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!