershaw's division, with Major Wilfred E. Cutshaw's battery, came up after having crossed Swift Run. 449 The morning after their arrival they drove Merritt across South Fork at Port Republic where he camped, apparently to make a base of operations. Learning General Tor- bert was threatening Staunton and Waynesburg, he left the position with his command at daylight on the 28th. 450 By the last of September all Confederate Reserves in the Valley were ordered to report to Early. 451 Sheridan's men were still hungry and had very little ammuni- tion, but on October 1 a large wagon train was near them. The same day another train of 200 wagons left Martinsburg with a guard of 1,500 men, and a still larger train was started in his direction two days later. The hit and run tactics of Mosby's Raiders made the large number of guards necessary. Many sup- plies were lost to cavalry raiders. One train of 561 wagons, or- dered to Sheridan, had a guard of 2,000 men. 452 Sheridan stated 445 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 558. 446 Pond, p. 194. 447 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, New York, The Century Co., (4 vols. 1887-9) vol. 4, p. 524. 448 Pond, p. 189. 449 Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 524. 450 Pond, p. 190. 451 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, pp. 558-9. 452 Pond, pp. 196-7. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 145 Lieutenant Colonel John S. Mosby was of some help to him as there was very little straggling of his troops when he was in the vicinity. General Early moved to Mt. Sidney on the Valley Pike Oc- tober l. 45:i On the opposite side of the stream the Union cavalry, with the exception of the command of Colonel William H. Powell, was watching the Confederate maneuvers. Seven miles away Sheridan's infantry was camped at Mt. Crawford. Colonel Harris kept his men in the field and on October 2 a Confederate scouting expedition v/as repulsed by his brigade. Harris maintained a strict discipline in his command when they were foraging for food. Supplies were taken if needed, but he insisted a receipt be given. To the soldiers, borrowing a jug of whiskey was just as legal as liberating a Confederate chicken. There was much ill will in Harris' brigade because of his disci- pline, but he was unbending in his decisions. 451 There was less formality in other brigades. Luray was occupied by Colonel William H. Powell. Major Harvey Farabee of the 1st West Virginia Cavalry left on an expedition to destroy the bridge at the Rapidan. Sheridan re- ceived 5,000 raw recruits, but they would be of little use to him until they were trained. 455 On October 3 General Grant ordered General Sheridan to occupy a position in the Valley he could hold with Crook's army and the new recruits; this meant a retreat to Harper's Ferry. The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps, with a remnant of other units remaining there, were to be sent to him without delay. In carry- ing out Grant's plan he was to destroy everything in the Valley that might be of use to the Confederate Army. 456 Doctor George C. Gans had been with Colonel Harris since the 10th West Virginia Infantry was being organized at Buck- hannon, West Virginia, and they had been close friends. Dr. Gans had been ill for several weeks but continued to help Har- ris with his wounded troops. He died October 4, 1864, at Har- risonburg. General Thomas Rosser arrived at Early's encampment Oc- tober 5 and prepared to attack Sheridan. His brigade was worn out from their long trip from Richmond and their horses almost beyond use. Still, what they lacked in energy they compensated for with enthusiasm and confidence. Early was stronger than he had been before his defeat at Winchester, although he gained his strength at a loss to Lee. Sheridan prepared a plan for holding the Valley, and as soon 453 Pond, p. 201. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 524. 454 Pond, p. 202. Also details as told by General Harris after the war. 455 Pond, p. 202 footnote. 456 Pond, pp. 195, 197. 146 Major General Thomas Maley Harris as Grant's acceptance reached him he began to carry it out. The next morning his columns were in motion down the Valley, and that night camped at Rude's Hill. 457 In the march north Colonel Harris' brigade moved at a steady pace, driving the captured cattle before them. The cav- alry followed strung across the Valley from the Blue Ridge to North Mountain. Everything in their path that would burn went up in flames except the homes of the inhabitants. Over 2,000 barns filled with hay, wheat and farming implements, and over seventy grist mills filled with flour and wheat were burned. Four immense herds of stock were driven north. More than 3,000 sheep were killed and issued to the troops. The trail of destruction included Luray Valley as well as Little Fort Val- ley. Many horses were captured. During the scorched earth march Lieutenant John Meigs was murdered; at that time it was believed to have been done by citizens of the Valley, and in retaliation every house in a radius of five miles was destroyed. Later it was learned he was killed by Confederate troops but then it was too late to spare the dwellings.' 5 * Murders committed by bushwhackers were common in the Valley, and if the house burning did not pay for Meigs' life, it paid in some measure for the hundreds of other soldiers that had been butchered in the vicinity. At times ex- plosions could be heard as the barns burned, indicating ex- plosives had been concealed, which helped ease the conscience of the Boys in Blue. 469 When General Early learned Sheridan was retreating he pushed his forces after him. He could not maneuver the Union Army in a position to attack, but his cavalry kept up a haras- sing action against him. General Rosser took the Middle and Back Roads and skirmished with General Custer at Brock's Gap. General Lunsford Lomax moved down the Valley to at- tack General Wesley Merritt. General Powell was in the Luray Valley, moving down in a line with the main army. General Early arrived at New Market October 7, and the next day Sheridan moved to Strasburg. At the same time, Merritt made camp at Tom's Brook, three miles south of the town. General Torbert hurried back to help General Custer who was in danger of being cut off by General Rosser. The Confederate cavalry was beginning to be a nuisance and Sheridan ordered Torbert to either whip them or get whipped himself. 