Fully Realizing the Stern Realities of War: Opening the 1862 campaign in western Virginia

After a long winter of relative inactivity, the war in the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia opened with a bang in May 1862 with a series of engagements at Giles Courthouse, Princeton, Charleston, and Lewisburg. Sergeant Major Phocian Way of the 11th Ohio missed all of the action, tasked with guarding stores at Raleigh. But the stern realities of war rolled into town on the evening of May 26.

          “Last evening, 63 of the men wounded at Princeton were brought here in ambulances and placed in the courthouse which has been fitted up as a hospital,” he wrote to the editors of the Clinton Republican. “I saw the poor fellows as they were carried into the building. Some had one leg shot off, some were minus an arm, and others exhibited ghastly saber cuts. One of them, Lieutenant Bluher of the 37th Ohio, had his leg amputated and it is feared that he will not survive the operation. The sight of these suffering men brought me fully to realize the stern realties of war, divested of all pomp and paraphernalia.”

          Sergeant Way would assigned orderly sergeant of Co. G later that summer. His letter, one of 11 he wrote to the newspaper in 1862-1863, first saw publication in the Republican’s June 13, 1862, edition.

 

Ohio Militia state seal breastplates were issued to numerous early war regiments like the 11th Ohio. This breastplate would be worn on the cartridge box strap. 

Raleigh, Virginia

May 27, 1862

          After a long season of rest, we of the 11th Ohio find ourselves again in the familiar old mountains of western Virginia. For the purpose of facilitating our movements, we were ordered to leave all our tents and a great portion of our baggage at Gauley. I will not attempt to details the incidents of our march as events of far greater importance demand my time and space.

          Six regiments passed up the road before us and the main body was encamped 11 miles beyond Princeton. In order to guard commissary stores, Cos. E and G were left at Gauley, Co. D at Fayetteville, Co. F at Point Pleasant, leaving us only five companies when we arrived here on the 14th instant when we were compelled to halt until further orders. General Cox, who is in command of this division, found a large force in his front to check his progress. The 23rd Ohio advanced as far as Giles Courthouse [See "A Tight Spot for the 23rd Ohio at Giles Courthouse."] where they found a large force of Rebels. They attacked them and were driven back until the 30th Ohio came to their support, when the Rebels in their turn retreated. They gained no material advantage, however, and fell back to the main body.

          On the 16th instant a large body of the Rebel army numbering 2,000-4,000 men got into the rear of General Cox’s camp and attacked Princeton where about 500 of our troops were left to guard a large amount of commissary stores. Our men defended their charge with desperate bravery but were driven from the town at the point of the bayonet, more than half of them were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners, belonging principally to the 34th Ohio and 37th Ohio. [See "Buckeye Zouaves: The Damned Red Tops and the Fight for Princeton Courthouse."] General Cox and staff were in Princeton at the time of the attack but fortunately made their escape to the main body.

General Jacob D. Cox led the Kanawha Division throughout the 1862 campaign. He later served as Ohio's first post-war governor. 

          By this bold stroke, the Rebels cut off General Cox’s supplies and captured a large amount of public property. General Cox was now in imminent peril and determined at once to recapture Princeton. Accordingly, he marched his whole force back and attacked the Rebels the next morning [May 17]. After a severe contest, the enemy retired a short distance from the town but not out of sight. They had no time to remove the government stores and everything was recovered. General Cox, not knowing what reinforcements the enemy had received, did not choose to risk another fight, but fell back to Flat Top Mountain, about 20 miles from here. This is an admirable place for defense and he has improved its natural advantages as much as possible. It was Humphrey Marshall who commanded the Rebel forces that attacked Princeton.

          It was now said that the Rebels had sent a force around some byway to capture Raleigh and again cut off the communication and supplies of General Cox. Two of our companies were on a scout and Lieutenant Colonel [Augustus] Coleman had not more than 200 men to defend the post; but nothing daunted, he declared his determination to fight if he was attacked by the whole Rebel army. This is an almost deserted town of some 15-20 houses, most of them made of logs. These houses were soon filled by our men and the plastering knocked out between the logs. Plenty of ammunition was placed inside and some officer assigned to the command of each blockhouse.

Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Coleman of the 11th Ohio Infantry would be promoted to colonel but lose his life at Antietam just four months later. 

          Thus prepared, we could defend ourselves against almost any force without artillery. Pickets were placed out in every direction and we stood at our arms all day [May 18] waiting patiently for an attack which we expected every moment. Cos. E and G got in today, which, together with 50-60 stragglers, who escaped from the Princeton massacre, swelled our number to 200 more. We kept watch all night and the next day were as vigilant as ever. Cos. B and K arrived safely from their scout on the evening of this day, making our number still larger. From that day to this, matters have remained about the same. We have relaxed our vigilance in some degree but are still on our guard.

          General Cox is still at Flat Top Mountain and the Rebel army are still in force at Princeton and vicinity. We have no means of ascertaining enemy plans; they may attack us at any moment or they may not attack us at all. General Cox has not force enough to advance and he will retreat no further unless dire necessity compels him. It seems to have been his misfortune never to have been furnished with enough men to thoroughly accomplish what was required of him. He has no reinforcements coming up and only depends on the advance of Fremont’s other divisions to divert the enemy. This is our position at present.

          As an offset to these disasters, we have to record the brilliant achievement of General [George] Crook with 3,000 of our men at Lewisburg on the 23rd of May. [See "A Victory Promptly and Gloriously Won: The 36th Ohio at Lewisburg."] He was attacked by about 5,000 Rebels under General [Henry] Heth; he repulsed them with severe loss, capturing four pieces of artillery and 100 prisoners.

Last evening, 63 of the men wounded at Princeton were brought here in ambulances and placed in the courthouse which has been fitted up as a hospital. I saw the poor fellows as they were carried into the building. Some had one leg shot off, some were minus an arm, and others exhibited ghastly saber cuts. One of them, Lieutenant Bluher of the 37th Ohio, had his leg amputated and it is feared that he will not survive the operation. The sight of these suffering men brought me fully to realize the stern realties of war, divested of all pomp and paraphernalia. [Second Lieutenant Magnus Bluher, Co. F, 37th OVI, died of wounds May 28, 1862.]

I must say something in regards to our officers before I close. Colonel De Villiers has been tried by court martial on a number of serious charges and has been dismissed from the service in disgrace. [See "Globules of Adipose Pomposity: Top 11 Worst Buckeye Colonels of the Civil War."] Lieutenant Colonel Coleman [See "Last Words: On the Eve of Antietam with Colonel Augustus Coleman, 11th Ohio Infantry."] is now the acting colonel and is a man who possesses every quality requisite for the position. It would meet the approbation of the regiment if he was appointed colonel and no doubt he will be.

Adjutant Horton tendered his resignation some time ago but much to the gratification of every man in the regiment, it was not accepted. There are but few officers competent to correctly perform the various duties pertaining to that office. Our adjutant is understood and appreciated and therefore he was not permitted to go. He deserves promotion and if the regiment had the election he would undoubtedly get it.

Source:

Letter from Sergeant Major Phocian R. Way, 11th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Clinton Republican (Ohio), June 13, 1862, pg. 1

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on t...
Read more

Arming the Union: Federal Contract Model 1861 Springfield Rifle Muskets

Image
A t the outset of the Civil War, the Federal government ran into a serious issue when the Confederacy occupied Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, the home of one of the nation’s two armories, and carted the gun making equipment off to Richmond, Virginia. This left just the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts as the sole government-operated entity to produce longarms for the Union army.           But it quickly became apparent that production at Springfield would have to be supplemented, so the War Department pursued two tracks to increase the weapons supply. Agents were dispatched to Europe to purchase suitable weapons from England, France, Austria, Belgium, and Prussia. Over time, these agents acquired hundreds of thousands of European arms of different designs and origins that equipped Federal regiments in the first years of the war.           In the meantime, operations at the Springfiel...
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true ...
Read more

