In September of 1862, Confederate General William Loring directed the
Kanawha Valley Campaign to drive Union forces under Col. Joseph Lightburn from the Kanawha region of what is now West Virginia. The Loring began the campaign with with his troops at Princeton, Va and headed toward Charleston via Fayette Courthouse and Gauley Bridge. At Gauley Bridge, Loring arranged his brigades with the 1st Brigade of Brig. Gen. John Echols attacking the Federals on the north side of the Kanawha river while driving downriver to the town of Charleston. Echols had become ill and so, Col. John McCausland was assigned the command of the 1st Brigade. The fight for Charleston occurred on September 13, 1882.
McCausland's troops proceed along the Kanawha Turnpike which ran adjacent to the Kanawha river. After multiple field skirmishes and street fights within the town of Charleston, the Confederates' pursuit of Lightburn halted at the Elk River where the Union forces had destroyed the suspension bridge. As daylight waned, McCausland left strong pickets and support for his artillery batteries and sent his tropps back to his reserves located back at the turnpike. [
McCausland's Report ] This reserve area would have been the location of his supply wagons, headquarters, and designated hospital area. The following day it was found that Lightburn had evacuated his force west to the Ohio River; Charleston was now in control of the Confederates.
McCausland did not sustain very heavy casualties during the fighting - within the archives, 34 Confederate soldiers are identified as killed or mortally wounded during the entire campaign. Eleven are identified as having died at Charleston.
One of those killed was my great grandfather's brother, Sampson H. Deatherage of the 50th Virginia Infantry. It is not precisely clear where Sampson had been mortally wounded but be was brought in to the hospital area and tended by his regiment's chaplain,
Rev. George H. Denny.
Sampson died that evening and Rev. Denny wrote a letter to Sampson's family and friends to notify them of Sampson's demise. See Rev. Denny's letter below - the Rev's handwriting is a bit difficult to read without some analysis so, I superimposed a transcription.
I have been to Charleston twice to look for
Sampson's grave but have not found one. He could be buried at what was the
Charleston City Cemetery during the War (what is now, Ruffner Memorial park) or, perhaps, within a group of 10 unknown graves found at the Spring Hill Cemetery, Old Circle area.
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