Josh The Lighthouse Guy
Major
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
I stopped into Wytheville on my way home from West Virginia and it got me curious about that theater so I dug around a little. Certainly looks like an area that could use some modern scholarship.
Southwestern Virginia - that part west of the Blue Ridge and New River - included saltworks and lead mines. The Virginia & Tennesee Railroad between Lynchburg, Knoxville, and Chattanooga could transport these vital supplies to Richmond - to or Chattanooga and the Western Theater, for the first half of the war. It also provided an important connection between the Eastern and Western Theaters, with the alternative railroads in the Carolinas and Georgia being a much more roundabout route.
Key towns were Wytheville (pronounced with-ville), Marion, Saltville, and Abingdon. The area was not seriously threatened until 1864.
New River and Roanoke could be considered part of this area - and possibly were for Confederate departmental purposes? - but I'm excluding them here because I think they more accurately represent a part of the larger campaign for the Shenandoah Valley. I'm also mostly excluding Cumberland Gap at the very western tip of Virginia because operations there were usually about KY and TN, not VA.
Campaigns & Battles
Toland's Raid / Battle of Wytheville (18 Jul 1863)
Col. John Toland led a demi-brigade of cavalry and mounted infantry (numbering only about 800 men) from Charleston to attack the railroad at Wytheville, as well as nearby lead mines and saltworks. At Wytheville they were met by Confederate home guard, alledgly assisted by civilians shooting from houses. Although the home guard was driven off, both Union Colonels were killed early in the fight. Some houses were burned in retribution for the civilian sniping, but due to their losses the Federals promptly retreated back to Charleston without accomplishing any of their objectives.
Battle of Jonesville (2-3 Jan 1864)
Thinking that Cumberland Gap was poorly guarded, Grumble Jones took 2,000 from SW Virginia and moved to seize it. 16th IL Cavalry under Maj. Charles Beeres moved to intercept Jones and drove some of his advance troops out of Jonesville (Lee County seat) on the first day. Jones arrived with the rest of his men and launched a surprise attack on the second day that ended in the capture of 383 Federal soldiers, 3 cannons, and 27 wagons. However, learning that Cumberland Gap had been reinforced and was no longer vulnerable, Grumble Jones retreated.
Averill's Raid / Battle of Cove Mountain (10 May 1864)
Simultaneous to Crook's offensive that resulted in the Battles of Cloyd's Mountain and New River Bridge, William W. Averill launched a raid out of Charleston targetting Saltville and Wytheville. Averill's division consisted of two cavalry brigades (Duffie & Schonnmaker). He was met by cavalry brigades under Grumble Jones, John Hunt Morgan, and George B. Crittenden. The Confederates actually had superior numbers. Tactical and strategic victory for the Confederates, albeit with an asterisk. By concentrating against Averill, the Confederates had insufficient forces to stop Crook at Cloyd's Mountain. The salt and lead works were a greater asset than the railroad bridge across New River, which could be replaced, but if Crook had continued down the Valley as planned the Battle of New Market might have turned out differently.
Burbridge's Raid / First Battle of Saltville (2 Oct 1864)
Stephen G. Burbridge, controversial for his anti-guerilla activity in Kentucky, led 5,000 mounted men (7 regiments mounted infantry & 5 regiments cavalry) including the 5th USCC and part of the 6th USCC (U.S. Colored Cavalry), to destroy the saltworks at Saltville. Confederates skirmished with Burbridge, buying time for Alfred E. Jackson to assemble two mounted brigades and two battalions of home guards. Although outnumbered 2:1, the Confederates successfully defeated Saltville. The aftermath of the battle resulted in The Saltville Massacre in which Confederates - purportedly including BG Felux Huston Robertson and guerilla Samuel "Champ" Ferguson - killed wounded USCC soldiers and at least one of their officers on the battlefield and in a field hospital. There's debate over how many were murdered (between 5 and 50).
