Sketches (Reminiscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd

The main body of the enemy collec-
ted when some distance from the field
& were conducted by their Major
directly to Elk River, thence to Charles-
town. The escape of these men was
remarkable. Only their superior
knowledge of the country & our entire
ignorance of roads & delivered ^'them' from
our clutches. Perhaps however it was
better for us, that these whipped, demor-
alized wretches should return to their
friends & relate the tale of Southern
chivalry & give warning to others that
they may profit by their fate.

Col. Tyler the commander of t his portion
of the Northern army, has been an
itinerant tradesman for several years
past in the Western counties & few rodes
or localities are unknown to him.

Noted as he was for disregard of principle
& of honor, destitute of all the impulses & in-
stincts of the gentleman, he afforded a fit
leader for the vandal hoard crew, against
the State which hiterto has protected &
shielded him notwithstanding the outrage
perpetrated against her by his foul
hand. That he will meet with the
fate which every traitor merits can be
doubted by none. Victors in our first
battle, again, we are anxious to get signt
of the "blue-jackets," a name given the
Yankees on account of their peculiar uniform.

The advantage of success even in the
most insignificant skirmish is incalcu-
lable. Our men flushed with Success
will meet the enemy a second time with
redoubled energy & courage.

Our ^'The' victory gained & plenty of Yankees
prisoners to see every day, the excitement
which ruled supreme at first soon
disappeared, & the dull 'dreariness' uninteresting
routine of camp life ^'re asssumed its accustomed
sway interrupted only by occasional rumors.
From this time to the 9th September nothing
of interest transpired. On the 30th of Octob
August, I started to Leiwsburg to bear
special dispatches, -- there spending my
time very agreeably, I remained a day
or two & returned to the scene of war.

U. S. Col. Erastus Barnard Tyler (1822-1891), Colonel of the 7th Ohio, was not a "common tradesman" but a college graduate and successful businessman and fur merchant. He held various commands throughout the war, was given brevet rank of Major General, and later served as postmaster of Baltimore, Md.

Sketches (Reminiscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd

The pursuit continued for 8 or 10 mls.
115 prisoners were taken, 10 Yankees
Killed & 18 or 19 wounded. Our loss in
Killed was 3, in wounded 19.

Thus resulted a battle which was
far more significant than the loss
of either side wld. indicate.

The force opposed to us ^'was said to be' "the best driled
& organized in the West, containing
the celebrated 7th Ohio regt.

That bravery, gallantry,& disregard of
personal danger which ^'has' covered so
many of our Southern officers with glory
in other battles, was displayed to an
eminent degree in this battle.

Cols. Heth, Reynolds, & McCausland
& Major Hounshell were seen wherever
the action was hottest, in deed every
officer did his whole duty.

Sketches (Reminiscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

Gen. Wise's force was ordered back to
our old position at Dog Wood leap,
much to the displeasure of his men, who
did not understand the necessity which
demanded the movement -- A day or two
after arriving here, McCausland's &
Thompkins' regiment reinforced Gen. Floyd.
For a few days were were occupied in
fortifying our position on the hill, & it
is now very formidable. The distance
to Summerville is eight miles.

On the night of the 25th. We learned
that Tyler's force had advanced
upon us to within one mile & a half
& had taken positions at the Cross
LANES. Gen. Floyd determined to
attack them early the next morning.
Hence our whole force was in motion
long before Sun rise on the 26th.
August. Just as the sun appeared
in the East, we engaged the enemy
who were posted on two eminences
near the Cross Lanes. For a few minutes
^'the' fight was very fearce furious.
Col. Heth lead the center. Col. Reynolds
the right wing & Col. Thompkins
McCausland the left wing. Col.
thompkins was held in reserve, &
took no part in the action.

In 15 minutes the enemy were dis-
lodged & retreated in great confusion.
Gen. Floyd & staff exposed them-
selves greatly & made narrow escapes.
From information obtained since, it
appears that they were ignorant of our
force & intended attacking us.
Their force was between 900 & 1800
ours about 2000 though we had
no more engaged than the enemy.
Tyler & staff officers, except his
Major, fled when the firing commenced
or they wld. have been captured.

Col. Tompkins' regiment was the 22nd Virginia. George S. Patton (the first) later succeeded Tompkins as Colonel. (Woods consistently misspells Thompkins for Tompkins)

Sketches (Reminscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

One other fact & I will revert to my regu-
lar narrative. So unexpected & hurried was
our departure from Camp Arbuckle that
the troops, General & all left their tents.

We all bivouaced in the woods every night,
the General nearly always drawing an ex-
posed position to bivouac -- often a danger-
ous one. There undoubtedly would have
been great complaint in the army, had not
the soldiers seen their commander endur-
ing the same hardships as they. In this
he displayed his wisdom & generalship.
The amount of rain & dampness during the
past few weeks is said to surpass any that
of any previous season for many years.

The soldiers endured it manfully & exhib-
ited a will which will appear on the
battle field much to the terror of an
enemy.

The enemy at Gauley Bridge seeing so
large a force in their front, took it for gran-
ted that they would be immediately attacked,
& drew reinforcements from all adjacent
points, -- leaving them unprotected.

Gen. Floyd hearing that Carnifax's Ferry
was unprotected, determined at once
to cross the river at that point. at a &
on the morning of the 22nd, by 2 o'clock
^'he' had his whole force in motion.

This movement was made with great
secrecy. Our camp fires were left
brightly burning. It is probably that
the enemy were entirely ignorant of
of ^'our' departure for many hours.

By a forced march of 12 miles over
the Saturday Road, -- one of the roughest
in Western Virginia, we arrived at the
Ferry by 12M. & immediately crossed,
leaving Wise's force on the Eastern side
of the River. In all our undertakings,
fortune seems to have favored us. The
enemy on leaving attempted to destroy
both ferry boats. But, luckily for us, one
was washed out upon the bank by the
violent current, & we were enabled to
cross. This ferry is a perfect natural
fortification, & 100 men on the Western
Bank could prevent the crossing of innumer-^'able'
hosts from the opposite side. The enemy
however, destitute of that cunning &
fore-sight so peculiar to the Yankees,
permitted us to cross without the firing
of a gun, or the loss of a man, except
by accident. During the passage of the
troops the river was greatly swollen by
heavy rains, & the current became so
strong that our boat was carried
off, drowning 4 men. This placed us in
a perilous condition , with only a portion
of our forces over & without provisions,
this would have been the golden oppor-
tunity of the enemy, had they been aware
of it. But the energy of our General
soon removed this difficulty. In less
than 24 hours a larger & stronger
boat was completed, & our Brigade was
was once more united on the summit
of the hill north of Gauley. Gauley River,
which is remarkable along it entire course for the rapidity & noise of its
current, here at the ^its' junction ^'with' Meadow
river, presents a spectacle peculiarily
grand & picturesque. Mr. Jefferson said
it was worth a trip across the Atlantic
to see the passage of the Potomac through
the Blue Ridge, & it may be said with
equal propriety the the traveler wld.
be well repaid by ^'for' visiting this spot from
the remotest pot portion of America.
A scene so wild, I never before beheld.
On each ^'side' of the ravine are clifts &
precipaces, in many places hundreds
of feet high, & the roaring of the
stream over the falls can be heard at
an emmence ^'great' distance.

