Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1904-04-08
A FOR TTETH
ANNIVERSARY
WAR STORY
SeEtenr ber 8. 1868


Confederates kept q hold upon the peo-
pie. Imboden had ridden into Monte
rey the day before Averell arrived. de-
vising plan to attack the Federals at
Petersburg. Finding that Avereii was
on the march. he posted a detachment
on the Huntersville road to ambush the
column Averell made feint of at
lacking Imboden with part Of his
command and moved the rest on by
road rapidly to Huntersville.
Beyond Huntersville the raiders en-
tered the heart Of the enemy's country.
A new column under the Confederate
General Jackson was soon met with.
To guard his rear Averell sent q regi-
ment back to Huntersville and broke
up his column into bands to cover the
several points on his front and to de-
stroy the salt works. The morning Of
the Goth he massed his troops, consist.
ing of five regiments and a battery,
and marched across the mountain to
White Sulphur Springs. When the col
umn was strung out passing a narrow
gorge and extending over four miles,
Baron Koenig rode back from the
front with word that the Confederates
were disputing his advance and he
could not proceed without reinforce
ments. Averell gave him two squad
rons, and just as he dashed off to the
front the Confederates opened fire
with cannon.
Averell started the whole column for
n,I 1nh orrsnx Wy
opened out into q valley a mile IN
length and inclosed on each side by
rugged rocky heights covered with a
stunted growth of pine oak and chest
nut. The moment the leading squadron
of Federals appeared in the opening the
Confederates turned their guns upon
it. A jutting cliff on the right of the
valley afforded cover for the horses OF
the Second and Eighth West Virginia
cavalry, and the troopers dismounted,
the Second climbing TO the summit Of
the hill on the right and the Eighth on
the left.
Under the protection Of the lines
formed OH the summit AyereA brought
his battery to the front and posted 1t
accuracy on the enemy's cannon. Mean
while the Third West Virginia and
Fourteenth Pennsylvania cavalry filed
slowly through the narrow gap, the
troopers dismounted and formed In the
valley, making the line continuous from
right to left. The Confederates pressed
80 close upon the battery that the guns
IN
enemy was finally driven back and the
battery advanced to better position.
The Confederate leader, General Sam
Jones, had been deceived as to Averell's
intentions; otherwise the chance for an
ambush at Rocky Gap would have
been used to better advantage. Gen
eral Jones believed that Averell would
keep close to the Blue Ridge and cross
eastward into the Shenandoah valley
and attack Staunton. It was late on the
night of the 25th when Jones discov
cred that the raiders had turned west
ward from Huntersville and were NOV
ing toward the Springs. Taking thu
brigade of Colonel Patton he made
a night march and reached the gar
just as Averelrs advance rode into the
pass.
Finding that he was too late in the
field to hold the pass Jones drew back
after feeling the fire Of AyerelPs guns
to elevated ground at the end of the
valley Here he posted his right upoI
a rugged hill and protected his left by
stockade. Averell saw that his foe
was temporizing and deci2ed to push