Battle of Cloyd's Mountain
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| Battle of Cloyd's Mountain | |||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict | American Civil War | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 9, 1864 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Pulaski County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | U.S. victory | ||||||||||||||||
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The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain was a Union victory in western Virginia in 1864 that allowed the Union forces to destroy the last railroad running from Tennessee to Virginia.
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Background
The distinctly bearded Brigadier General George Crook commanded the Army of West Virginia, made up of three brigades from the Division of the Kanawha. When Ulysses S. Grant launched his spring offensive of 1864, two Union armies marched towards Richmond and a third moved into the Shenandoah Valley. Crook's troops were also involved in the offensive and began to march through the Appalachian Mountains into southwest Virginia. His objective was to destroy the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, working in conjunction with William W. Averell's offensive, which had similar objectives. General Albert G. Jenkins, also a notably bearded officer, was in command of a few scattered Confederate units protecting the rail lines. Jenkins had only assumed command a day before Crook's army began to approach the railroad.
The Forces
Union
- Army of West Virginia, Division of the Kanawha — George Crook
- 1st Brigade — Horatio G. Sickel
- 2nd (Ohio) Brigade — Rutherford B. Hayes
- 3rd (West Virginia) Brigade — Carr B. White
Confederate
- Confederate forces — Albert G. Jenkins (mortally wounded and captured); John McCausland
- 45th Virginia Infantry Regiment
- 60th Virginia Infantry Regiment
- 36th Virginia (Company "A" only)
- 400 dismounted Kentucky Cavalry
- Home Guards
The Battle
Jenkins decided to make a stand at Cloyd's Mountain, and set up a strong defensive position. When Crook arrived he decided against a frontal assault, concluding that the Confederate works were too strong and such an attack would decimate his army. The surrounding area was heavily forested so Crook used this as cover and swung his brigades around to the Confederate right flank.
Crook began the battle with an artillery barrage, then sent in his brigade of green West Virginians under Colonel Moses B. Carr. Crook's remaining two brigades under Horatio G. Sickel and future president Rutherford B. Hayes were to launch a frontal assault as soon as the West Virginians had gotten under way. Carr's brigade, in its first fight ever, advanced to within 20 yards before heavy casualties in its exposed position forced it back. Crook, moving with Hayes' Ohio brigade, had to dismount and traverse the slopes on foot because they were so steep. Still wearing his jack boots, he sank in a small stream the troops were crossing and his boots filled with water. Nearby soldiers rushed back to their general and pulled him out.
Hayes' brigade spearheaded the main assault around 11 a.m. The troops fought their way to the Confederate works and severe hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Sparks from the musket fire ignited the thick blanket of leaves on the ground and many men from Sickel's and Hayes' brigades were pinned down and burned alive. The two brigades began to fall back when Crook sent in two fresh regiments into Hayes' front. The West Virginians finally advanced against the cannon that had plagued them throughout the battle and overran its crew. Now the Ohio troops began to overwhelm the Confederate center. Jenkins tried desperately to shift troops to the threatened areas, but fell mortally wounded and was captured by Union soldiers. His second-in-command, John McCausland, took command and conducted a rear-guard action as he withdrew his troops.
Results
The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain was short and involved few troops, but contained what many consider some of the most severe and savage fighting of the war. The whole engagement lasted a little over an hour with much of that being hand-to-hand combat. Crook lost 688 men, roughly 10% of his force. The Confederates lost fewer men—538—but that totaled 23% of their total force. Crook was able to continue on and destroy the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad at Dublin, Virginia, and Averell was also able to destroy several railroad bridges along the same line, cutting the last railway linking Virginia and Tennessee. President Rutherford B. Hayes would later look back on his life and exclaimed that serving in the Union army were the best days of his life.
Sources
- Kennedy, Frances H., editor, The Civil War Battlefield Guide: Second Edition (1998)
- National Park Service battle description (http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va049.htm)
- Description of forces (http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/pottery/1080/cloyds_mountin_wva_9may64.htm)
See Also
Categories: Battles of the Crook-Averell Raid on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad of the American Civil War
