Battle of Charleston ( 1862 ) The Battle of Charleston was an engagement on September 13 , 1862 , near Charleston , Virginia ( now West Virginia ) during the American Civil War . It should not be confused with the Battle of Charleston ( 1861 ) , which occurred a year earlier in Missouri . During the summer of 1862 , General William W . Loring ’ s Department of Southwestern Virginia ( Confederate States of America ) made some plans to move into the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia and take the city of Charleston . On September 6 , 1862 , General Loring , with 5 , 000 men , left Narrows , Virginia on a march toward Charleston . The Confederate troops first encountered Union forces near Fayetteville on September 10 , driving them back toward Charleston . The pursuit continued all day on September 11 , with the Federals splitting their forces near Gauley ' s Bridge on both sides of the Kanawha River , the CSA doing the same while in hot pursuit . By late afternoon on September 13 , the Battle for Charleston had begun and was over by 7 : 30 p . m . when Loring ' s troops broke off the engagement at the Elk River . The Union forces withdrew across the Kanawha River overnight , leaving Charleston to be occupied by the Confederate forces . Excerpt from John D . Chapla ' s history of the 50th Virginia Infantry : Reaching Colonel John McCausland at Dickerson ' s farm , Loring ordered McCausland to take charge of Echols ' Brigade - - Echols being sick - - as well as the 22nd and 36th Virginia regiments , two artillery batteries , and Major Salyer ' s cavalry detachment . With this force , McCausland was to cross the Kanawha and push on to Charleston . McCausland crossed the Kanawha at Montgomery ' s Ferry and , with Salyer ' s cavalry leading , began his pursuit . By the end of the day McCausland had stopped federal efforts to burn the salt furnaces and went into camp four miles from the ferry . On September 12 , McCausland again pressed forward , with the federals attempting to block the roads by felling trees . Although McCausland ' s lead elements and sharpshooters tried to interrupt this delaying action , it appears to have been somewhat successful . McCausland at some points fell up to three hours behind the fleeing federals . He camped that night 15 miles from Charleston . " McCausland resumed his pursuit on September 13 , moving through Camp Piatt ( now Belle ) and Maiden to the outskirts of Charleston . Making contact with Union skirmishers near the Elk River , McCausland deployed his brigade about 3 p . m . , with the 23rd Virginia Battalion in front as skirmishers and the 22nd , 50th , and 63rd Virginia ( left to right ) deployed on line behind the skirmishers . The 36th Virginia was in reserve . McCausland pushed forward with his left moving through the town until he reached the Elk River and discovered that the federals had retreated across the river , destroying the only bridge over it . As McCausland probed during the next several hours for crossing points , he skirmished heavily with the Union forces drawn up across from him . " The firing was terrific , and the old 50th was gallantly through the yards and fields of Charleston under a galling fire of grape shot and musket balls , " an anonymous officer in the regiment reported . " Although McCausland was ultimately able to get his cavalry across the Elk at a ford two miles east of Charleston , he found that ford impassable for his infantry and artillery . In the end , darkness halted the fight for the brigade about 7 : 30 p . m . McCausland moved his troops to eat and rest as the Union garrison began a retreat out of the town . " The occupation of Charleston by the Confederates lasted a scant six weeks , until October 28 , 1862 , when Loring ' s troops begin withdrawing under the threat of 12 , 000 Union soldiers approaching from the northeast .