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.