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Originally Posted by Historicaly Correct My FIRST reenactment (spectator only) here in Hurricane WVa. It is the Battle of Scarey Creek on March 24-26. |
Heres a little info I found on the battle.. hope you enjoy yourself at the event..
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Near Charleston, Va., July 17, 1861.
GENERAL: Yours of the 11th instant was received last evening. General Garnett was mistaken in his anticipations about the enemy not invading the Kanawha Valley and in his apprehension of my moving from Charleston direct upon Parkersburg. We are now on both sides [of] the Kanawha as high as the mouth of Coal River, front to front to the foe. He has about 1,600 approaching Coal, on the Guyandotte road; 3,000 coming up the Kanawha, with three steamers and several heavy pieces of artillery; 1,500, it is supposed, on each side, with his artillery on this side, and intending, I think to concentrate all his forces first against Coal, approaching and threatening the post at Two-Mile and at Elk Mouth by the valley road, and at the same time by the road from Ripley, to which place, and ten miles below, they have advanced forces from Ravenswood, Murraysville, and Letart Falls, and it may be from Parkersburg. At Coal I have posted 900 efficient men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Patton. At Two-Mile and Elk I have posted in all, efficient and inefficient forces-say 800 efficient-about 1,600, and at Gaualey Bridge, Summersville, and the Old Mill, on the Birch River, in all 1,000, with instructions to scout towards Suttonville, where the enemy are already in possession. I have anticipated General Garnett, you see, in this movement. I cannot re-enforce him, but he may me by the road leading form Huttonsville up Tygart's Valley road to Rackstone; up that fork to where it crosses the range of Rich Mountain; thence between Grassy Creek and Back Fork of Elk to where it crosses Elk; thence southwest to the head of Laurel Creek; thence to the head of Big Birch River, and down the same to the old mill near there, at the gorge of Birch Mountain, in my outpost from Summersville.
Now, if General Floyd can re-enforce Coal River and General Garnett can, in considerable number, re-enforce Birch and Elk, I will make a diversion that shall distract and defeat the enemy. My plan of defending the valley of the Kanawha is to hold its head and Coal and elk and Two-Mile and the head of summer navigation with, say 1,000, and to Ripley, California, the Forks of Elk, Arnoldsville, Sutton, Old Mill, and Summersville, say 3,000, requiring in all 7,000 men at least, if not 10,000, and you see we have but 3,500 in all, facing 6,000 at least on this and the other side of the Ohio. We have now 10 small pieces of artillery-6 iron, 3 brass, 1 made at Malden, private property. Our troops, raw, unequipped, not half armed and accoutered, unrented, out of reach of clothing, un officered, unorganized, yet they are prime personnel and fight well. I have tried them at Ripley, and yesterday my aide, Colonel Clarkson, with Brocks' and Becket's troops of horse, about 120, thrashed about 200 of their infantry, charging them up the mountain side to its top, driving them in to their cannon, and killing eight known, with the loss of one horse only killed. All we want is your fostering attention. Give us arms and ammunition speedily and I will drive them into the Ohio River and across, and then turn on Master McClellan, with the co-operation of Generals Garnett and Floyd.
I implore of you, sir, two things: First, re-enforce us with men, arms, and ammunition, and ask the President to allow me to increase the legion to 4,000 men. Please obtain for me these requests at once and I will be answerable for the rest.
Inclosed is an inventory of arms, &c., days past. The militia here are literally in the way of action. They require help from us. Let me add two more ideas: We are treading on snakes while aiming at the enemy. the grass of the soil we are defending is full of the copperhead traitors; they invite the enemy, feed him, and he arms and drills them. We are surrounded with extraordinary difficulty of defense. A spy is on every hill top, at every cabin, and from Charleston to Point Pleasant they swarm. We will fight hard, retire slowly if we must, and make a last stand at Gauley. The men we have are true, but the are no deserters to us, an deft we advance to meet the enemy at the mouth of Kanawha he comes down behind us from the north, and if we advance to attack him in the north he comes up behind us from the mouth of the valley. he along us from Parkersburg to Philippi on the north, and from Guyandotter through Gallipolis, Letart Falls, Flesher's, Ravernswood, and Murraysville to Parkersburg on the west. He has sent but few regiments, comparatively, as yet from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio eastward; holds the whole Northwest in reserve; and has command of all the navigation and railroad steam-power. This all combined makes it wonderful that we make a stand at all. Besides, sir, remember this army here has grown by neglect at Richmond. It has been literally created by Colonel Tompkins, at first beginning with Pattons' company alone, since assisted by my legion, which I have created between this and Richmond. General Garnett's army was sent out with him equipped. Let him come to us; we need his help. In connection with this I have ordered Colonel Tomkins to account for pay-rolls. We have had no pay for State troops, Paymaster-General Hill informs me, for want of rolls, and Colonel Tompkins and Captain Carr will account for them.