Sketches (Reminiscences) of the campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

As far as Meadow Bluff, 15 miles from
Lewisburg, the country is interspersed by
beautiful & well cultivated farms.
The country up to the above point is
lime stone & peculiar for its grazing
properties. West of that place Mountain
upon Mountain surrounds you in every
direction. Comparatively little land is
cultivated. The inhabitants generally
are a hand-to-mouth people, illiterate,
ignorant, wimple, with no society,
little communication with cities &
towns. Generally they are honest &
well-meaning. Nearly all east of
Gauley River are loyal to the State, or
remain quiet, believing in the maxim
of Ovid "In medio tutisseums ibis."

Several were arrested who certainly gave
aid & comfort to the enemy & sent to Lewis-
burg. Others fled to their Northern
friends in whose embrace they were
doubtless safer than in the hands of
their offended Southern Brethren.

As I anticipated, I found the whole
country incensed with Wise, who they
insist deserted them without cause & left
them to ^'the' mercy of the ruthless invader.

One common opinion prevails about
Gen. Floyd viz-that he is emphatically
the man for the place & times. He pleased
old & young -- was viewed as their liberator
& protector. What the future may dis-
cover, I know not, but my earnest hope is,
that this feeling towards him may
remain unaltered & unchanged.

"In medio tutisseums" = You will be safest in the middle

Sketches (Reminiscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

I verily believe that had Gen. Floyd follow-
ed their advice, he would now be on
Big Sewel Mountain. It seems to have
escaped their minds that Gen. Floyd
& his command are like a certain cat
which by fighting with its tail can
produce as much consternation & confusion
to an enemy in rear as by fighting
with its mouth.

Our scouts at Sewel, & after leaving
there, were very active & pressed those
of the enemy closely. Cavalry did most
of our scouting, infantry the enemy's.

Several small skirmishes occurred be-
tween them -- our side was generally
successful. Cavalry scouting is very
unsatisfactory -- necessarily only on the
roads & in danger of being ambushed
by infantry, which was often the case.
Our cavalry being compelled to disperse
& run, sometimes with loss. It must be
confessed that they have not distinguished
themselves for bravery & gallantry -- often
disgracefully deserting their officers.

From Sewell our advance was slow
& cautious -- feeling continually the
strength of the enemy. On the 21st. Aug.
Floyd's & Wise's combined forces reached Dog
Wood Gap on the Jas: River & Kanawha pike
10 or 12 miles from Gauley Bridge & 2 or 3
miles from the Hawk's Nest where the enemy
were stationed in force.

Having now arrived at a point from which our career is more ventful & attended
by more stirring achievements I will divert
for a time to speak of the Soil & appear-
ance of the Country through which we
passed, & its inhabitants.

Sketches (Reminiscences) of the Campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

There we assembled & were about to partake
of a bounteous & splendid repast when in
rushed a messenger breathless with excitement
& bore tidings from Davis that the enemy were
at Meadow Bluff & advancing upon Lewisburg.
All was haste & excitement. The General seemed
delighted at the prospect of a fight but
expressed his disbelief of the report. This was
8 o'clock P.M. A hasty meal was taken & an
unceremonious departure for camp.
By 5 o'clock we were on the march to
meet the enemy. In my hurry I brought
no baggage excepting a blanket behind
my Saddle. Onward we marched until we
arrived in the night near Meadow Bluff
12 mls. from Lewisburg. That night no
enemy attacked us, nor the next day.
Scouting parties of the enemy came in con-
tact with Col. Davis' cavalry a few miles
west of Meadow Bluff & he, with fertile
imagination, magnified the barking
of the squirrel into the roar of the majestic
lion. From this time our watchword was
onward. Our marches from day to day were
short in order that Gen. Wise with 3
regiments might overtake us, which
he did when we came to the top of Big
Sewel Mountain. The campaign thus
far would have been dull & uninteresting
in the extreme, had ^'not' the gallant Col.
Lucius Davis headed our scouting
parties, & diverted us daily, nightly, &
almost hourly by his peculiar & charac-
teristic dispatches, which would more
properly have emanated from the brain
of some heroic bard, whose dreams
were only of wars, military disasters
& successes, for in his emphatically
ridiculous communications, he fought
& planed more battles than Homer
ever ascribed to the warlike Hector or
Achilles. It may here be remarked that
history relates no instances of men
so peculiarly, so unfortunately tender
on their flanks & in rear as the follow-
ing two men, Gen. Wise & Col. Davis.
No movement could be proposed or
executed that they did not express
their fear, & unbounded horror of
a flank or rear attack, thereby exposing
[word line out] their tenderness on those points
to the ridicule of all.

James Lucius Davis, 1813-1871. Author of "The Trooper's Manual: or, Tactics for light dragoons and mounted riflemen." Colonel of the 46th Virginia and later the 10th Virginia Cavalry. Wounded and taken prisoner at Gettysburg.

Sketches [Reminiscences] of the Campaign of General Floyd (contd.)

More than half of the two regiments here
stationed were sick & absent so that the
combined force was not above 1200 or 1300
men. the company organization was im-
perfect -- the men undrilled & undisciplined.
This resulted from the entire & complete incom-
petency & inefficiency of the majority of the
officers. Indeed were it not for the good
sense & order of the General -- the supervis-
ion & activity of the field & staff officers,
the command would soon have been in a
pitiable condition. the day after my arri-
val Capt. Vandeventer's company was as-
signed me to drill. This officer knew nothing
of tactics & his men are illiterate but pay
good attention & I think, will make effective
soldiers.

The men of this command are principally
from the counties of the So. West -- a mountain-
ous country producing strong, healthy,
brave people but destitute of that refine-
ment & intelligence which characterizes the
citizens of some portions of our State.
While these men make hardy good soldiers --
obedient & submissive, I doubt, whether they
possess that alacrity & unity of action which
constitutes so important a trait in the soldier.
Many never heard of a cannon & its
fire & noise may at at first affect them
as the guns on Ship did the savage -- strike
them with awe & terror. Illiterate men
however brave are unsafe when first
placed under fire. However, I hope for
the best. Men with the spirit of liberty
animating their bosoms are unconquer-
able. I will now continue the narration
of facts. Our two regiments are well
armed & equipped with muskets & rifles.
The cavalry of which there are several
companies are generally armed with
doubled barrel shot guns -- very effective
weapons for short distances. Soldiers ^'Officers' &
men were spending their time in
quiet & ease at Campt Arbuckle
when on the 13th Aug. Col. Gen. Floyd &
staff were invited to dine at Col. McClung's.



Cap. Alexander Spotswood Vandeventer's ( 1842-1910) company became Co. B, 50th Virginia Infantry. Vandeventer rose to Colonel, was captured at Spotsylvania May 10, 1864. A lawyer in Fayetteville, Arkansas, after the war.

Sketches [Reminiscences] of the campaign of Gen. Floyd

Gen. Floyd having had the kindness to
offer me a positon in his military family,
I repaired at once to Lewisburg & on Sunday
morning ^'10th Aug. 1861' early called on him at Camp
Arbuckle, 4 miles west of Lewisburg, on the
Jas. River & Kanawha turn-pike.

