The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain

In early April, 1864, General George C. Crook began his campaign from the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. His objective was the Virginia and East Tennessee Railroad Bridge over the New River in southwestern Virginia. This important railroad bridge linked eastern Virginia with the rest of the Confederacy. As a part of Grant's grand strategy, this bridge had to be destroyed to disrupt the flow of supplies to General Lee.

To defend this region (including the salt works at Saltville and the lead mines at Austinville), was a hodgepodge force of widely scattered Confederate commands. Closest to the area to contest Crook's advance was the com- mand of Colonel McCausland. McCausland gathered his small brigade and prepared to contest Crook's advance until newly arrived Brigadier General Jenkins could collect additional forces, and remove supplies in nearby Dublin Depot and Central Depot (Radford). To compound the troop situation, the area was already stripped of defenders by General Breckinridge's advance up the Shenandoah Valley to oppose Union forces under Sigel.

By the night of May 8th, McCausland had taken a position astride the Dublin-Pearisburg Turnpike, at the foot of Cloyd's Mountain, to block Crook's advance. Crook, in the meantime, had detached most of his available mounted cavalry force under General Averell to make a demonstration against, and to possibly capture the salt works at Saltville.

As the morning of May 9th dawned, McCausland strengthened his position recently bolstered by the arrival of General Jenkins and additional troops. More troops were expected to arrive from Dublin Depot at any hour (via the railroad running into Dublin). If only they could hold long enough.

General Crook, on the other hand, realizing that he was facing a strong Confederate position, made the statement, "Maybe they will whip us! But I guess not!" By 1100 hours, the fight was on.

Battle of Cloyd's Mountain: The Wargame

Battle of Cloyd's Mountain: The Order of Battle

Battle of Cloyd's Mountain: The Map

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 37, pages 8-68.

McManus, Howard Rollins. The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain; The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Raid. H.E. Howard, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1989.

Walker, Gary C. The War in Southwest Virginia. A & W Enterprises, Roanoke, Virginia, 1985.