Most respectfully,
HENRY A. WISE,
Brigadier-General.
P. S.- THURSDAY, July 18, 1861.
GENERAL: Since mine of yesterday I have the proud satisfaction to report to you a glorious repulse of the enemy, if not a decided victory.
Colonel Norton, (Twenty-first Ohio Infantry.) of the Federal Army, yesterday approached the mouth of Coal with about 1,200 men, expecting, as he says, to be supported by two regiments, making in all about 3,000. I had ordered Colonel Patton to retire gradually from Scarey Creek, below Coal, to Coal Mountain and the passes across Coal River, concentrating his forces finally at bunker the passes across Coal River, concentrating his forces finally at bunker Hill, on Upton Creek, on the left bank of the Kanawha. But when Norton approached he returned to Scarey Creek and met him an his 1,200 there with about 800 men and two iron sixes. Norton had one heavy piece of artillery, and the battle across the creek ravine commenced about 4 p. m. It was soon shown the enemy had better guns, both ordnance and small-arms, but our men stood steadily and firmly fighting for about half an hour, when a panic seized three-fourths of them; portions of each company fled. At this moment Colonel Patton dashed on horseback to rally his men, when his horse for a short distance became unruly and caused them to mistake his movement; but he rallied a portion of them, returned instantly to action, and in fifteen minutes received a bullet in his left shoulder, which took him off the field. Jenkins, Bailey, Swam, and Sweeney stood their ground, as also Colonel F. Anderson, with two companies posted so far on the left that they up to this time had not come into action. The most of the men who had fled again rallied, and were fighting bravely when the enemy's superior piece of artillery disabled one of our sixes, killing Lieutenant Welch and mortally wounding a private, when First Lieutenant Quarried retired with the other piece of artillery and never returned into action, causing a second panic, when Captain Jenkins bravely took the command for the moment until Colonel Anderson came up from the left an rallied a forlorn hope, in which he and Bailey, Swan and Sweeney, bore the whole brunt of the enemy for some time, until they were re-enforced by Captain Coons from the post on Coal Mountain and by the really of those who had fled. This won the day, drove back the whole force of the enemy, captured Colonels Norton, Woodruff,(Second Kentucky Infantry ) and De Villiers, (Eleventh Ohio Infantry) Lieutenant-Colonel Neff, Captains Austin and Ward, and some 10 or 20 privates, and killing about 30. Our loss was 1 killed and 2 wounded, but 1 mortally.
The enemy crossed the river and encamped below the mouth of Scarey. I immediately determined to attack him there, and last night moved upon him with three troops of cavalry and 650 infantry and artillery, under Colonel McCausland, by two roads. The enemy retreated, and I have just (at 3 p. m.) learned that our force of 800 followed him to near the mouth of the Pocotaligo. McCausland having the Blueds with him, I ordered him to put the steel of his bayonet into their teeth. They are found intrenched at the Pocotaligo with heavy pieces. They have there at least three regiments, and we cannot attack them for want of some 12-pounder howitzers. I beg you for four such pieces. Give them to us, and we will repay the service fourfold.
We get some re-enforcement by Colonel Davis to-day, perhaps 300. I again implore you to let me increase the legion.
To-day one of Brock's cavalry was accidentally wounded by a picket guard, owing to whisky, after I had ordered all to be destroyed. Ohio has sent thousands of gallons over the border, doubtless to demoralized the camp. Excepting measled, the command is doing well.
Respectfully,
HENRY A. WISE,
Brigadier-General.
General R. E. LEE, Commanding, &c.
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