I found the General a fine looking, agree-
able old gentleman & was prepossessed by
his appearance & manners. Unlike most
of out modern officers high in command,
who think more of their title & personal com-
fort & ease than the country's good, Gen.
Floyd shared the same hardships as his
soldiers, camped in the woods among them,
dressed in course grey pantaloons & a red
& black hunting shirt -- presenting the ap-
pearance rather of a sturdy Western
Hunter than what I expected to find the
man who had been Secretary of War & who
^'(I hoped!)' was to lead the Southern army to the
deliverance of the beautiful valley of
if the Kanawha, Soon I found that
this manner of living & acting had won
for the Gen. the respect & confidence of
all his subalterns. Knowing that
that the existence of such relations between
the commanding officer & his men was the best
pledge of success & in fact a necessity param-
ount to all the others, I was delighted; for my
highest ambition was for the reputation &
final triumph of the forces with which
I was stationed. Before remaining long in
camp I made many acquaintances among
whom were Cols. Reynolds & Heth, Major
Thorburn, Capt. Peters, & Maj. Peery, the last
two being on the Gen's personal staff.

William Edward Peery, born 7 July 1829. Attended Emory and Henry. Private in Co. I, 16th Va. Cavalry, Oct. 9, 1862. Promoted to captain of that company, Jan. 15, 1863. Wounded and captured July 8, 1863. Paroled June 12, 1865, at Charleston, W.V. Died March 15, 1895. Peery must have served as some sort of volunteer aide during this 1861 campaign. RELK

Facts not generally known continued

to the astonishment of all, his previous state-
ment met with a flat denial from his own lips.
His own tongue affirmed that he had given
orders to 1 000 men to cook rations & be in read-
iness to move at Sun-rise the next morning
to Floyd. Our messengers were pleased but
not satisfied. They urged that they would
be needed bright & early that the battle
issues of the day would be decided before
the reinforcement could reach the scene of
action by starting in the morning.
An immediate march was insisted on.
It was refused. Wise couldn't endure the
idea of his men marching 14 miles in
the night! Rather than inflict such a
hardship upon his devoted force, he would
permit the gallant army at Carnifax
to be sacrificed to overwhelming numbers!
What a spirit of mercy & gentleness!

--Questions --
1st. In disobeying the orders of his superior was
Genl. Wise influenced by the instincts of a com-
mander or by jealousy & ill will towards Floyd?
2nd. Is there not good ground for the opinion that the des-
truction of Floyd's army or at least Floyd's capture
would have been agreale to Wise?
3rd. May not the hope of assuming command in
person on the following day, & enjoying stolen
glory have tended towards producing the
wonderful change in Wise on the intelligence
of Floyd's being wounded? Some believe it -.

Facts not generally known continued

An account of the interview with Wise was
furnished me by a gentleman* of high
respectability & is perfectly reliable. It is this.
Glass & Carr reached Wise's Head Quarters about
8 o'clock P.M. Wise was in an ill humour.
They stated the object of their mission or rather
attempted to state it. Wise, upon hearing
that a third time, he was commanded to
send aid to Floyd's gallant band. Threw
himself into a rage -- divested himself of self-
respect & absolutely foamed with anger
& fury. throwing himself like a mad-
man upon a bed he rolled & tossed and
uttered oaths loud & wild against Floyd
^'his' army & the whole Campaign. Upon being
told of our gallant defence & the success-
ful repulses of the enemy, his anger rose
to a high pitch -- & to the shame of all
present -- invidious malignity were the
ruling spicing of his sentiments. He refused
to hear -- or consult for nearly an hour.
He boldly proclaimed that he had neither
sent the men, nor did ^'he' intend doing so.
At last a strange change was wrought upon
the spirit of his dreams. He heard that
Genl. Floyd himself had been wounded.
At once a new & a milder disposition poss-
essed him. A calm came o'er his ruffled
elements & he expressed the most earnest
concern for Floyd & his army. He enquired
particularly whether ^'the wounded Genl.' Floyd would be able
to take command on the following day.

Major R. H. Glass of the Lynchburg Republican

undated Facts not generally known

When Genl. Floyd first learned the approach
of Rosencranz towards his camp at Carnifax
Ferry he dispatched orders to Genl. Wise stating
his condition & directing him emphatically to rein-
force us by 1 000 men immediately. Just before
the battle opened a reply was received, & much
to the discomfort of Floyd the men were not
forthcoming. Of course the reply was lengthy
(four pages of foolscap I believe). Genl. Floyd
was deciphering this horrible Jeremiad when
the fight opened. Wise stated with a remark-
able degree of presumption, that "He took
the responsibility of disregarding the order."
The chagrin of Genl. Floyd was intense. The en-
emy in superior force were upon him. His
subordinate in the place of obedience had
substituted a miserable scroll of excuses -.
Such conduct was inexplicable & unexpected.
Forthwith another messenger was sent with
orders for the men -- This man also return-
ed late in the evening with a similar
response. Many who knew Wise were not
slow to attribute his obstinacy to envy
jealousy & a malignant spirit = Genl. Floyd
as far as I could see, retained the compla-
cency of spirits = though evidently much
perplexed by the glaring insult & disre-
spect evinced towards him.

At the close of the battle & before it was deter-
mined to retreat, Majors Glass and Lawrence Carr
were hurried off post haste with perempto-
ry orders to Wise to start the troops at once
so that they would reach ^'us' by morning in
time to participate in the conflict.

Major Robert Henry Glass

Note Bene

What I have written in the preceeding pages
was intended for my own amusement and
gratification --- not for every idle brained
reader who in many cases is glad to find
an expression or opportunity to hint at the
vanity & self-importance of individuals in
their narratives --. I make no apoligy for
any sentence -- word or sentiment in the book--
I only regret that a false modesty restrained
me from mentioning many -- indeed most
of the scenes in which I took a prominent
part. Such a recountal would have been amu-
sing to myself, & have afforded satisfaction &
d8iversion for the children of the third generation!

Incident -- No. 2

In the battle of Cross Lanes (The first I ever participa-
ted in) very few of the officers were mounted. the Gen-
eral & staff with a few field officers were all that
entered the fight on horse-back: in consequence
of this, we were the especial marks for the enemy.
The excitement on the advance was intense. It
was the first time the General & our troops had
faced the fiery hail of war. The As the enemy's
pickets commenced firing, the men shouted for
joy-; The Old Floyd rode to the head of the column,
followed by Capt. Peters, Maj. Perry & myself.
The picket fire became more incessant, -- we were
drawing near the main body of the foe, when sud-
denly a man was seen in great trepidation
50 yards in advance, running across the
field towards a lot of cattle. The General
expressed a wish to catch him -- Capt. Peters
& myself immediately dashed ahead at full
gallup notwithstanding the constant fire of
the pickets. We found ourselves soon in a
few yards of the man, a fence separated
him from us. He immediately commenced
halloing at the cattle & driving them in
great haste. We were on the point of shooting
him, when he exclaimed "Don't shoot, I am
a citizen & driving my cows away from the
battlefield." We had no time to question him
further -- & spared him; We were fifty yards
in advance of the whole army. I never once
realized that danger threatened me, till while
at a halt near the fence the frequent taps on the
fence -- the new & peculiar whiz of minnies & The in-
structive uneasiness ^'of my horse' brought me to a sense of my
situation. A glance in front, & we beheld no less
'than Seven blue jacketed Yankees deliberately
firing at us. Swift as lighting, Falstaf's maxim
"Discretion is the better part of valor," sprang to
mind & the Capt. & myself discharged our
pistols & "fell back" in good order " to a safer
position at the head of the column -- for I was
stimulated by no desire to be the pioneer of
such an excursion. We gave full credence
to the Cow Driver's tale, & reported it ^'to' the General,
who complimented us highly for our daring.
Yankee Mentality & trickery never once occurred
to us, til the next day when inspecting the pris-
oners, to our astonishment the same smooth
tongued Driver made his appearance.
Smart Yankee! He was a picket, & to save his
life when surprised, adopted the above trick. to
He succeeded well & was too keen for the Capt.
& myself! We wondered at & admired the fellow's
sagacity, & vowed forever hereafter to shoot
all cow-drivers at the opening of battle!