Stoneman's 1864 Southwest Virginia Raid - Battle of Marion (17-18 Dec 1864) & Second Battle of Saltville (20 Dec 1864)
Following the failure of Burbridge's raid, George Stoneman reorganized another raid. Stoneman met John C. Breckenridge's department forces at Marion and eventually defeated them - most importantly pushing the Confederates away from Saltville. Stoneman was then able to overwhelm the Saltville defenses and finally accomplished the long-sought destruction of the saltworks there.
Saltville Battlefields Historic District was added to the NRHP in 2010.
Stoneman's 1865 Final Raid (Apr 1865)
George Stoneman led 4,000 cavalry on a raid through western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia in the last weeks of the war. This included attacking the railroad at Wytheville and from Cambria (now Christiansburg) to Salem (near Roanoke). He was positioned to potentially intercept the Army of Northern Virginia if it had escaped Appamattox and tried to pass through Lynchburg towards Roanoke. With Lee's surrender, Stoneman headed back into North Carolina.
Related Historic Sites & Museums
Museum of the Middle Appalachians - Saltville, VA
Historic Saltworks Park - Saltville, VA
Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum - Wytheville, VA (witness house to the battle, including a bullet hole in a window frame)
Thomas J. Boyd Museum - Wytheville, VA
The Marion battlefield does not appear to have been preserved, although the core area has been identified by ABT.
Releated Books
The War in Southwest Virginia 1861-65 by Gary C. Walker (1985)
Southwest Virginia in the Civil War: The Battles for Saltville by William Marvel (1992)
George Stoneman: A Biography of the Union General by Ben Fuller Fordney (2008)
The Saltville Massacre by Thomas Mays (1995)
William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones: The Life of a Cantankerous Confederate by James Buchanan Ballard (2017)
Burbridge was the subject of a self-published biography of questionable merit, Butcher Burbridge: Union General Stephen Burbridge and His Reign of Terror Over Kentucky by Bryan S. Bush (2008). In any case, it seems to be focused on his Kentucky activity and thus probably has little about the Saltville battles.
Southwestern Virginia - that part west of the Blue Ridge and New River - included saltworks and lead mines. The Virginia & Tennesee Railroad between Lynchburg, Knoxville, and Chattanooga could transport these vital supplies to Richmond - to or Chattanooga and the Western Theater, for the first half of the war. It also provided an important connection between the Eastern and Western Theaters, with the alternative railroads in the Carolinas and Georgia being a much more roundabout route.
Key towns were Wytheville (pronounced with-ville), Marion, Saltville, and Abingdon. The area was not seriously threatened until 1864.
New River and Roanoke could be considered part of this area - and possibly were for Confederate departmental purposes? - but I'm excluding them here because I think they more accurately represent a part of the larger campaign for the Shenandoah Valley. I'm also mostly excluding Cumberland Gap at the very western tip of Virginia because operations there were usually about KY and TN, not VA.
Campaigns & Battles
Toland's Raid / Battle of Wytheville (18 Jul 1863)
Col. John Toland led a demi-brigade of cavalry and mounted infantry (numbering only about 800 men) from Charleston to attack the railroad at Wytheville, as well as nearby lead mines and saltworks. At Wytheville they were met by Confederate home guard, alledgly assisted by civilians shooting from houses. Although the home guard was driven off, both Union Colonels were killed early in the fight. Some houses were burned in retribution for the civilian sniping, but due to their losses the Federals promptly retreated back to Charleston without accomplishing any of their objectives.
Battle of Jonesville (2-3 Jan 1864)
Thinking that Cumberland Gap was poorly guarded, Grumble Jones took 2,000 from SW Virginia and moved to seize it. 16th IL Cavalry under Maj. Charles Beeres moved to intercept Jones and drove some of his advance troops out of Jonesville (Lee County seat) on the first day. Jones arrived with the rest of his men and launched a surprise attack on the second day that ended in the capture of 383 Federal soldiers, 3 cannons, and 27 wagons. However, learning that Cumberland Gap had been reinforced and was no longer vulnerable, Grumble Jones retreated.
