I reviewed my notes looking for references to "The Army of New River." I found very little with that specifier, but for what they may be worth, here they are, along with other concurrent events:
4/19 The 36th Va assigned to Gen Heth’s command
4/21/62 Gen Lee ordered Col Wharton to collect & organize the 50
th & 51
st Va. Regts & a Va. Bn [Derrick’s 1
st Bn aka 23rd Bn] for immediate service-Under that order Wharton organized the Bgde
5/8/62 The Dept of Southwestern Va. was constituted on May 8, 1862 and designated as Trans Allegheny or Western Dept of Va. The territory extended "west to the eastern boundary of Kentucky & as far west of that boundary as circumstances may allow." By fall 1862 the name was changed to Dept. of Western Va. On Sept 27, 1864 the jurisdiction of the cdg officer was extended over "the reserve forces of East Tenn."
5/8 Loring assigned to command of the Dept
5/8-10/16/62 Loring-cdg Dept of SW Va-
Loring had been assigned to the Dept of SW Va., & Gen Heth had gathered near Lewisburg a little force of good fighters
called the ‘Army of New River.’ Loring eventually turned over command of his troops to Gen Echols on 10/15.
Heth’s 1st Bgde, under
Col Jenifer, included the
45th Va. Infy, Lt-Col Peters,
8th Cav (Jenifer's)
Otey's Btry
Col McCausland, returned from the Fort Donelson campaign, commanded the 2nd Bgde,
36th Va.
22nd Va.
5/12 Report of Col Jenifer cdg 1
st Bgde-I have the honor to submit my report, in reference to my Bgde, of the battle of Giles CH, which took place on the 10th:
Pursuant to orders, I marched from Camp Shannon at 10.30 p.m., in command of the
1st Bgde of the Army of New River, composed of 650 men of the 45th Regt, commanded by Lt Col W. E. Peters; 80 men of the 8th Va. Cav, under command of Lt Col Henry Fitzhugh, & one 6-pounder rifled gun & one 12-pounder howitzers, with 40 men, under Capt G. G. Otey…
5/13 Report of McCausland, 36
th Va., cdg 2
nd Bgde-I have the honor to submit the following report of the
2nd Bgde of the army commanded by Gen Heth…
5/16 Heth reports… I divided the command into two Bgdes & a reserve,
the first consisting of the 45th Va. (Lt Col Peters), Otey's Btry, & one Co of the 8th Va. Cav, under Col Jenifer, & the second composed of the 22nd Va. (Col Patton), Chapman's Btry, & one Co of the 8th Va. Cav, under Col McCausland,
The reserve consisting of fragments of three Co’s & two mountain howitzers, under Capt Vawter
5/16 Heth again attacked Cox, this time on Flat Top Mountain in present West Va., & Cox retreated. Heth then marched against Lewisburg which was held by Col George Crook. But the attack, which was made 5/23, failed & Heth retired to the Narrows.
5/20 the 26
th Va Bn organized from those members of the 59th Regt who escaped capture at Roanoke Island, NC, 2/8/62, together with some recruits. Lt Col Edgar cdg
5/23 Heth received word that Crook had occupied Lewisburg & took the 45th & 22
nd Va. & Finney’s Bn to drive them off. Heth mismanaged his affair, & Crook easily defeated the attack, with only the 45th Va. maintaining some order. Heth retired to the [New River] Narrows.
Heth had taken over, as the cdg officer of
the Army of New River when Floyd was sent to Tenn. Heth was very disliked by the members of the 22nd Va. Reasons behind this disliking started during the Battle of Lewisburg.
It finally boiled over when Heth's army started to disobey orders. Heth was ultimately recalled to Lee's Army & Gen Echols reformed the New River Army to the Army of SW Va. the spring of 1863.
5/24/62 the 63rd Va organized
5/29 Wytheville-Requisition for camp equipage, clothing for McMahon’s Regt [63
rd Va.] signed by Col Wharton, 51
st Va., cdg Bgde-