VIRGINIA, WESTERN. 



747 



on both sides. On the 9th, the skirmishing 

 was renewed, and every outlet of the Confed- 

 erate camp was watched except that back to 

 Beverly, where General McClellan was soon ex- 

 pected to be. Thus the enemy was held in 

 check on the north and occupied, while General 

 McClellan was attempting to get in his rear. 

 Meantime, as General McClellan reached Buck- 

 luuinon, he found that the rear of the enemy 

 was strongly fortified at a position called Rich 

 Mountain, which was defended by one to two 

 thousand men, under Colonel Pegram. He 

 now formed the plan of capturing this entire 

 force. For this purpose, General Roseerans 

 with about three thousand men was sent to 

 attack his rear, while General McClellan him- 

 self made a direct attack in front. General 

 Roseerans with the Eighth, Tenth, Thirteenth 

 Indiana, and Nineteenth Ohio, therefore pro- 

 ceeded, on the llth, along the line of hills south- 

 east of the enemy's intrenched camp on the 

 Beverly road, to make an attack on the east 

 side, while General McClellan made it on the 

 west side, as soon as he heard from General 

 Roseerans. A courier, who mistook the road 

 through the enemy's camp for the route of the 

 troops, gave the enemy intelligence of the 

 movement. Their position was about two 

 miles west from Beverly, which is on the east 

 side of what is called Rich Mountain, a gap in 

 the Laurel Hill range, through which the 

 southern road passes. General Roseerans ar- 

 rived in the rear of the enemy at four o'clock, 

 and meeting a small force, immediately began 

 the attack, to which they made a vigorous re- 

 sistance, but were unable to withstand it. .The 

 elfect was to alarm Colonel Pegram, and, upon 

 finding out his exposed position he silently 

 moved off with his main body, with the 

 hope of being able to join the camp at Laurel 

 Hill. Meanwhile General McClellan was in 

 position with his whole force during the after- 

 noon ready to make an assault, but heard noth- 

 ing from the other column except distant firing. 

 Early in the morning he was about proceed- 

 ing to plant cannon upon an eminence com- 

 manding a portion of the Confederate carnp, and 

 preparing to attack the whole next in front, 

 when it was ascertained that the enemy had 

 evacuated his position during the night, moving 

 towards Laurel Hill, leaving only a few men 

 in charge of the sick, cannon, and camp equi- 

 page and transportation. 



The following despatch from General Mc- 

 Clellan thus announced these movements : 



Eicn MOTTKTAIX, VA., 9 x. M.. July 12. 

 Col. E. D. Toicnsend, Assistant- Adjutant General: 



We are in possession of all the enemy's works up 

 to a point in sight of Beverly. "We have taken all his 

 guns ; a very large amount of wagons, tents, &c. ; 

 every thing he had ; and also a large number of pris- 

 oners, many of whom are wounded, and amongst wnom 

 are several" officers. They lost many killed. We have 

 lost in all, perhaps twenty killed and forty wounded, 

 of whom all but two or three were in the column under 

 Col. Roseerans, which turned the position. The mass 

 of the enemy escaped through the woods entirely dis- 



organized. Among the prisoners is Dr. Taylor, for- 

 im-rly ot' tin- iinnv. ( 'ol. regram was in oomouUKL 



Col. RoMcnmr column loft camp yesterday morn- 

 ing and marched some oight miles through the moun- 

 tains, reaching the turnpike some two or three miles 

 in the rear ol the eneiuy. He defeated an advanced 

 force, and took a couple of guns. I had a position 

 fur twelve guns near the main cump, and as the 

 guns were moving up I Ascertained that the enemy 

 bad retreated. I am now pushing on to Beverly a 

 part of Colonel Kosecrans' troops being now within 

 three miles of that place. Our success is complete 

 and almost bloodless. I doubt whether Wise and 

 Johnston will unite and overpower me. The behavior 

 of onr troops in action and towards prisoners was 

 admirable. G. B. McCLELL 



Major-General Commanding. 



By the retreat of Colonel Pegrarn, the rear 

 of the Confederate force at Laurel Hill was 

 entirely exposed. On the llth, General Gar- 

 nett first learned that General McClellan was 

 in his rear. He immediately evacuated his 

 camp, and retired before General Morris, 

 hoping to reach Beverly in advance of General 

 McClellan, and thus be able to withdraw his 

 forces by the road to southern Virginia. Upon 

 arriving within three miles of Beverly, the 

 fugitives of Colonel Pegram's force were met, 

 and finding escape impossible by that rente, 

 General Garnett returned towards Laurel Hill, 

 and took the road branching off to the north- 

 east towards St. George, in Tucker County. His 

 aim was now to press along the base of the moun- 

 tains down the Cheat River, with the hope of 

 finding some practicable path across the moun- 

 tains into the valley of Virginia. The following 

 despatch of General McClellan describes the 

 precise state of affairs at this time : 



BETEELT, VA., July 18, 1S6L 

 To Col. E. D. Tmcnsend: 



The success of to-day is all that I could desire. We 

 captured six brass cannon, of which one was rifled; 

 all their camp equipage and transportation, even to 

 their cups. The number of tents will probably reach 

 two hundred, and more than sixty wagons. Their 

 killed and wounded will fully amount to one hundred 

 and fifty. We have at least one hundred prisoners, 

 and more coming in constantly. I know already of 

 ten officers killed and prisoners. Their retreat is com- 

 plete. We occupied Beverly by a rapid march. Gar- 

 nett abandoned his camp early this morning, leaving 

 his camp equipage. He came within a few miles of 

 Beverly, but our rapid march turned him back in great 

 confusion, and he is now retreating on the road to St. 

 George. I have ordered Gen. Morris to follow him np 

 closely. I have telegraphed for the Second Pennsyl- 

 vania" Regiment at Cumberland to join Gen. Hill at 

 Rowlesburg. The General is concentrating all bis 

 troops at Rowlesburg, to cut ofif Garnett's retreat, if 

 possible, to St. George. I may say we have driven 

 out some ten thousand troops, strongly intrenched, 

 with the loss of eleven killed and thirty-five wounded. 

 Provision returns were found showing Garnett's force 

 to have been ten thousand men. They were Eastern 

 Virginians, Georgians, Tennesseans, and, I think, 

 Carolinians. To-morrow I can give full particulars, 

 &c. Will move on Huttonsville to-morrow and en- 

 deavor to seize the Cheat Mountain pass, where there 

 are now but few troops. I hope that Gen. Cox has 

 by this time driven Wise out ot the Kanawha valley. 

 lii that case I shall have accomplished the object of 

 liberating Western Virginia. I hope the General will 

 approve my operations. G. B. McCLELLAH, 



Major-Geneial Commanding. 



Up the mountains, through denies, and 



