FLOYD ESTABLISHES BATTERIES ON COTTON HILL.--DRIVEN OFF BY THE FORCES
OF GENERAL COX.--BENHAM'S FAILURE TO INTERCEPT HIS RETREAT.--HIS
PURSUIT.--SKIRMISH AT MCCOY'S MILLS.--HIS FINAL ESCAPE.
Near the last of October General Floyd very suddenly appeared on Cotton
Hill, an abrupt eminence lying between the Kanawha and New rivers, at
the junction of the Gauley with the latter stream, which form the
Kanawha. The enemy immediately commenced shelling Gauley Bridge.
General Cox, who was some distance up New River, near the headquarters
of General Rosecrans, was ordered to proceed to Gauley Bridge and to
assume direction of affairs. He was also ordered to direct General
Benham, who was expected to arrive very soon with a brigade, to cross
his forces, at night, over the Kanawha River, and to carry the summit
of Cotton Hill by storm. A picket post had already been established
across the river by direction of General Cox. Benham protested against
the movement, and refused to execute the order received through General
Cox, but proceeded to confer, by telegraph, with General Rosecrans,
receiving in reply the same orders. Benham still protesting against
attempting to execute what he termed so hazardous a movement, at his
own request was permitted to pass down the river to the mouth of Loop
Creek, from whence he was to undertake a flank movement. Colonel Smith
joined General Benham in his protest, declaring the attempt to storm
these batteries as sheer madness. It is significant that General Cox
afterwards stormed and carried Cotton Hill, with barely a regiment of
troops.
Floyd had constructed a line of fortifications at Dickerson's, on the
road to Fayetteville, which was his only avenue of retreat in case of
disaster.
Soon after General Benham arrived opposite Loop Creek, he was joined by
five hundred selected men from the Seventh from Charleston. This
detachment of the regiment, having arrived on boats, was ordered to
disembark, and take up their position at the mouth of Loop Creek. The
following morning it moved up the creek some eight or ten miles, where
it took up its position at an old log barn. Lieutenant-Colonel
Creighton being in command, Colonel Tyler having remained at
Charleston, was instructed to picket the roads well in his front, as
well as the mountains lying between; and also to scout the country in
the vicinity, for the purpose of finding out the position of the camp
of the enemy, as well as his numbers. The latter part of the order was
well executed, and there can be no doubt that Benham was possessed of
accurate information of the enemy.
After the third day of our occupation of this position we were joined
by a detachment of the Forty-fourth Ohio, under command of Major
Mitchell, and the Thirty-seventh Ohio, under command of Colonel
Seibert. Soon after, all of this force, with the exception of eight
companies of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, was ordered forward under
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Creighton.
Proceeding for some distance on a road leading to the front, we struck
into a bridle path, and after passing through a wood, began ascending a
mountain. Single file, the command clambered up its steep and rocky
sides. Arriving on its summit we could see the heads of a line of men
extending for a mile beneath us. Descending the opposite side with some
difficulty, we marched some distance from the foot of the mountain, and
found ourselves at Cassady's Mills, a point from which the command was
to debouch on to the Fayetteville pike, should Floyd attempt a retreat.
But the movement, on the part of Benham, was so tardily executed, that
the balance of the command never arrived at this point; but instead,
the forces, other than the Seventh Ohio, were ordered away that night;
leaving a detachment of five hundred men, with no support, within three
miles of a well-equipped army of the enemy. We were so near that we
could plainly hear the bugle calls in Floyd's camp. Had Benham's entire
command been at that point, the retreat of the rebel army could have
been intercepted. Previous to this, Floyd had been driven back to his
intrenchments at Dickerson's, and all that was necessary to his
capture, was an attack on his rear on the part of Benham. But he either
feared to make the attack, or was too slow in doing it. The former is
probably true. That night the rebel general passed within three miles
of our position, and escaped with his entire army, together with the
artillery and baggage.
On the 12th of November, Benham arrived at Cotton Hill, but to find the
forces of General Cox in possession. On the afternoon of the 13th, he
pushed on after Floyd's retreating army, arriving within four miles of
Fayetteville, at about eleven o'clock P.M. Here, evidences of the
hurried retreat of Floyd began to multiply. The fences were lined with
hides, but recently stripped from the carcasses of cattle, while in
many places the beef itself was left suspended from the fence.
On the morning of the 4th, we pushed through Fayetteville before day,
in the pursuit. Floyd had but a few hours the start. Six miles ahead we
took breakfast, consisting of two army crackers to each man. After
which we pushed rapidly on. About noon, our skirmishers, the Thirteenth
Ohio, overtook the rear-guard of the enemy, when sharp firing occurred,
which continued during an advance of several miles, resulting in the
mortal wounding of St. George Croghan, colonel of the Second Georgia
cavalry, and formerly of the United States Army. The colonel was taken
to a house close by and left, where he was found in a dying condition
by our men. Having been a class-mate of his at West Point, Benham
stopped and passed a few words with him. When recognizing the general,
Croghan appeared to be much affected; and is reported to have said that
he knew he was fighting in a bad cause, and that he had been driven
into the army much against his wishes, for he was still attached to the
old flag. He soon after expired.
While this conversation was being carried on between officers so
differently circumstanced, the Union forces had pressed the rebels so
closely, that the latter, to save their baggage train, were compelled
to make a stand. The Seventh Ohio was ordered to act as reserve, but
when the action grew hot, was ordered forward, with instructions to
send out two companies as skirmishers, which was immediately done;
Companies A and K being sent forward.
About this time two pieces of rifled cannon were brought to bear on the
rebels, when they turned and fled, leaving six killed on the field. We
were so near, that we plainly heard the retreat sounded by their
bugles. From this time their retreat became a rout. In their flight,
they cast away every thing that would encumber their retreat. We were
now on the banks of a stream, over whose rocky cliffs numerous wagons,
with their contents, had been hurled. It was supposed, that several
pieces of cannon shared the same fate.
The pursuit was continued with much vigor, until a late hour in the
evening, when General Schenck, having but just arrived at the front,
ordered it discontinued. This was the second error of the campaign.
Schenck, with his fresh troops, instead of ordering the pursuit to
cease, should have pressed with vigor. The enemy encamped but a short
distance in our front, on Three-mile Mountain. This position could have
been carried with ease, with the combined forces of Schenck and Benham,
with comparatively little loss. But the pursuit being the result of a
blunder, resulted in a blunder.
A little after midnight the command fell back, arriving at Fayetteville
in the afternoon of the same day, after a fatiguing march over the
worst road that could be imagined, and with no provisions other than
beef with a very little salt. The Seventh marched to its old camp, four
miles out on the road to Cotton Hill. The officers and men lay on the
hill-side that night, exposed to a violent snow storm, with no other
covering than their blankets, except the snowy sheet that nature spread
over them during the long hours of night.
During the night a demonstration was made on a drove of pigs which were
lurking close by; and it would not be strange if the soldiers could
relate tales of their descent on poultry yards and bee-hives. True it
is, that some first-class honey found its way into camp.
The next day, marching over Cotton Hill, we arrived at our camp near
the mouth of Loop Creek. Embarking on the following day, we arrived at
Charleston on the 18th, after an absence of fourteen days.