Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-07-27

was NhElOuhly eSumhleQ, OUT was not less
than twelve thousand. The grand aggre-
gate of troops prepared for this invasion
was not less than twenty.seVen thousand
men.
The design was that these different corps
should strike the Lynchburg and Tennes-
see and the Central Railroads simultane-
ously at Abingdon, WytheVille, Dublin de-
pot and Staunton, and should afterwards
unite, centrally, west of LynchbuFg, and
march against that town. Subsequent
orders from General Grant to Hunter di-
rected him to take and hold the town at
any lossand at all hazards, and assurances
were given of speedy reinforcements and
supplies to be furnished at that point
There were two movements, the first in
May, which miscarried; and the plan was
afterwards amended and set for June. In
pursuance of the original plan, at the very
moment that Grant crossed the Rapidan,
about the 9th of May, it was announced
that Sigel was in motion upon Staunton,
Crook upon Dublin depot and Averill up
on Wytheville, with design, after destroy
ing that town and the lead mines, to unite
with Crook at Dublin for a march to-
wards Lynchburg; but no news came of a
movement at that early day by "Major
Gallup" alias Major General Burbridge,
upon Abingdon to SaltVille. The sequel
proved that We were poorly prepared to
meet this concerted assault. Breckenridge
had been ordered away from Dublin in q
hurry, with all the troops he could collect
at short notice, and sent down the valley
to confront Sigel, leaving nothing but
few scattered troops, afterwards collected
together by McCauslaud, to oppose Crook
at Dublin.
Breckinridge defeated Sigel, and drove
4. Il D.Ak
Csusland, at Dublin (who was junior to
Jenkins for brief period, before that Of
6cer received a mortal wOund), had but
fifteen hundred men with which to resist
Crooks six thousand. He fought brayely,
however, and SO shattered Crooks army
as to destroy his design of proceeding to-
wards Lynchburg, and compel q retreat as
far as Meadow Bluff, in GreeRbrier, for the
purpose of recruiting his disorganized ar
my and repairing damages. Crook left
several hundred prisoners in our hands
and all his wounded, but succeeded before
leaving the region of the battle in destroy
ing the important bridge over New river.
1t so happened that we had larger
force at that time in the extreme south
west than anywhere else on the line OF the
Lynchburg and Tennessee railroad. The
fact was fortunate, for it enabled General
W. E. Jones, then commanding there, to
spare General Morgan's command for serv.
ices further east. Thus it happened that
Gen. Morgan, making forced march from
Saltville, arrived at Wytheville with bis
mounted men, in time to save that town
from AVerill, and to completely defeat that
boasted cavalry officer, with heavy loss of
! killed, wounded, prisoners and horses
This defeat was very important, for it pre-
vented Averill from joining Crook before
the battle at Dublin, and before that gene
raj had found it necessary to fall back to
Meadow Bluff. Averill arrived at Dublin
two days after Crook had gone. II was
still farther fortunate that Gen. Morgan, at
the same time that he marched from Salt
Vile with his mounted men against AVerill
at WytheVille, was able to send his dis
mounted men by the railroad to Dublin,
which force arrived there just in time to
take part with McCausland in the fight
which sent Crook back to Meadow Bluff.
These occurrences took place in the ear
IL part of May, simultaneously With Grants
operations in SpottsylVania, Morgan's fight
at WytheVille, MoCsusland's at Dublin, and
Breckinridge's at New Market, all occurred
about the same time with each other; and
simultaneously with the great battles of
the Wilderness between Lee and Grant.
Subsequently to these events, for several
weeks, as we have since found out to our
cost, Crook aud Averill were reftting and
preparing at Meadow Bluff for an advance
on Staunton and Lynchburg; Hunter, SUI
perseding Sigel, was organizing at Win
chester heavy reinforcements for q second
advance upon Lynchburg by way of Staun-
ton and Burbridge in Kentucky was get
ting ready to descend upon extreme South
west Virginia, so as to prevent any advance
from that direction upon the rear of the
combined armies about to move on Lynch
burg
1t is frightful even now to recollect how
inadequate our preparations were to meet
these formidable enterprises of the en-
emy. Breckenridge, with the only army
that could be called such, which We had
west of the Blue Ridge, was ordered else
where, leaving nothing to confront tWen-
| ty-seven thousand troops but few small
brigades of inferior cavalry about two
regiments of infantry and q small brigade
| (Vaughan's) of dismounted troops acting
as infantry. To supply the place of Breck-
1 inridge, McCauslRnd's little force from
Dublin was sent to the front of Stanton,
and General Jones was ordered to take all
the troops he could move from South
west Virginia to the same position in the
lower valley. Accordingly General Jones
not only got together ell the infantry west
of the Nav river, but dismounted Waugh
ans brigade of cavalry also, and took all
to Staunton, leaving nothing in the ex-
treme southwest but q few dismeunted
bodies Of cavalry, and MOrgau's command
to meet Burbridge, coming in from Ken
lucky. We all know what befell the he
roic Gen. Jones at Staunton, commanding
the little heterogeneous army thus hastily
thrown together. We all are informed Of
the dAuntless service of McCausland in his
long aud laborious retreat, Sighting every
day, from Staunton to Lynchburg, aud
how the delay he produced in the enemyia
/ march saved that town and that inyalua-
BILE military position. he was one of the
men who had learned to fight at CarnifaE
ferry, Cotton Hill, Fort DOnelsOn aud
twenty other battles.
But the service which General Morgan