Battle of Cloyd's Mountain
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain was a Union
victory in western Virginia
in 1864 that allowed the Union forces to destroy the last railroad connecting Tennessee
to Virginia
.
George Crook
commanded the Union Army of West Virginia
, made up of three brigade
s from the Division of the Kanawha. When Ulysses S. Grant
launched his spring offensive of 1864, two Union armies marched towards Richmond
and a third moved into the Shenandoah Valley
. Crook's troops were also involved in the offensive and began to march through the Appalachian Mountains
into southwest Virginia. His objective was to destroy the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, working in conjunction with William W. Averell
's offensive, which had similar objectives. Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins
was in command of a few scattered Confederate
units protecting the rail lines. Jenkins had only assumed command a day before Crook's army began to approach the railroad.
During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
, Jenkins' Brigade formed the cavalry screen for Richard S. Ewell
's Second Corps. Jenkins led his men through the Cumberland Valley into Pennsylvania and seized Chambersburg
, burning down nearby railroad structures and bridges. He accompanied Ewell's column to Carlisle
, briefly skirmishing with Union militia
at the Battle of Sporting Hill near Harrisburg
. During the subsequent Battle of Gettysburg, Jenkins was wounded on July 2 and missed the rest of the fighting. He did not recover sufficiently to rejoin his command until autumn. He had spent the early part of 1864 raising and organizing a large cavalry force for service in western Virginia. By May, Jenkins had been appointed Commander of the Department of Western Virginia with his headquarters at Dublin.
Crook began the battle with an artillery barrage, then sent in his brigade of green West Virginians under Colonel Carr B. White
. Crook's remaining two brigades under Colonel Horatio G. Sickel
and future president
Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes
were to launch a frontal assault as soon as the West Virginians had gotten under way. Serving as a major under Hayes was another future U.S. President named William McKinley
. White's brigade, in its first fight ever, advanced to within 20 yards before heavy casualties in its exposed position forced it back. Crook, moving with Hayes' Ohio brigade, had to dismount and traverse the slopes on foot because they were so steep. Still wearing his jack boots, he sank in a small stream the troops were crossing and his boots filled with water. Nearby soldiers rushed back to their general and pulled him out.
Hayes' brigade spearheaded the main assault around 11 a.m. The troops fought their way to the Confederate works and severe hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Sparks from the musket fire ignited the thick blanket of leaves on the ground and many men from Sickel's and Hayes' brigades were pinned down and burned alive. The two brigades began to fall back when Crook sent in two fresh regiments into Hayes' front. The West Virginians finally advanced against the cannon that had plagued them throughout the battle and overran its crew. Now the Ohio troops began to overwhelm the Confederate center. Jenkins tried desperately to shift troops to the threatened areas, but fell mortally wounded and was captured by Union soldiers. His second-in-command, John McCausland
, took command and conducted a rear-guard action as he withdrew his troops.
at Dublin, Virginia
, and Averell was also able to destroy several railroad bridges along the same line, severing one of the Confederacy's last vital lifelines and its only rail connection to East Tennessee. The day after the battle, remnant Confederate troops unsuccessfully defended a railroad bridge over the nearby New River. In the melee, a soldier who refused to take cover until Col. Hayes did so was mortally wounded. While undergoing first aid, the soldier was found to be a woman. (Page 163-164, Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior & President by Ari Hoogenboom, University Press of Kansas, 1995)
— Brig. Gen. George Crook
(mortally wounded and captured); John McCausland
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
victory in western Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1864 that allowed the Union forces to destroy the last railroad connecting Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Background
Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
commanded the Union Army of West Virginia
Army of West Virginia
The Army of West Virginia served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was the primary field army of the Department of West Virginia. It campaigned primarily in West Virginia, Southwest Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley. It is noted for having two future U.S. presidents serve in...
, made up of three brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s from the Division of the Kanawha. When Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
launched his spring offensive of 1864, two Union armies marched towards Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and a third moved into the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. Crook's troops were also involved in the offensive and began to march through the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
into southwest Virginia. His objective was to destroy the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, working in conjunction with William W. Averell
William W. Averell
William Woods Averell was a career United States Army officer and a cavalry general in the American Civil War. After the war he was a diplomat and became wealthy by inventing American asphalt pavement.-Early years:...
's offensive, which had similar objectives. Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins
Albert G. Jenkins
Albert Gallatin Jenkins was an attorney, planter, representative to the United States Congress and First Confederate Congress, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
was in command of a few scattered Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
units protecting the rail lines. Jenkins had only assumed command a day before Crook's army began to approach the railroad.
