Summary:
Confederate General William Loring writes General John Floyd in July, 1861, with
orders for movements in western Virginia. Loring also mentions regiments
expected at Staunton.
HDQRS. NORTHWESTERN VIRGINIA,
Gen. JOHN B. FLOYD:
Huntersville, Va.,
July 31, 1861.
SIR:
I conversed yesterday with Maj. Byrd, who carried an express from an officer of this command to Gen. Wise. He informs me that he saw the command at Gauley Bridge, about sixty miles from Lewisburg, and thinks it was the intention to give battle. Will you be kind enough to put yourself into communication with Gen. Wise, and if you have information to justify it, join him at once. As soon as I received the information expecting two regiments at Staunton I sent word for them to go to Millborough; others will be there to join this command. They will be there some days and may be stopped if necessary. The enemy are on Cheat Mountain, with a considerable force at its base and along the road to Beverly. We are slowly concentrating here of the want of transportation and supplies. If the enemy is not pressing in the direction of Wise, and the different commands can join me, I think we can give the enemy a decided blow in the vicinity of Cheat Mountain and also strike the column sent in the direction of Wise. I beg that you will give me the earliest information of the movements of both Gen. Wise and yourself. It is desirable, of course, that the information contained herein be not public.
With respect, I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,
W. W. LORING,
Cmdg. Northwestern Army.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 51, Serial No. 108, Pages 206, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