Notes Omissions &c in narrative incident No. 1

On the evening of our arrival at Big Sewel on the
advance towards Gauly, Gen. floyd rode across the
mountain some miles ahead of the army. Major
Perry, Capt. Peters & myself accompanied him. We
were entirely ignorant of any of our men being
on the road before us. The enemy were reported in
the vicinity. About a mile beyond the base of
the mountain our party, keeping a vigilant look-
out, were quietly riding along. We felt rather un-
safe & ventured to suggest his imprudence to the
General. He insisted on proceeding further.
Suddenly the P the 1st set of fours of a cavalry
force made its appearance around the end of
the road 40 yds. in advance. Yankees! Yankees!
ran from mouth to mouth. the countenance of
each proclaimed better than words that our worst
fears were realized. Our General was with us--
Our number was four -- We must never Sur-
render -- Running wd. not save us. The road was
straight & the fire from the opposite party wd. certain-
ly be fatal at that distance. Both sides halted.
Then a moment of breathless suspense. We
raised our guns & chose our marks. The sup--
posed Yankees didn't fire, neither did we.
Were they friends or enemies was the ques-
tion. A moment longer & we would have
sent the missiles of death against to do their
work when suddenly Gen. Floyd never excited,
always cool & decisive threw himself in full
view of the men opposed & stormed as he only
can, "Who are you?" Our trigers were yielding
to our bent fingers when the reply came, "Friends!"
We lowered our guns - & felt safe. The "Friends", were
a company of Cavalry returning from a Scout-
ing expedition. Had they proved enemies, it
is probably that our glorious old General
& all of us would have been killed - but
not without some of their number first bi-
ting the dust; The general's presence of mind
preserved us -- our fire would have probably
have been returned. It This was the first
opportunity I had to test my metal, & candid-
ly speaking, had not the General been along,
I should have (I think) showed my coat-tail
& made tracks to the rear! But to run from
my General would have disgraced me, so I
stood my ground. the horrid doubt that
hung around me was worse than ^'could have been' the reality.
In our suspense we knew nothing & I could
exclaim with the poet "Uncertainty, fell
demon of our fears!" -- May I never come
so near shooting our own men! May I never mis-
take our men for Yankees! May the Yankees never
shoot me!!!!!!

post September 28, 1861

Maj. Perry -- Commissioned aid to the General
is a plain, matter of fact, modest, unass-
uming gentleman & withal of great intrep-
idity, with a great deal of the milk of
human kindness in his veins. He proved
a true friend to me.

P. R. Spracher secretary to ^'the' General is a very
nice young gentleman, polite & kind &
ever ready to confer a favor. He seemed
to a great to degree to make our time pass
agreeable -- He was not favored by a
chance to give the Yankees a chance
a display of his fighting qualities -.

Maj. Glass -- my mess-mate & ever faithful
friend, is editor of the Lynchburg Republican.
In him the qualities characteristic of the
gentleman & soldier are combined in a
eminent degree -- We have been the
beholders of many are a rare scene together
& have endured many a hardship.

He enjoyed the confidence of the General as
much, if not more than any other man in the
army & well deserved it.

A few days before he Gen. Floyd left with
his command to go South of New River -
I received letters from home urging me
to return immediately to the University -
couched in such language that duty
to my parents left me but one course to
pursue & that was to leave my old hero
& return home which accordingly I did -
The General expressed great regret at part-
ing with me & his last words to me, -
were- "Whenever you enter the army again
come directly here,you shall always
have a place on my staff right with
with me."

Robert Henry Glass, 1822-1896, father of long time Virginia Senator Carter Glass

post September 28, 1861

Moreover in all my intercourse
with the men, it was an extremely rare
occurence that an oath grated my ears.
In looking over my career for the three
months spent with Genl. Floyd I unhes-
itatingly pronounce them the very happiest
period of my life. Receiving the most flatter-
ing obedience & attention from those inferior
to me ^'in' rank, enjoying the respect and
confidence of my equals & superiors, with
plenty of work & some fighting to do, my
times glided away in a most charming
manner. Though ranking only as Captain
my privileges were far more desirable then
those of a Colonel. No dispatch arrived,
no intelligence was received, no plan was
adopted that was not confided to me,
while Colonels & "all lesser lights" stood
submissively in the back ground, most
grateful in many instances to receive a
little information from Capt. Woods.
No word ever fell unnecessarily from the lips
of the General to mar my feelings -- on the
contrary most flattering compliments
were bestowed upon me in the presence of my
fellow officers. My associates upon the
staff were men of the first order-eminent
for intelligence, bravery, & manly sentiments.
Captain Peters, our adjutant-General with
whom I spent a large portion of my time,
is an accomplished scholar -- having
graduated with distinction at Berlin, & has
since been professor of languages -- at William
& Mary College. He is a gentleman of endurance
energy & dignity -- & enjoyed the confidence &
esteem of all his acquaintances-.

post September 28, 1861

Moreover we captured one Yankee ourselves.
True we did it without much fighting, but
he was a Yankee & a very jolly one too.
Our servants were dispatched immediately
on our return, with a wagon to bring
in plunder. Then we were capitally
fixed & the Major & myself lived with
a right good will on Yankee beans -
& Yankee Coffee Cooked in Yankee plun-
der. Notwithstanding Gen. Lee's refusal to
permit to Gen. Floyd to execute his plan
in the 1st instance, the most ^'perfect' harmony
existed between them in every other respect -
for hours they Consulted together & spent
a large portion of the time n the most
friendly intercourse, indicating the most
implicit confidence on the part of one General
in the other. While camped on Sewell
Gen. Lee introduced the use of whiskey among
the soldiers which doubtless had the most
beneficial influence, being distributed
by the quarter Masters to the men individually.
A more temperate army was scarcely
ever collected than the army of the Ka.
especially that portion under Gen. Floyd.
I am confident that not 3 gallons of
liquor was consumed for the three
months previous to this time in our brigade.

post September 21, 1861

That day passed but no Yankees came. The
next day came & went & no Yankees came --
the next came & found us in our camp, resemble-
ing in many respects "patience on a Monument"
after being sold, for during the night the
bird had flown, the whole Yankee army
had disappeared & we were left in inglorious
possession of Sewell. Oh. Lee! Lee! Don't
expect the spider ^'fly' always to be enticed into
the Spider's web, or Yankees always to come
Leeward & Lee never go forward. Cavalry
was immediately dispatched by the flanking
road to intercept & harass their baggage
train, but the Cavalry with its usual circum-
spection, managed to keep a very respectful
distance from the Yankees. Gen. Floyd, Genl.
Lee, Major Glass & myself at once rode over
to ^'the' recent camp of the Yankees & we were almost
the first persons that reached the spot --
the whole ground for hundreds of yards
was strewn with coffee, beans, soap, boxes
& all manner of camp & cooking utensils,
which were of immense value. The General
by good fortune captured a splendid
saddle, Maj. Glass & myself who now
messed together laid up for ourselves
a splendid camp chest filled with every
conceivable convenience.