During the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, Jenkins' Brigade formed the cavalry screen for Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
's Second Corps. Jenkins led his men through the Cumberland Valley into Pennsylvania and seized Chambersburg
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
, burning down nearby railroad structures and bridges. He accompanied Ewell's column to Carlisle
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
, briefly skirmishing with Union militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
at the Battle of Sporting Hill near Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. During the subsequent Battle of Gettysburg, Jenkins was wounded on July 2 and missed the rest of the fighting. He did not recover sufficiently to rejoin his command until autumn. He had spent the early part of 1864 raising and organizing a large cavalry force for service in western Virginia. By May, Jenkins had been appointed Commander of the Department of Western Virginia with his headquarters at Dublin.
Battle
Jenkins, having decided to make a stand at Cloyd's Mountain, set up a strong defensive position. When Crook arrived he decided against a frontal assault, concluding that the Confederate works were too strong and such an attack would decimate his army. The surrounding area was heavily forested so Crook used this as cover and swung his brigades around to the Confederate right flank.Crook began the battle with an artillery barrage, then sent in his brigade of green West Virginians under Colonel Carr B. White
Carr B. White
Carr Baily White was a physician, officer during the Mexican War and general during the American Civil War. His Civil War service is greatly associated with operations in western Virginia and Maryland....
. Crook's remaining two brigades under Colonel Horatio G. Sickel
Horatio G. Sickel
Horatio Gates Sickel was a Union general during the American Civil War. He served in the Pennsylvania Reserves during the first part of the war and later commanded brigades in western Virginia and at Petersburg, where a serious wound ended his military career.-Early life:Horatio Sickel was born...
and future president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
were to launch a frontal assault as soon as the West Virginians had gotten under way. Serving as a major under Hayes was another future U.S. President named William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
. White's brigade, in its first fight ever, advanced to within 20 yards before heavy casualties in its exposed position forced it back. Crook, moving with Hayes' Ohio brigade, had to dismount and traverse the slopes on foot because they were so steep. Still wearing his jack boots, he sank in a small stream the troops were crossing and his boots filled with water. Nearby soldiers rushed back to their general and pulled him out.
Hayes' brigade spearheaded the main assault around 11 a.m. The troops fought their way to the Confederate works and severe hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Sparks from the musket fire ignited the thick blanket of leaves on the ground and many men from Sickel's and Hayes' brigades were pinned down and burned alive. The two brigades began to fall back when Crook sent in two fresh regiments into Hayes' front. The West Virginians finally advanced against the cannon that had plagued them throughout the battle and overran its crew. Now the Ohio troops began to overwhelm the Confederate center. Jenkins tried desperately to shift troops to the threatened areas, but fell mortally wounded and was captured by Union soldiers. His second-in-command, John McCausland
John McCausland
John McCausland, Jr. was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, famous for the ransom of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the razing of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War....
, took command and conducted a rear-guard action as he withdrew his troops.
Results
The battle of Cloyd's Mountain was short and involved few troops, but contained some of the most severe and savage fighting of the war. The whole engagement lasted a little over an hour with much of that being hand-to-hand combat. Casualties were high for the modest number of troops involved. Crook lost 688 men, roughly 10% of his force. The Confederates lost fewer men—538—but that totaled 23% of their total force. The battle is considered a Union victory because Crook was able to continue on and destroy the Virginia and Tennessee RailroadVirginia and Tennessee Railroad
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was an historic railroad in the Southern United States, much of which is incorporated into the modern Norfolk Southern Railway...
at Dublin, Virginia
Dublin, Virginia
Dublin is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,534 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Averell was also able to destroy several railroad bridges along the same line, severing one of the Confederacy's last vital lifelines and its only rail connection to East Tennessee. The day after the battle, remnant Confederate troops unsuccessfully defended a railroad bridge over the nearby New River. In the melee, a soldier who refused to take cover until Col. Hayes did so was mortally wounded. While undergoing first aid, the soldier was found to be a woman. (Page 163-164, Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior & President by Ari Hoogenboom, University Press of Kansas, 1995)
Union
Kanawha DivisionKanawha Division
The Kanawha Division was a Union Army division which could trace its origins back to a brigade originally commanded by Jacob D. Cox. This division served in western Virginia and Maryland and was at times led by such famous personalities as George Crook and Rutherford B. Hayes.-Kanawha Brigade:On...
— Brig. Gen. George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
- 1st Brigade — Col. Rutherford B. HayesRutherford B. HayesRutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
- 23rd Ohio Infantry23rd Ohio InfantryThe 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during much of the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a variety of campaigns and battles, and is remembered with a stone memorial on the Antietam National Battlefield not far from Burnside's...
— Lt. Col. James M. ComlyJames M. ComlyJames Munroe Stuart Comly was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as well as a journalist, attorney, newspaper editor and owner, historian and diplomat. He was instrumental in advancing the political career of his friend Rutherford B... - 36th Ohio Infantry36th Ohio InfantryThe 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Recruited from several counties in southeastern Ohio, the 36th OVI participated in several battles in the Eastern Theater before being transferred for a period to the...
