Summary:
In June, 1864, Union armies advanced up the Shenandoah Valley, through Staunton,
and on to Lexington and Lynchburg. In this report, Colonel Daniel Frost recounts
the role the Eleventh West Virginia Infantry played in the campaign. He
discusses arriving at Staunton, and camping and skirmishing in the area.
Lieut. C. W. KIRBY,
Acting Assistant
Adjutant-Gen.
Camp Piatt, W. Va.,
July 2, 1864.
SIR:
I have the honor to report the following as the part taken by six companies of my regiment in the recent expedition of the forces of this department to Lynchburg:
Left Bunger's Mills, near Lewisburg, June 1, at 6.30 a. m., and, passing through Lewisburg and across Greenbrier River, encamped near White Sulphur Springs.
June 2, marched to near Callaghan's Station, Alleghany County.
June 3, marched across Jackson River to near Hot Springs, Bath County.
June 4, marched over Warm Springs Mountain to camp near Bath Alum Springs.
June 5, passed through Panther Gap, where the enemy were posted in some force. A flank movement caused the place to be evacuated, with slight skirmishing, when we moved to Goshen Station, Virginia Central Railroad, and camped.
June 6, our forces were engaged in destroying the Virginia Central Railroad from Millborough to Craigsville and Pond Gap, which gap was passed June 7, into the Shenandoah Valley, and camped near Middlebrook, within five miles of Waynesborough and eight miles of Staunton.
June 8, marched to Staunton, where we met the divisions of Gen.'s Sullivan and Stahel, under Gen. Hunter. Here this brigade was reorganized, and Col. Campbell, Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers, assumed command.
June 10, marched from Staunton via the Lexington road. Met the enemy under Gen. McCausland, near Staunton. The Eleventh Regt. was ordered to deploy to the right of the road, and throwing forward a line of skirmishers, marched on the right of the road, skirmishing the entire distance to Middlebrook, when we were relieved, and marched in column to Brownsburg, Rockbridge County.
June 11, left camp at 5 a. m. and marched to within one mile of Lexington, where we engaged the enemy, who, after some resistance, evacuated the place, when our forces took possession.
Sunday, June 12, the Military Institute, professors' buildings, and Governor Letcher's house were burned.
June 14, marched from Lexington to Buchanan, twenty-four miles, which place we found occupied by Gen. Averell's division. The bridge across James River had been destroyed by McCausland in his retreat. A large portion of the village was destroyed by taking fire from the burning bridge, and would probably all have been destroyed but for the efforts of our soldiers in subduing the flames.
June 15, marched by the Peaks of Otter to Fancy Farm, Bedford County, and camped near Liberty, Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
June 16, marched through Liberty, filed along the railroad, completely destroying it, by burning ties and bridges and bending rails, to Big Otter Creek, where we encamped.
June 17, marched to within three miles of Lynchburg, where we engaged the enemy, driving him from his position, and at dark held our advanced position near the principal works of the enemy. Companies B and G of my regiment were thrown forward as skirmishers and advanced past a battery of rebel artillery, the enemy retreating. Finding that our main column had halted, our skirmishers retired with a loss of 3 wounded and 2 missing. Our regiment and brigade held the advance line for an hour, when we were relieved by a brigade of the First Infantry Division; fell back a few rods and slept on our arms until morning.
June 18, marched three miles to the right, and in the afternoon were ordered again to the front of the enemy's works and were afterward formed in line on our left under a heavy fire of artillery. Our brigade charged the enemy and drove him to his rifle-pits. Here the right giving way, and our brigade being exposed to a cross-fire of musketry, grape, and canister, we were obliged to retire about thirty paces to a new line of battle, which was held until orders were received to fall back. Marched all that night and reached Liberty about 3 p. m. of the 19th.
Our losses in the second day's engagement were Lieut. James Barr, Company D, and 5 enlisted men killed, 16 wounded, and 10 missing. At Liberty our forces were formed in order of battle, with cavalry fighting in the rear.
Moved at 2 a. m. on the 20th and marched night and day, the men suffering severely from heat, hunger, and fatigue, but bearing all without complaint, through Salem, New Castle, Sweet Springs, White Sulphur Springs, Lewisburg, Meadow Bluff, Gauley Bridge, to this place, where we arrived on the 29th ultimo, having marched a distance of 412 miles, in the heart of the enemy's country, over roads rendered dusty by three weeks of drought, without rations much of the time, and with an enemy constantly in our front and rear.
The endurance of the men is wonderful, and the spirit of devotion to their cause, which enabled them to bear all the hardships they have seen, is worthy of favorable comment.
Herewith please find a list of casualties of my command.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
D. FROST,
Col. Eleventh West Virginia Infantry Volunteers.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 37, Serial No. 70, Pages 133-135, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