"Patience on a monument" a quote from Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"

post September 28, 1861

While such facts were only Conjectured at
that time, since it has been ascertained from
Rosencranz himself that had this plan
been executed his army sd. have succumbed
almost without a blow. Five thousand
in front & 5000 in rear, an upper &
nether Mill-stone w could not have failed
of bagging the entire Yankee crew & inflicting
a staggering blow upon the great Yankee
nation. In that Country scarcely for miles
deprived of the mighty forests which have
been flourishing for Centuries, it is near to
impossible to bring into action at any
one time or place more than one or two
thousand men. Our forces thus divided
would have proved amply sufficient to
cope with twice the force opposed to us for
the moral effect of such a movement
we. have been equivalent to defeat to them,
especially since they thought we had at
least twice our actual force. the failure
to take advantage of this opportunity; I con-
sider the greatest blunder in our Western
Campaign, but with a man in com-
mand who apparently is incapable of
seeing more than 200 yes. in front of
his fortifications; such things to say the
least are not unexpected. Having taken
up our position on Sewell we remained
actually praying that the Yankees would
see fit in their infinite wisdom to pay us
a visit; as that a reciprocal compliment was
prohbiited us by our General exemplar
of Caution. In our retreat, Mrs. Tyree
a heroic woman who lives at the Western-
base of Sewell refused to desert her home -
she learning that the Yankeeds intended
making an attack on a certain day dis-
patched a messenger to us with the glad
tidings of great joy. On the following
day the attack was expected & all the
men of the Second stood in readiness to
give our visitors a handsome reception.

post September 28, 1861

For several days after the 28th Gen. Floyd with
McCausland's, Thompkin's Reynold's & Wharton's
regiments remained at Meadow ^'Bluff'. During this
time we were further reinforced by 400
cavalry under Col. Philips of Georgia; Gen. Floyd
though suffering greatly from his wound, could
not restrain the promptings of he ever ardent
spirit to be near the scene of action & if occasion
offers to send his giant arm & energy like
against the foe, which Gen. Lee was still
on the Eastern Summit of Sewell. Recently his
force had been materially augmented by
the arrival of Loring with 5 regts. besides the reinforcements furnished by Floyd, all
of which, when united with Wise's old
ci-devant brigade placed under Lee
a command of about 7,500 men.

On the opposite Summit stood Rosencranz
a mile & a half distant in all his glory--
with somewhere between 10,000 & 15,000 troops.
Lee momentarily expected an attack and
Floyd fearing delay, & always anxious for
decisive action urged upon Lee the propriety
of permitting him (Floyd) to take under him
4 or 5000 men and march by a flanking
road in rear of Rosencranz. The road
he intended traversing runs to the South of
Meadow Bluff, for three or 4 miles, then
turning to the right runs nearly parallel
to the main turn-pike & passes 6 or 7 miles
from Rosencranz's position on Sewell &
comes into the main road about 6 miles
in rear of Rosencranz. This road was guarded
by the very insignificant no. of 300 men at
its junction with the main road & our cavalry
had ventured up to this very point without
encountering a single Yankee. Floyd knowing
this saw that along this road was the path
to success so he earnestly presented the above
plan to Lee. But Genl. Lee ever more desirous
of receiving the Yankees in his own domicil
& there dispensing Virginia hospitality from
behind snug breast works, than of pur-
sueing Napoleon's system & winning brilliant
successes by bold movements & disturbing
the enemy in their own nest -- gave his veto
to Gen. Floyd's proposition. Floyd however
with his entire force was ordered to reinforce
lee & strengthen his pos left wing, which
was with alacrity done; our force pu marching
over the road just described till arriving
opposite Lee on Sewell, when he turned to
the right & reached Lee on the 2nd. day after
leaving Meadow Bluff. Had Floyd's original
policy been adopted, our arms in Western
Virginia wd. have been crowned with so
signal a success that the destiny of Western Va.
would been linked to the South for evermore.

John McCausland, 1836-1927. Colonel of the 36th Virginia Infantry in 1861. Living well into the 20th century he was one of the last two surviving Confederate generals.

Col C. Q. Tompkins

Alexander Welch Reynolds, 1816-1876. Colonel of the 50th Virginia Infantry in 1861. After the war entered the service of the Khedive of Egypt and died in Alexandria, Egypt.

Gabriel Colvin Wharton, 1824-1906. Major of the 4th Virginia Infantry in 1861. Later a state senator and mining entrepreneur.

Sept. 28th, 1861

Meadow Bluff
To day the roads are in a horrible condition.
To my surprise & astonishment Loring's five
regiments marched all day yesterday in the
rain & mud & arrived very near this point
this evening. No news from Gen. Lee.
Mrs. Floyd arrived here this morning.

William Wing Loring, 1818-1886, known as Old Blizzards, lost an arm at Chapultepec in the Mexican War. Later disagreed with Stonewall Jackson over the conduct of the war, was relieved from his post and sent successively to a command in Southwestern Virginia, the Army of the Mississippi, and the Army of the Tennessee. After the war entered in the service of the Khedive of Egypt.

Sept. 27th, 1861

All last night & to day a terrific storm
has been raging. Wise's Brigade & our 5
Regiments on Sewell are without tents & their
condition is really pitiable. Two prisoners
taken by Gen. Lee yesterday, state that Rosencranz
intended attacking us to day with 12 000 men.
This rain has prevented it. Our force there at
present is 4700. Tents &c were blown away
by the furious wind. During the rain, Mr.
P. R. Spracher performed the daring feat of
riding through the wind & storm for 3 miles,
coming near being washed away repeatedly,
after a- a--bottle of--Whiskey!!!
The brave hero after all his perils, failed
to obtain his desired prize. May
his efforts in battle Causes be more pros-
perous! Tents & provisions were sent to Sewell.
The road is so bad that it is doubtful whether
they reach their destination.

Patton Ritter Spracher, Co. G, 45th Va. Inf. Died of tuberculosis the following February.

Sept. 26th, 1861 continued

Meadow Bluff
This morning at 5 o'clock Col. Russell's Mississippi
Regiment & one rifled cannon were sent to support
Gen. Lee. To day every one anticipated a battle
the armies being so near each other. Majors
Glass & Perry & Carr & myself obtained permission
to go to Big Sewell, 14 miles distant, where we
had the pleasure of viewing their our friends, the
Yankees camp, one mile distant from our
eminence. Gen. Lee considers his position strong
but not impregnable. He can at lest hold
the enemy in check there, till our reinforcements
arrive. To day Gen. Wise departed with his staff,
for Richmond in obedience to an order from
the President. This of course was a crushing
mortification to him to be compelled to leave
when in sight of the enemy. However I consider
it the greatest blessing bestowed upon us during
the war. Some dissatisfaction was created in
his brigade.

