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The Battle Before Cheat Mountain Summit
In September of 1861, General Robert E. Lee ordered the Army of the Northwest to isolate and capture Cheat Summit Fort. On September 12, in the cover of a stormy night, Confederates sneak past Union pickets, briefly engaging one party of scouts, killing a Lieutenant, and capturing some men from the 24th Ohio. At daylight, a wagon train from the 24th Ohio leaving for Camp Elkwater about eight miles away was ambushed and captured, experiencing no casualties while claiming heavy losses for the Confederates.
60 scouts under Capt. John Coons of the 14th Indiana guarded a pass 5 miles northwest of camp when Anderson's Brigade accidentally engaged them. Anderson's Brigade didn't commit to the fight, but Col. Kimball, hearing the skirmish in the distance, ordered Capt. Higgins to relieve the scouts. The 90 men under Capt. David Higgins discovered the pillaged Union wagon train about half a mile from the camp and found a lone cavalryman leading a wounded horse. The man claimed that the scouts had been cut off, and Anderson's men had collected in large force around the entrance of the pass.
Higgins sent a squad of men into the woods on each side of the road and proceeded cautiously, ordering the line to cover themselves in the trees. Lieutenant Green and his men were deployed on the left of the road. Lieutenant Wood and his men were deployed on the right, holding the detail of the 24th Ohio as reserves to check any enemy advance on the road. They proceeded 3 rods before they were engaged by Anderson's Brigade, trading two volleys of at least 100 guns each and taking no losses of their own. The rebels fled up the road, where Lieutenant Green's men poured a destructive volley into the rebels, sending them into utter confusion. Despite the success, Green failed to rally his men, who, seeing such a large force, fell back to the reserve, bringing with them two wounded privates. Higgins directed his line forward, but they made no advance, eventually determining to hold the position until reinforcements arrived.
After half an hour, Major Harrow of the 14th Indiana arrived with two companies. They brought two prisoners and reported that the force they faced was Anderson's brigade of Tennesseans, numbering 3,000. Harrow ordered Higgins to draw in his men as an advanced guard 2 miles from camp, where they remained until morning. The whole engagement only lasted about half an hour.
Over the following days, the 24th Ohio pursued the retreating rebels, recapturing their lost comrades and inflicting heavy losses on the Confederates. Some claim there were 3,000 Union soldiers in Cheat Summit Fort. For many reasons, including illness, desertion, starvation, and the small size of the fort, there would have been closer to 1,000 men, very few of which took part in the battle. The Confederates retreated due to exhaustion from the rough terrain and weather and the captured men of the 24th Ohio, convincing them that the Union defenders outnumbered them. The exact amount of Confederate losses is unknown, however, estimates from the time ranged between 50 and several hundred killed. The Union claimed 10 killed, 14 wounded, and 64 captured.
Source: (I wrote 99% of this page) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_Ohio_Infantry_Regiment
In September of 1861, General Robert E. Lee ordered the Army of the Northwest to isolate and capture Cheat Summit Fort. On September 12, in the cover of a stormy night, Confederates sneak past Union pickets, briefly engaging one party of scouts, killing a Lieutenant, and capturing some men from the 24th Ohio. At daylight, a wagon train from the 24th Ohio leaving for Camp Elkwater about eight miles away was ambushed and captured, experiencing no casualties while claiming heavy losses for the Confederates.
60 scouts under Capt. John Coons of the 14th Indiana guarded a pass 5 miles northwest of camp when Anderson's Brigade accidentally engaged them. Anderson's Brigade didn't commit to the fight, but Col. Kimball, hearing the skirmish in the distance, ordered Capt. Higgins to relieve the scouts. The 90 men under Capt. David Higgins discovered the pillaged Union wagon train about half a mile from the camp and found a lone cavalryman leading a wounded horse. The man claimed that the scouts had been cut off, and Anderson's men had collected in large force around the entrance of the pass.
Higgins sent a squad of men into the woods on each side of the road and proceeded cautiously, ordering the line to cover themselves in the trees. Lieutenant Green and his men were deployed on the left of the road. Lieutenant Wood and his men were deployed on the right, holding the detail of the 24th Ohio as reserves to check any enemy advance on the road. They proceeded 3 rods before they were engaged by Anderson's Brigade, trading two volleys of at least 100 guns each and taking no losses of their own. The rebels fled up the road, where Lieutenant Green's men poured a destructive volley into the rebels, sending them into utter confusion. Despite the success, Green failed to rally his men, who, seeing such a large force, fell back to the reserve, bringing with them two wounded privates. Higgins directed his line forward, but they made no advance, eventually determining to hold the position until reinforcements arrived.
After half an hour, Major Harrow of the 14th Indiana arrived with two companies. They brought two prisoners and reported that the force they faced was Anderson's brigade of Tennesseans, numbering 3,000. Harrow ordered Higgins to draw in his men as an advanced guard 2 miles from camp, where they remained until morning. The whole engagement only lasted about half an hour.
Over the following days, the 24th Ohio pursued the retreating rebels, recapturing their lost comrades and inflicting heavy losses on the Confederates. Some claim there were 3,000 Union soldiers in Cheat Summit Fort. For many reasons, including illness, desertion, starvation, and the small size of the fort, there would have been closer to 1,000 men, very few of which took part in the battle. The Confederates retreated due to exhaustion from the rough terrain and weather and the captured men of the 24th Ohio, convincing them that the Union defenders outnumbered them. The exact amount of Confederate losses is unknown, however, estimates from the time ranged between 50 and several hundred killed. The Union claimed 10 killed, 14 wounded, and 64 captured.
Source: (I wrote 99% of this page) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_Ohio_Infantry_Regiment
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