480 At daylight on the 9th, the Union cavalry was in the saddle, 457 Pond, p. 201. 458 Pond, p. 199. ^William Hewitt, History of the Twelfth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry, (1892), p. 187. 460 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 431. Pond, p. 203. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. 4, p. 525. Major General Thomas Maley Harris 147 marching south. Merritt advanced to connect his lines with Cus- ter and chased General Lomax twenty miles up the pike to Mount Jackson and in the meantime drove Rosser as far as Columbia Furnace, on Back Road. Over three hundred prison- ers fell into the hands of the Union cavalry, as well as many guns and other military equipment. 461 The same day Sheridan's infantry left Fisher's Hill, where they had camped, and moved north. The following day the Union Army crossed Cedar Creek and occupied the Heights. The Nineteenth Corps was placed on the west of the pike with the Eighth on the east, while Generals Merritt and Custer camped to the left and right. 462 General Grant had ordered Sheridan to temporarily hold the Ninteenth Corps and send him the Sixth together with a division of cavalry. Accordingly Wright's command was held at Front Royal for a short time. Sheridan planned to send them to Alex- andria by rail, but learning the railroad had been destroyed, he ordered them to march to Alexandria by the way of Ashby's Gap. At the same time, Sheridan told his staff he wanted to visit Washington. He still thought the Southern Army would not ad- vance down the Valley. However Sheridan did not leave his army until a later date for as usual he was wrong in his judge- ment of Early's ability to fight. 463 There were conflicting rumors as to the location of Early's troops. Various reports placed them at Gordonsville, Charlottes- ville, Brown's Gap or Waynesborough. He was much closer to the Union Army than Sheridan thought. General Merritt moved the 1st Cavalry Division across Ce- dar Creek October 11 and occupied a position on the left of Sheridan's infantry. General Custer moved his 3rd Division in the same direction and took a position on the right. The follow- ing day, the 12 th, Torbert sent portions of these two divisions on a reconnaissance up the Valley Pike for a distance of ten or twelve miles and returned by the Back Road, but could find no indication Early's forces were near. 464 On the same day General Crook ordered Colonel Harris to take a detachment to Strasburg to try to locate Early's position. He selected portions of the 5th New York Heavy Artillery and the 11th and 15th West Virginia Infantry Regiments. They ad- vanced cautiously to a hill overlooking the town. Using a pow- erful telescope nothing could be seen in Strasburg except civil- ians. Farther to the south they saw a few cavalry videttes. Colonel Harris led his men back to Cedar Creek undetected and 461 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 431. Pond, p. 203. 462 Pond, p. 205. 4Gi Pond, pp. 207-8. 464 OR, ser. 1, vol. 43, pt. 1, p. 432. Pond, p. 209. 148 Major General Thomas Maley Harris reported to General George Crook there could not possibly be a large group of Confederates in the vicinity. 465 Having learned from his excellent spy system that Sheridan was preparing to send part of his troops to Petersburg, Early moved his infantry from New Market. On the 13th, he reoccu- pied his old camp on Fisher's Hill. From there his troops moved rapidly through Strasburg to Hupp's Hill and found Sheridan had not even posted pickets at that strategic point. Colonel Thoburn camped with Colonel Harris' and Colonel George D. Wells' brigades on a slight elevation a short distance from Cedar Creek, on Sheridan's left. They had stacked their arms, believing Early was far to the south. At noon, October 13, Sheridan's men were quietly lounging in camp, preparing dinner, playing cards and in general enjoy- ing themselves. The astonished Confederates looked down on the scene from Hupp's Hill and decided the Union camp was entirely too peaceful. A battery of artillery was placed in posi- tion and, as luck would have it, guessed the exact range. When the officers sat down to dinner, the first shell landed among them. 468 The Union commanders did not believe it was a Confederate gun and thought one of their own batteries was firing a salute, but when a salvo of shells fell among them the bugle sounded assembly. General Crook received orders to move out and ascertain the strength and position of the enemy. The men ran to their stations dragging knapsacks, blankets, hands filled with half- eaten hardtack and kettles of boiling coffee. 407 They were soon in line and Colonel Wells' brigade was ordered to the left of the pike and Colonel Harris advanced his brigade on the right. The division crossed a low level section of ground between them and the creek where the artillery had concentrated its fire. They crossed the creek above and below the bridge as it might be covered by the guns above them, and formed a battle line in dense timber. Harris' brigade was still on the right and became separated from the 1st Brigade by a ridge of timber before they reached the top of the hill. 468 Colonel Harris' troops arrived at the summit before Colonel Wells, and received a hail of bullets. Harris saw the folly of trying to combat an unknown force from his position, and led his brigade by a flanking movement around the top of the hill 465 William S. Lincoln, Life with the Thirty-Fourth Mass. Infantry, Worcester, 1879, pp. 369-70. t