Sept. 26th 1861

Meadow Bluff

The enemy in strong force occupy
our old camping ground a few days'
since on Big Sewell. Just at night
Col. Wharton dispatched a messenger reporting
that his Pickets had been firred upon &
driven in. Gen. Floyd immediately sent
Maj. Glass & myself to his camp one mile
distant, to get accurate information. Nothing
definite cld. be ascertained. It is probably
that a few of the enemy or union men
were inspecting the position of our camp.

Sept. 25th, 1861

Meadow Bluff

Yes To day nothing of importance occurred.
Gen. Wise's force [now Gen. Lee's] was skir-
mishing with the enemy all day.

Sept 24th 1861

Meadow Bluff

This morning at 5 o'clock Gen. Lee started
to support Gen. Wise in case he should be
attacked. He took Cols. Ector's, Heth's,
Clarke's & Tompkins regiments. About
11 o'clock Col. Russel's Mississippi regt.
arrived -- about 800 men. Early in
the morning reports of cannon were
heard It pro Gen. Wise, we learn, had
some heavy skirmishing, losing one
man. all we want in future is men.

Sept. 23rd, 24th & 25th 1861

Head Qrs. Army of Ka.
Camp at Meadow Bluff

yester Nothing to ripple or disturb the acco monotony till
9 o'clock at night when a dispatch came from Gen.
Wise stating the enemy had advanced very near him
& wld. probably attack him immediately. Orders were
at once issued to all the regiments to strike their
tents, & be ready to march by 5 o'clock in the morning.
Orders were sent to a Mississippi regt. at Bunger's
Mill to march at the same hour.

Sunday, Sept. 22nd [1861]

Nothing interresting
transpired to day. The Yankees are
reported to be taking the back track
towards Gauley Bridge. Gen. Lee with
an escort of 50 men under Col. Crogham
visited Gen. Wise. Mr. Jno. M. Daniel
arrived from Richmond & joined our
family. This morning I heard Mr. McMahon
preach. In the evening Maj. Glass & mysel
rode out to inspect the fortifications.

Lt. ADC John Moncure Daniel

September 21, 1861 Continued

This march is a memorable one & shouldbe
recorded. In the short space we have spent
in these mountains of Western Va. our
hardships & perils have unsurpassed by
those any been so enormous, that they
appear incredible when told.

General Floyd was much displeased
when he learned that Gen. Wise had remained,
thinking that he had disobeyed a peremptory
ordy. This was explained however b soon.
A messenger was sent to inquire the
reasons for not moving. Gen Wise ex-
plained it, by referring to the language of
the order, & giving sundry other reasons
which showed plainly that it was never
his intention to leave the point at that
time. It is quite unfortunate that gen. Floyd
should have such a character as Gen. Wise
to depend on this his movements, -- from past
experience, we know, that even in the most
perilous positions, it is almost hoping
against hope for General Wise to cooper-
ate with us.

Early on the 17th our forces reached
Meadow Bluff where we now are camped.
Information reached us which we thought
reliable, that Lee with a strong force was
at Summerville in rear of Rosencranz.

This cheered us greatly & Gen. Floyd issued
orders at once that 3 or 4 days rations shld.
be cooked, intending to make a bold,
sudden attack upon the flank of Rosen-
cranz by marching down the Wilderness
Road in the night with all his available
men. this was a good idea & doubtless
wld. have succeeded, had Lee really
been in rear to support us. We ascer-
tained that he was not there & desisted
from making the movement.

On Fortifications were immediately
commenced about one mile west of
Meadow Bluff & are now very formida-
ble. On the 18th I was sent to Lewisburg
to purchase a large number of Blacksmith
tools, which I did with some difficulty &
sent them to Camp early in the morning
of the 19th. That day I remained in
Lewisburg, & returned to Camp on the
Morning of the 19th 20th. While absent
various dispatches came ^'from' Gen. ^'from Wise
stating that the enemy were advancing upon
him which created some sensation in our
camp. As yet however no battle has
taken place & it is likely from present
information none will be fought for several
days at lest. Yesterday the 20th
a messenger arrived from Gen. Lee at
Frankfort informing us that he wld. be
with us to day & contradciting the numerous
reports of his surrounding Reynolds &
cutting to pieces his army. To day that
distinguished General arrived & took
dinner with us. His appearance is com-
manding & I hope he will accomplish
something while with us. Our fortifica-
tions are progressing well.

General Robert E. Lee

September 21, 1861 continued

Our brigade was put in motion just at
Dark 16th Sept. & commenced its march toward
Meadow Bluff. Just before we beheld the
smoke from the camp of the enemy in the
^'country plain' far below us & about 15 mis. distant.

Our people, worn out as they were, considered
it very had to leave the foe when actually
in sight. In the evening an order was
sent to Gen. Wise, "to hold himself in read-
iness to bring up the rear." By this, our
Adjutant General Capt meant that
he should march immediately after us,
but Gen. wise construed it in its letter
literal sense, & to the great surprise of Genl.
Floyd he fpund in the morning that he
still remained at Sewell. One word of our
march in the night. Napoleon performed
his celebrated night marches over moun-
tains & through storms & the heroes of the
Revolution theirs, but & this verily deserves
to be classed with them. Soon after night
the rain commenced falling in torrents
on that dreary mountain -- the roads
became almost impossible & it was as
dark as Erebus. Notwithstanding all
this our troops moved onward for 15
miles over two vast Mountains, with
the baggage & provision wagons in front
moving almost at a snail's pace.

Assistant Adjuntant General William Elisha Peters.
Later on the University of Virginia faculty.

September 21, 1861 continued

After the departure of Gen
Wise, important intelligence was received,
which necessitated Gen. Floyd to call a coun-
cil of his officers. In that council, it was
almost unanimously decided to retreat
forthwith to Meadow Bluff. Gen. Floyd &
Maj. Hounshell alone opposed it. Every
Colonel earnestly insisted upon the movement.
While it may be better have been better
to retreat, I now believe that had Gen. Floyd
carried out his plans & acted according to
his own judgement, the results wld. have
been equally favorable. His opinion
& advice about the management of this
army has hitherto proved the most reliable
of any presented. Before Since retreat-
ing over Gauley so unexpectedly, we were
very uneasy about the fate of 3 scouts, whom
we had sent to inspect Cox's camp a few
days before. These men, were of a number,
brought by Gen. Floyd from So. Western Va.,
distinguished for their hardihood & superior
daring & bravery. These men he kept
constantly near him for special service.
When Up to that time they had not returned
& the inference was, that they had either
been killed or had unconsciously strayed
into our old camp, now occupied by the
enemy. However to on that day, 15th Sept.
our doubts were dispelled by the appearances
of the identical scouts, who reported that
they ventured in sight of Cox's camp, thus
wound their way towards Carnifax, when
near that point a troope of cavalry pur-
sued them & fired several rounds at
them, striking the but of one of their
guns & blowing a hole through the other's
hat, This indeed was a narrow escape.
They lived for a ortion of the time on
geen corn & roots. They however con-
soled themselves by the reflexion that
they had slain at least 2 or 3 Yankees.

September 21st, 1861, continued

On the 13th Inst. two more regiments joined
us -- a reinforcement which should have
reached us 2 or 3 weeks before & then we
wld. have been able to hold our position
& whip the Yankees. With this addition the
combined forces of Wise & Floyd amounts to about
4200. H Late the same evening, Major Houn-
shell returned from Carnifax with the force
under his command. While there, he did good
service. The enemy had completed a boat
& were about launching it, when he arrived.
This boat he destroyed & killed 4 Yankees
holding them in check for 2 days. Were
our brigade officered by such men as
the Major, no fears could be entertained
of success & victory. Here the General
determined to stand & meet the foe.