Grant's Bodyguard: An Illinois Trooper at Fort Donelson

Image
Continuing on last week's theme of brushes with the legends of the Civil War, this week's post features a letter from Illinois trooper Private George M. Bradley of Co. A, 4th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. Bradley, a native of Akron, Ohio, enlisted September 26, 1861 in the 4th Illinois Cavalry and served three years as a Private, mustering out November 3, 1864.  Perhaps one of the most noteworthy things about his service was the time he spent as a bodyguard for General Ulysses S. Grant during the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. Interestingly, Bradley joined up with the 2nd Iowa Infantry on February 15, 1862 and participated in their celebrated attack that broke the Confederate right and precipitated the surrender of the fort on the following day. The charge of the 2nd Iowa will be the feature of my next blog post as I have a number of accounts from Ohioans who participated as members of the 2nd Iowa. Bradley's letter saw print in the March 13, 1862 issue of the...
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of h...
Read more

Arming the Empire State: Arms Issues to New York Infantry Regiments in 1861

Image
     During the Civil War, the state of New York provided more than 400,000 men to the Union army, the highest number of soldiers of any state, and as can be imagined, the task of arming those hundreds of thousands of volunteers was a very difficult one. At the outbreak of hostilities, the state militia numbered 19,000 men but the state possessed only about 8,000 long arms nearly all of which were utilized to arm the eleven militia regiments which left the state in the earliest days of the war. The state dispatched an agent to England on April 24 th to purchase 25,000 Enfield pattern rifle muskets but upon his arrival, he found those weapons hard to find as Confederate agents had already been busy buying up the stock. Eventually, he was able to secure 19,000 Enfields at a cost of $335,000; these weapons arrived in bits and pieces over the next several months and were issued out soon after their arrival to newly formed regiments.  A perusal of the adjutant general’...
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on se...
Read more

Old Abe: The Magnificent War Eagle of the 8th Wisconsin

Image
       In September of 1861, Captain John E. Perkins and the Eau Claire Badgers went into Camp Randall, in Madison Wisconsin with an unusual company mascot: a fledging bald eagle who they soon named Old Abe.           Old Abe had been captured near the Flambeau River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin by Agemahmegezhig (Chief Sky), a member of the Chippewa tribe during sugar season in the spring of 1861.   “His captor cut down a large pine tree in which was the eagle’s nest and secured this one caught in spite of the screams and menaces of the parent birds,” Captain James H. Green of the 8 th Wisconsin later wrote. Daniel McCann of Eagle Point, Wisconsin soon purchased this fledgling eagle by trading a bushel of corn with the Chippewa. Captain Perkins was then in Eau Claire organizing a company and it was there that McCann sold the eagle to Perkins’ company for $2.50. Perkins, who was later killed at the battle of Farmi...
Read more

A Different Vista on the Civil War: An "Ohio" Marked Lorenz Rifle

Image
          While the focus of this blog has been almost exclusively on chronicling the services of Ohioans during the Civil War through their own words, once in a while it is worthwhile to look into object-based history to help further illuminate the times. Object-based history provides a different vista through which to view past events, by studying the manufacture, use, and history of the objects themselves. Today's post marks my first entry into studying the Civil War through its relics and objects. Unidentified Yankee private holding a Lorenz rifle and Colt revolver (Library of Congress)            I recently acquired an Ohio-marked M1854 Austrian-made .54 caliber Lorenz rifle from a longtime Civil War collector. When I decided to purchase the rifle, I knew little beyond the fact that I had come across dozens of references to this usually well-regarded longarm in my research over the years and it was one of the more att...
Read more

Cotton Burning on the Levee: A Civilian Witnesses the Federal Seizure of New Orleans

Image
F or one Ohio-born resident of New Orleans, the arrival of Admiral David Farragut’s fleet on April 25, 1862, marked a day of liberation. “Yesterday about half past 1 o’clock, the cry was raised that the Yankees were upon us,” wrote Louis M. Beyers in a letter to his mother. “I started toward the levee where the Federal vessels were said to be lying. Reaching the river, what a sight breaks upon my view. The steamboat William Morrison was one mass of flames. All the shipping was sending forth the most dense black smoke. The Mississippi , a ram which was nearly finished and which, if completed, would have demolished the whole fleet in one hour, floating slowly by with the smoke issuing from every opening and several other important like vessels in various parts of the river, all showing that the torch has been applied to them.” “Together with the thunder which came peal after peal gave a scene of the utmost grandeur. There proudly floating in the smoke and rain were the glorious old ...
Read more