Summary:
Confederate General Samuel Jones writes John Imboden, commanding at Staunton,
regarding a March, 1863, cavalry raid on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad along
with an attempt to destroy the Cheat River Bridge.
Brig. Gen. J. D. IMBODEN,
Cmdg., &c.,
Staunton:
Dublin,
March 18, 1863.
GEN.:
I received yesterday your letter of the 14th instant and the papers accompanying it.
The proposed plan of operations on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad seems practicable, and, if carried out with energy and dash, there are good grounds for hoping that it may be brilliantly successful. To work successfully at the destruction of the railroad bridge and trestle-work (iron) over and rear Cheat River, the road should be obstructed to the west as well as east of Cheat River.
You speak in your letter to Gen. Lee of the destruction of the bridge and trestle-work, which you say are of wood, "at Rowlesburg." No such place is laid down on any map that I have; but I presume from the connection in which you mention it, that they are to the west of and near Cheat River Bridge. If so, and they are destroyed, as well as the other bridges you mentioned, the cavalry force, aided by my engineer and his men, will have a fair opportunity of working to destroy the extensive Cheat River bridge and trestle, provided you can whip or even fully engage the attention of the enemy at Beverly and Buckhanon.
The day before I received your letter, I received one from Gen. Lee, mentioning confidentially your expedition, and asking if I could contribute two infantry regiments for the expedition. I replied, suggesting to him that he could take two regiments which had been ordered back to this department, but had not started from Eastern Virginia, and let you have the two you particularly desire-the Twenty-fifth and Thirty-first. I hope the arrangement I suggested will be made, and you procure the requisite force to carry out the plan as proposed.
I regret very much that I was not sooner informed of the proposed plan, as I would then have deferred an expedition (a small one) which I have started to the Kanawha. It would thus have served to fix the attention of the enemy in the Kanawha Valley whilst you would be carrying out your plan.
If you start on the expedition, I will, I think, be able to engage the enemy's attention in the Kanawha Valley long enough to prevent him from interfering with you. I had intended to undertake an expedition between the middle and end of April to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and for other purposes. I cannot, however, start it so soon as you say you can. I will very gladly contribute all in my power to your success.
My department is designated by the War Department as the "Trans Alleghany, or Department of Western Virginia, and embraces the northwest as well as the southwest. If your command is designed to act in Western Virginia, it should report to me, and be subject to my orders. Otherwise, as you see in this case, it will be difficult to co-operate in a way to secure all the results that might be obtained from the judicious and proper employment of our troops.
My engineer officer is ready to join you with his small party when you need him.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
SAM. JONES,
Maj.-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 25, Serial No. 40, Pages 674-675, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