Although this position is very strong, forti-
fications were indispensible f to shield
so small a forces as ours against the
superior one of the enemy. Hence imme-
diately upon arriving at Sewell, he dispatch-
ed me alone to Lewisburg with orders
to purchase, borrow, & press into service
500 spades, axes, hoes, mattocks, picks &c.
This indeed was an arduous duty for
one so young as myself. For a few days
previous, I had been ^'almost' constantly on
horse back, however, I immediately started on
my mission, -- travelled nearly all that
night, collecting utensils &c. on my route &
urging the people to aid me. Early the
following morning (Sunday), I reached Lewis-
burg & during the day performed such
labor as never before I experienced.
By 4 o'clock Monday Morning I deliv-
ered nearly the entire number to Gen. Floyd --
on Sewell after travelling the entire
night. During my absence in Lewisburg
nothing of interest transpired. Rumours were
prevalent that the enemy were crossing at
Carnifax ferry. This point was viewed by our
officers with peculiar anxiety, as well as
Hughes' ferry, 9 miles above on the same
river. On Monday a large number of men
were set to work on, constructing fortifica-
tions. During the day, however reliable
information was received that the enemy
intended coming up the Wilderness Road
which runs from Hughes' ferry nearly
parallel to the James' river & Ka. Pike &
in comes into the it, near Meadow Bluff.
General Floy, knowing that it wld. be
destruction to our small force to permit
a column of the enemy to get in our rear by
this road, which he felt confident they wld.
attempt, should he remain there, determined
late in the evening on retreating. this per-
haps appeared rather strange to Gen Wise.

Earlier in the day he & Gen. Floyd had deter-
mined to stand & so sudden a change was
naturally inexplicable not capable of being
understood by one ignorant of all the
circumstances.

Sep. 21st, 1861

Head Quarters Army of Ka.
Camp at Meadow Bluff
Since last writing in this diary, our cam
movements have been ^'as' active, & my own duties
so urgent that I have been unable to chronicle
regularly the various events which have
transpired since the 12th inst.

The council of war in session at 2 o'clock on
the night of the 12th, decided to fall back at
once to Big Sewell Mountain -- that being a
far more defensible point, & not so easily
accessible in rear as Dogwood Gap.


Hence long before Sun rise on the morning
of the 13th, our whole force was marching
including Gen. Wise's Brigade. Although
This movement being commenced in the
night, a few faint-hearted, white livered,
gallants, who apparently were the chosen
sons of Mars, imagined that the fiery
steeds of the enemy were closely pursue-
ing & ingloriously left their comrades
alone to breast the storm which they
imagined would soon burst upon us.

However such were very few. It is
indeed well for such occasions to present
themselves for then we find discover the
men of true metal, as well as those
who are better suited to attend fine
ladies in their drawing rooms, & afford fit
associates for their beautiful poodle dogs.

A portion of the cavalry especially, displayed
remarkable cowardice. Instead of bringing
up the rear, they rushed ahead of the
infantry securing for themselves a safe
position. The General & aids, of whom I was
one, were the last to desert the encamp-
ment. Just before leaving, we heard the
tramp of horses & of course m thought
the enemy's cavalry was upon us.

General Floyd was in no way excited
& called with stentorian voice to know who
was advancing. For a moment our sus-
pense was great, -- all our pistols were
cocked & ready to fire, but they proved to
be a few of our own men.

Nothing of any value was left at
Dogwood. Our men marched constantly
a distance of 15 miles, in perfect order,
till they arrived at the Summit of
Big Sewell, about 3 o'clock P.M.

Our own Brigade camped at the Summit
Gen. Wise's at the Eastern base.

September 12, 1861 continued

On yesterday we retired from ^'the' eastern bank
of the river to where we are now encamped
with Wises Legion 4 or 5 miles from the Hawk's
Nest. Yesterday ^'the' 11th, a messenger arrived from
Gen. Lee informing us of the approach of Rosen-
crantz & advising to cross the River. This
should have reached us before the battle.

But fortunately it did not & we fought &
saved ourselves too. It is now evident that
Rosencrantz has abandoned the idea of forcing
his way by Lee & penetrating the State by
that route. This attack upon us was a
masterly move & proved Rosencrantz a man
with a high order of military talent.
Doubtless he will pursue us in conjunct-
tion with Cox & we must trust to our
feet to save us from so formidable a foe.

It is now 2 O'clock in the night & a consultation
is being held & doubtless it will be decided to
retreat towards Lewisburg at once.
Our scouts, who have just returned from the
Hawk's Nest report no signs of the enemy in
that direction. A small & inefficient guard was
left at Carnifax ferry, -- this evening Major
Hounshell, a brave, gallant young officer,
who has distinguished himself in both engagements,
was dispatched with a few companies to prevent
the crossing of the enemy & to block up the
road to the ferry. We all expect the Major
to do himself credit as doubtless he will.

To day I wrote home giving a hurried & discon-
nected account of the battle, also received
a letter from "Holkham" which was exceedingly
acceptable. Rumor says that Lee has defeated
the main column of Rosencrantz, however
no reliable information is received. His action
will controll our action. He will, I presume
immediately send us reinforcements.

September 12, 1861 continued

That this movement succeeded was
the most astounding,wonderful, instance
of su escape ever recorded. The firing
of 5 guns I believe, wld. have stampeded
our men ^'&c' the brigade wld. have destroyed
itself. As it was, in the face of an overwhelm-
ing army, in & ^'with' 10 minutes notice, we
withdrew our entire Brigade & baggage
across one of the swiftest streams in
Virginia, & that too, in the darkness of
night. This retreat is not ^'scarcely' surprassed by
the crossing of the Delaware by Washington
in its execution & its its happy results.

According to the bet information,
the loss of the enemy in killed was several
hundred, while none were killed on our
side, but about 20 wounded, some severe-
ly. Several tents & wagons & 2,500 or
3000 rounds of ammunition fell into
the hands of the enemy, together with
the General's stage, containing various
unimportant articles, -- also his flag,
the loss of which grieved us greatly.
A few horses were lost. All this would
have been avoided, had we not been
compelled to bring over upwards of 200
sick men who occupied many wagons.
Having crossed safely, -- destroyed our
temporary bridge, boats, &c we retired
on yesterday to this position, where
Gen. Wise is stained, leaving a
small guard at the ferry.

One event must be mentioned in this
connexion, & it is this, the General's ever
faithful servants John & Sam boldly
ventured to the top of the hill, after it was
entirely deserted & brought away one of
our private wagons. this action was
one that not but few wld. have ventured,
hereafter let me hear no more of the
inferior spirit & courage of our servants.
To the fidelity & daring of these, we
are indebted for all our baggage.

As creditable & honorable as this battle
and signal repulse of the enemy in five
distinct efforts to storm & drive us from out
position was to Gen. Floyd & the gallant sons
of Virginia in his command, nevertheless it was
a sad, unfortunate necessity which impelled u
to desert the position -- a necessity arising from
the gross, outrageous, disobedience of Gen. Floyd's
orders by Gen. Wise, whose envy, jealousy & con-
temptable selfishness imperiled the lives o
men far more precious than his own his.

