Battle of Cheat Mountain
General Lee's plan of operations on Cheat Mtn
| date | 12-15 September 1861 |
|---|---|
| place | Pocahontas County , West Virginia , USA |
| output | Union victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Joseph J. Reynolds
|
Robert E. Lee
Albert Rust |
| Troop strength | |
|
9,000
|
11,000
|
| losses | |
|
80
|
90
|
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The Battle of Cheat Mountain , also known as the Battle of Cheat Mountain Summit , was an American Civil War battle in the course of operations in western Virginia that occurred September 12-15, 1861.
After the defeat in the Battle of Rich Mountain , the Confederate troops in the upper Tygart Valley and the Greenbrier River valley were reorganized, both valleys are separated by Cheat Mountain.
The troops of the Northern states under Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds were between Huttonsville and Elkwater in the Tygart Valley, at Cheat pass and Cheat Mountain Summit Fort dislocated .
After General Lee took command of the Confederate forces in northwestern Virginia, his goal was to unite his major associations and get Cheat Mountain into his own hands. His brigades were deployed as follows:
- 2 brigades east of Cheat Mountain at Camp Bartow on the Greenbrier River,
- 4 Brigades in the Upper Tygart Valley west of Cheat Mountain and
- the "Army of the Kanawha" 160 km to the south on Sewill Mountain.
The leadership of the troops was made difficult not only by the spatial separation, but also by the individuality of the commanders subordinate to Lee. Lee had to conduct a site survey of the approach routes to the summit of Cheat Mountain himself because Brigadier General William W. Loring refused and Lee, as the "eternal" diplomat, preferred to avoid a confrontation at the time.
Lee planned that Colonel Albert Rust and one brigade from Camp Bartow should take a path through the woods and Brigadier General Henry R. Jackson and the other brigade should proceed to the summit along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Colonel Samuel R. Anderson was to attack the fort on the summit from the west. After capturing the fort, Colonel Jesse S. Burk and Brigadier General Daniel S. Donelson were to attack north on both sides of the Tygart Valley River. A well-considered plan where surprise was the most important factor, but which did not take into account the terrain or the adverse weather conditions.
On September 12, 1861, Colonel Rust began his approach through thick undergrowth. Jackson reached his starting position on the turnpike with no difficulty. Anderson surprised the Union Forces at the turnpike on the west side of the Cheat Mountains and occupied the turnpike.
On the morning of September 13, Jackson kept the fort's crew busy with banter. He and Anderson waited for Rust's signal to attack. However, this did not happen because Rust's advance was under an unfavorable star. After a march of about 30 km through rough terrain - Climbing, undergrowth beating and wading through swampy terrain - reached his brigade sometimes in single file advancing in pouring rain the summit. The fort's crew had not noticed his approach. Rust did not take advantage of this element of surprise, however, but first attacked a supply column half a mile from the fort. By chance, Colonel Nathan Kimball and 300 men were on a site reconnaissance and immediately attacked the Confederates. There was a bitter struggle in the dense forests until Rust lost his nerve and ordered his weakened and exhausted brigade to retreat. Rust later said he had faced overwhelming odds.
The surprise effect was lost because of this error and coordinated action was no longer possible. The Union troops prepared to repel the attack and cleared up with cavalry against Lee's troops. After two days of skirmishes and tactical maneuvers, Lee broke off the battle and retired to Valley Head, WV and Camp Bartow.
literature
- United States. War Dept .: The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Govt. Print. Off., Washington 1880-1901. ( Series I, Volume V, p. 184ff here online )
- James M. McPherson (Ed.): The Atlas of the Civil War. Philadelphia 2005, ISBN 0-7624-2356-0 .
Individual evidence
Web links
- West Virginia History: General RE Lee's Northwest Virginia Campaign