— Col. Hiram F. Devol - Detachment, 34th Ohio Infantry34th Ohio InfantryThe 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It primarily served in the Eastern Theater in what is now West Virginia and in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley region...
— (attached to 36th Ohio) - 5th West Virginia Cavalry5th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry RegimentThe 5th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th West Virginia Cavalry was organized from the 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1864...
(Dismounted) — Colonel A. A. Tomlinson5th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry RegimentThe 5th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th West Virginia Cavalry was organized from the 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1864... - 6th West Virginia Cavalry6th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry RegimentThe 6th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th West Virginia Cavalry was organized from the 3rd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1864...
(Dismounted)
- 23rd Ohio Infantry
- 2nd Brigade — Col. Carr B. WhiteCarr B. WhiteCarr Baily White was a physician, officer during the Mexican War and general during the American Civil War. His Civil War service is greatly associated with operations in western Virginia and Maryland....
- 12th Ohio Infantry12th Ohio Infantry12th Ohio Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-History:The 12th OVI was organized at Camp Dennison, Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 3, 1861 for three-months service, and reorganized on June 28 for three years, under Colonel John W. Lowe, who was killed early...
— Col. J. D. Hines - 91st Ohio Infantry91st Ohio InfantryThe 91st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It primarily served in West Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.-Service:...
— Col. John A. Turley - 9th West Virginia Infantry9th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry RegimentThe 9th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Organization:...
— Col. Isaac H. DuvalIsaac H. DuvalIsaac Harding Duval was an adventurer and businessman prior to becoming a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a postbellum U.S. Representative from West Virginia in the 41st United States Congress.-Early life and career:Duval was born in Wellsburg, West... - 14th West Virginia Infantry14th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry RegimentThe 14th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 14th West Virginia was organized at Wheeling in western Virginia on August 25, 1862....
— Col. D. D. Johnson
- 12th Ohio Infantry
- 3rd Brigade — Col. Horatio G. SickelHoratio G. SickelHoratio Gates Sickel was a Union general during the American Civil War. He served in the Pennsylvania Reserves during the first part of the war and later commanded brigades in western Virginia and at Petersburg, where a serious wound ended his military career.-Early life:Horatio Sickel was born...
- 3rd Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment3rd Pennsylvania Reserve RegimentThe 3rd Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 32nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was part of the 2nd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves division.-Service:The 3rd Pennsylvania Reserves...
— Capt. J. Lenhart - 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment4th Pennsylvania Reserve RegimentThe 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
— Colonel R. H. Woolworth - 11th West Virginia11th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry RegimentThe 11th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
— Col. Daniel Frost - 15th West Virginia15th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry RegimentThe 15th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 15th West Virginia was organized at Wheeling in western Virginia between August and October 1862....
— Lt. Col. Thomas Morris
- 3rd Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment
- Artillery — Capt. James R. McMillin
- 1st Ohio Battery1st Ohio Battery1st Ohio Independent Battery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 1st Ohio Battery was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in for three years service on August 6, 1861 under Captain James Ross McMullen.The battery was...
— Lieut. G.P. Kirtland - 1st Kentucky BatterySimmonds' Battery Kentucky Light ArtillerySimmonds' Battery Kentucky Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was sometimes referred to as the 1st Kentucky Independent Battery, and has the distinction of being the only Kentucky unit in U.S...
— Capt. David W. Glassie
- 1st Ohio Battery
Confederate
Department of Southwestern Virginia — Brig. Gen. Albert G. JenkinsAlbert G. Jenkins
Albert Gallatin Jenkins was an attorney, planter, representative to the United States Congress and First Confederate Congress, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
(mortally wounded and captured); John McCausland
John McCausland
John McCausland, Jr. was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, famous for the ransom of Hagerstown, Maryland, and the razing of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War....
- 4th Brigade — Col. John McCausland
- 45th Virginia Infantry45th Virginia InfantryThe 45th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in the Commonwealth of Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
— Col. W.H. Browne - 60th Virginia Infantry60th Virginia InfantryThe 60th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia and in Tennessee....
— Col. B.H. Jones - 36th Virginia Infantry36th Virginia InfantryThe 36th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky....
— Lt. Col. Thomas Smith (wounded) Maj. William E. Fife - 400 dismounted 10th Kentucky Cavalry (Diamond's)(May's)
- 45th Virginia Infantry Battalion — Lt. Col. H.M. Beckley
- Home Guards
- 45th Virginia Infantry
- Artillery — Capt. T.A. Bryan (wounded)
- Botetourt (Va.) Artillery — Capt. H.C. Douthat
- Bryan's (Va.) Battery — Lieut. G.A. Fowlkes
- Ringgold (Va.) Battery — Capt. Crispin Dickenson
- Morgan's Brigade — Brig. Gen. John Hunt MorganJohn Hunt MorganJohn Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
(brigade arrived late and took part only in the retreat)- 5th Kentucky Cavalry - Col. D. Howard Smith