September 12, 1861 Continued

During the entire action Gen. Floyd exposed himself greatly
& was the first man wounded, -- A minie
ball struck his arm but & inflicted quite
a painful wound but broke no bone.
While on horse back his saddle was
stuck behind & a bullet passed through
his coat. Maj. Glass, Capt. Peters, Mr McMahon
were & myself were near him during the
battle, & hundreds of bullets struck around,
& passed very near us, & several shells explo-
ded in a few feet of us but Heaven protected
us & we miraculously escaped.

At night the conflict ceased, & two
prisoners were taken, who informed us
that Rosencranz commanded in person
10 regiments, with 2 rifled cannon &
3 Mountain Howitzers, also that two
more regiments, with additional artillery
would arrive reinforce them from Cox
during the night. A council of war was
at once convened, & taking into consider-
ation that our men had eaten nothing
since morning, & of course wld. be in bad
condition to fight on the following day,
the immense superiority of the enemy
in numbers & artillery, it was determined to
retreat across the river & the movement was
immediately commenced. Our force, was
with wagons were conveyed over during
the night with inconsiderable loss.

September 12th [1861]

Head Quarters Army of Ka.
Camp Walker. 5 mls. west of Hawk's Nest.
As predicted in my remarks on the 9th, a decisive
move as been made. The reported advance of
the enemy proved true. Mc Causland with his
regiment, waggons &c evacuated Summerville
in the face of the enemy on the night of the 9th &
arrived at Camp Gauley early on the following
morning. The advance of the enemy entered Sum-
mersville half an hour after McCausland left.

Till 12 o clock our scouts came in & reported the
advance of a heavy force on the road towards our
camp. Nothing positive & reliable could be ascer-
tained. Whether the enemy intended passing us
& reinforcing Cox or purposed taking a position
a few miles in advance, & waiting for Cox to
reinforce them, was not known. Indeed till
12 o'clock we were kept in anxious, painful,
suspense. Some were of opinion that the whole army
of Rosencrantz was precipitated upon us -- others that
only a few regiments were on their way from
Suttonsville to reinforce Cox & a consultation was
held to decide, whether we should march out &
intercept them or not. Just before 12 o'clock
we though that, by inaction on our part & the inef-
ficiency of our scouts & pickets, a few regiments
had marched almost in sight of our camp &
passed us unhurt & were out of our grasp.

Of course gloom & disappointment prevailed in the
bosom of all & down cast countenances were seen
of every side. Should this have been affected,
nothing but misfortune & defeat stared us in
the face, for Cox's force wld. have been overwhelm-
ing when compared with ours. Our force consisted
of 5 skeleton regiments, half of the men in each
having been stricken down by sickness or disease--
reducing our force to less than 2200! With these
a line of defence from 16 mls. was to be protected.
The entire line was protected by temporary
breastworks made of trees felled for the purpose,
a perfect defence against small arms. A battery
of 4 guns 6 pdr. iron cannon were stationed in
a temporary fortification about the centre of
our works. About the middle of the day our
^'pickets' came running in at full speed & announced
that ^'the' enemy ^'were' one mile from us & rapidly advan-
cing. then was our doubt dispelled & every
man was under arms in a few minutes.
Heth's regiment was posted on the right
wing & between the cliff & the field
work in ^'which' Captain Guy's battery from
Goochland, containing four 6 Pdr. iron
guns (very common) was stationed.

On the left of the battery was Col Reynold's
regiment, on the left of this regiment,
Col. McCausland's & Tompkin's & Wharton's
regiment were stationed. Just at this
time Capt. Jackson's battery of two guns
arrived from Gen. Wise. Nothing could
have been more acceptable -- not all the
gold in California. Here it must be
mentioned that when we were first
apprised of the enemy's approach, peremp-
tory orders were sent to Gen. Wise
to reinforce us with 1000 men immediately.
Fearing that he might be slow, as he
before had proved himself, in executing
General Floyd's commands, a second
messenger was dispatched with the same
orders, explaining our perilous condition
& urging prompt action. Orders were also
sent to two regiments on their way from
Lewisburg to hurry on, but they were
too far in rear to reach us before the
battle was decided. Hence our^'this' little
force were ^'was' left alone to fight the battle,
& like heroes our men renewed [?] themselves
for any fate. For two hours our ^'the' little
band stood expecting every moment
to be fired upon, & had almost
despaired of a fight. During all htis time
our brave old General was coolly riding
along the lines cheering his men. Capt.
Peters, Major Glass, Mr McMahon &
myself accompanied the General on
horse back. Suddenly at 3 1/4 oclock, the
long wished for enemy appeared about
200 yds in advance of our battery. Immediately
our men commenced the fire with cannon &
small arms, which was at once returned
by small arms. Now the action was
commenced in earnest. In 10 minutes the
artillery of the enemy opened fire.
Volley upon volley now thundered from
each side, & that combined with the
roar of cannon rendered the scene
terrific. During the evening, the enemy
five times boldly charged our lines, &
were as often repulsed with heavy
loss. Three times their battery was
silenced by Capt. Guy's battery which
did terrible execution with grape
& shell. Nearly all the firing from the
enemy's artillery was ineffective, their
balls passing over our heads & shells
bursting beyond us, till late in the
evening when they obtained the range
quite accurately, & wounded several of our men with shells.

Woods continually mispells the name of Union General William Starke Rosecrans.

September 9th: 1861

Head quarters Army of the Ka. Camp Gauley
Heretofore rain has been the order of the day,
& we were nearly coming to the conclusion,
that in these mountains clouds & storms were
the invariable attendants or followers of the
Sun in his daily course. Our operations, as
well as those of Gen. Lee have been serious-
ly impeded by this disagreeable weather &
the consequence of it, bad roads. to day, however
we were cheered by the unobstructed rays
of old Phoebus & the delightful promise of
fair weather in future -- Last night, while
quietly reposing, our slumbers were suddenly
disturbed by the rapid tread of a horse.

It proved to be the arrival of a messen-
ger from Col. McCausland, who is stationed
8 miles north of us at Summersville, with
his regiment of 450 men. The dispatch
stated that the enemy, 6000 strong, were advan-
cing upon us from Suttonville. Though
making the necessary allowance for exagger-
ation, this report was no welcome one
to our General. Sickness, that foe more
istructive to armies ^'than' the bullets of an
adversary, had deprived us of more than
half our men & our regiments were
mere skeletons, the largest not containing
above 600 men. thus our whole force in
this camp does not exceed 2000 men.
This advancing column united to Cox's
at Gauley would form an army so
much more numerous than ours that,
to say the least, it wld. be ^'an' undertaking
which wld. test the bravery & courage of
our soldiers to withstand their attack.
Orders were at once sent to Gen. Wise
to reinforce us with Tompkins regiment
& to place one of his own at Dogwood
Gap in supporting distance.
Early in the morning before breakfast
Gen. Floyd dispatched the ^'to' the camp of
cavalry, at the Cross-Lanes with orders
to Capt. Corns to scout the road beyond
Summerville. Col. McCausland was
also directed to fall back from
Summerville, with waggons, provisions
&c in case the enemy advanced upon
him. the road towards Gauley Bridge
is also Scouted by Capt. Dikinson's company,
with others. From all appearances, some
decisive move will be made in the next
few days. No mail arrived to day; -
a great disappointment to all of us.