Battle of Cheat Mountain

 

• The Confederates hurried an army to meet the Federal forces, establishing their foremost post at Travellers Repose [1, 2]. This Confederate force included troops from Arkansas, Virginia, Georgia, and other states [1, 2]. Among these was the 31st Virginia, whose home company was from Green Bank District [1, 2].
• The Federal army was camped on the high divide of Cheat Mountain at an elevation of about forty-two hundred feet [3]. The Confederates were camped about forty-one hundred feet, laying there for months in sight of each other [3].

Fortifications and Strategy

• The fortifications at Valley and Middle Mountains were made based on a report by William Skeem, a lawyer from Huntersville, who indicated that the railroad at Millboro was exposed to attack [4-7].
• Robert E. Lee was sent to Pocahontas to build fortifications [4-7]. He arrived at Valley Mountain on August 8, 1861 [4-7].
• The fortifications were on Valley Mountain, and Lee's camp was south of the pass through Middle Mountain [4-7].
• The Confederates aimed to present an army marching behind them by way of the North Fork road and the Greenbank Mountain road [8, 9].
• Pickets on the North Fork road decided to blockade it to ensure that the enemy could not get in the rear [8, 9].
• The soldiers cut down the mammoth hemlock across the road for about four miles, said to be the largest blockade in the war [8, 9]. It reportedly took two years to cut the road and each man worked about four days [8, 9]. The Greenbank mountain road was also blockaded [8, 9].
• The Union and Confederate forces faced each other for about two months, waiting for the other to give battle [10-13].
• In mid-September, Lee planned to attack the fortifications at Elkwater [10-13].

September Engagements

• In September, the Confederates attempted to pass the Federal fortifications by going through the woods, but got lost and had a battle, and were forced back [3].
• Lee ordered the army from Camp Bartow to climb Back Allegheny, leave the road and silently pass Whites Top through the spruce woods to fall in behind the fortifications [10-13].
• A part of the army was to stay and watch the army at White Top to prevent them from joining other Union forces [10-13].
• The rest of the army from Camp Bartow were to drop down into Tygarts Valley and march up stream and attack the Elkwater fortifications in the rear, while Lee marched down and attacked the front [10-13].
• The attack on Elkwater failed because the mountains took a hand in it [14-17]. The soldiers were cold, lost, and bewildered [14-17]. They threw away their guns and engaged in a mad scramble to get out [14-17].
• On September 14, the firing began early in the morning and continued until nightfall when the Federals withdrew and fell back to Cheat Mountain summit [18, 19].
• The Confederate loss was thirty-six killed, while the Federal losses are unknown [18, 19].
• The Confederates fell back to Camp Allegheny, and after being reinforced, fortified a strong natural position under Colonel John Baldwin [18, 19].
• In December, the Federals attacked again and the engagement continued throughout the day, resulting in the repulse of the Federals [18, 19].
• General McClellan assumed command of the Federal forces in Western Virginia on June 23, 1861, and began a series of movements which met with no successful resistance [18, 19]. He marched against General Pegrim, who had taken a strong position on Rich Mountain [18, 19].

Other Key Details

• The area was heavily wooded with spruce and laurel [10-13].
• The mountains and woods made troop movement difficult [10-13].
• The soldiers at Cheat Mountain were volunteers and amateurs in the art of war [4-7].
• Many of the Confederate soldiers were lowlanders who had never seen a mountain before [4-7].
• The summer of 1861 saw one of the biggest rains and produced major floods [14-17].
• The new soldiers drilled and trained in sight of each other on these high tops [3].
• The Federal army was camped on the high divide of Cheat Mountain at an elevation of about forty-two hundred feet [3].
• The Confederates were camped at an elevation of about forty-one hundred feet [3].

The Battle of Cheat Mountain involved strategic positioning and maneuvers by both sides, with the terrain playing a significant role in the outcomes of the engagements.