Averill's Raid / Battle of Cove Mountain (10 May 1864)
Simultaneous to Crook's offensive that resulted in the Battles of Cloyd's Mountain and New River Bridge, William W. Averill launched a raid out of Charleston targetting Saltville and Wytheville. Averill's division consisted of two cavalry brigades (Duffie & Schonnmaker). He was met by cavalry brigades under Grumble Jones, John Hunt Morgan, and George B. Crittenden. The Confederates actually had superior numbers. Tactical and strategic victory for the Confederates, albeit with an asterisk. By concentrating against Averill, the Confederates had insufficient forces to stop Crook at Cloyd's Mountain. The salt and lead works were a greater asset than the railroad bridge across New River, which could be replaced, but if Crook had continued down the Valley as planned the Battle of New Market might have turned out differently.
Burbridge's Raid / First Battle of Saltville (2 Oct 1864)
Stephen G. Burbridge, controversial for his anti-guerilla activity in Kentucky, led 5,000 mounted men (7 regiments mounted infantry & 5 regiments cavalry) including the 5th USCC and part of the 6th USCC (U.S. Colored Cavalry), to destroy the saltworks at Saltville. Confederates skirmished with Burbridge, buying time for Alfred E. Jackson to assemble two mounted brigades and two battalions of home guards. Although outnumbered 2:1, the Confederates successfully defeated Saltville. The aftermath of the battle resulted in The Saltville Massacre in which Confederates - purportedly including BG Felux Huston Robertson and guerilla Samuel "Champ" Ferguson - killed wounded USCC soldiers and at least one of their officers on the battlefield and in a field hospital. There's debate over how many were murdered (between 5 and 50).
Stoneman's 1864 Southwest Virginia Raid - Battle of Marion (17-18 Dec 1864) & Second Battle of Saltville (20 Dec 1864)
Following the failure of Burbridge's raid, George Stoneman reorganized another raid. Stoneman met John C. Breckenridge's department forces at Marion and eventually defeated them - most importantly pushing the Confederates away from Saltville. Stoneman was then able to overwhelm the Saltville defenses and finally accomplished the long-sought destruction of the saltworks there.
Saltville Battlefields Historic District was added to the NRHP in 2010.
Stoneman's 1865 Final Raid (Apr 1865)
George Stoneman led 4,000 cavalry on a raid through western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia in the last weeks of the war. This included attacking the railroad at Wytheville and from Cambria (now Christiansburg) to Salem (near Roanoke). He was positioned to potentially intercept the Army of Northern Virginia if it had escaped Appamattox and tried to pass through Lynchburg towards Roanoke. With Lee's surrender, Stoneman headed back into North Carolina.
Related Historic Sites & Museums
Museum of the Middle Appalachians - Saltville, VA
Historic Saltworks Park - Saltville, VA
Haller-Gibboney Rock House Museum - Wytheville, VA (witness house to the battle, including a bullet hole in a window frame)
Thomas J. Boyd Museum - Wytheville, VA
The Marion battlefield does not appear to have been preserved, although the core area has been identified by ABT.
Releated Books
The War in Southwest Virginia 1861-65 by Gary C. Walker (1985)
Southwest Virginia in the Civil War: The Battles for Saltville by William Marvel (1992)
George Stoneman: A Biography of the Union General by Ben Fuller Fordney (2008)
The Saltville Massacre by Thomas Mays (1995)
William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones: The Life of a Cantankerous Confederate by James Buchanan Ballard (2017)
Burbridge was the subject of a self-published biography of questionable merit, Butcher Burbridge: Union General Stephen Burbridge and His Reign of Terror Over Kentucky by Bryan S. Bush (2008). In any case, it seems to be focused on his Kentucky activity and thus probably has little about the Saltville battles.
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