Kanawha Division The Kanawha Division was a Union Army division which could trace its origins back to a brigade originally commanded by Jacob D . Cox . This division served in western Virginia and Maryland and was at times led by such famous personalities as George Crook and Rutherford B . Hayes . History . Kanawha Brigade . On July 1 , 1861 Brig . Gen . Jacob D . Cox took command of a brigade , composed of Ohio volunteer regiments . He titled his command “ Kanawha Brigade ” in reference to its duty in the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia . The brigade became part of the new District of the Kanawha , both of which were commanded by Cox . Cox and the brigade took part in the battle of Princeton Court House in 1861 . Second Bull Run . By 1862 the unit grew to the size of a division . As early as June 1862 the name “ Kanawha Division ” was officially being used for service in the Mountain Department . In preparation for the upcoming battle of Second Bull Run , Cox and the Kanawha Division were transferred to the Army of Virginia . Only one brigade under Col . Eliakim P . Scammon was involved in the engagement and that was only in the preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge on August 27 . In the aftermath of Bull Run the Kanawha Division was transferred to the Washington Defenses which Cox also assumed command of upon his arrival in Washington . Maryland Campaign . During the Maryland Campaign the Kanawha Division was removed from Washington and attached to the IX Corps . The division was composed of two brigades commanded by colonels Eliakim P . Scammon and Augustus Moor . Cox remained in command and led the division at the Battle of South Mountain . Days before the battle of Antietam an unusual change in command occurred . General Ambrose E . Burnside had recently commanded the IX Corps , but during the Maryland Campaign had been raised to that of a " Wing " commander , having under his command the IX Corps and I Corps . General Jesse L . Reno had been acting IX Corps commander , but upon his death at South Mountain , Jacob Cox being the next ranking general in the corps replaced Reno in command . Colonel Scammon , though only a colonel , was the next ranking officer and took command of the Kanawha Division . At Antietam , Burnside still held on to his title of Wing commander , even though the two corps in his wing were on complete opposite sides of the battlefield . Burnside remained with his old IX Corps but elected to keep Cox in corps command , creating an extra and unnecessary link in the chain of command . The Kanawha Division ’ s two brigades were now commanded by Col . Hugh Ewing ( succeeding Scammon ) and Col . George Crook ( replacing Moor , who had been captured Sept 13 ) . Crook ’ s brigade crossed Burnside Bridge in support of Samuel D . Sturgis ’ s division while Ewing ’ s brigade crossed Antietam Creek at Snavely ’ s Ford in support of Isaac P . Rodman . West Virginia and Morgan ’ s Raid . After Antietam , Cox was transferred to duty in the Department of the Ohio and the Kanawha Division returned to West Virginia . George Crook replaced Scammon in command of the division during the winter of 1862 / 1863 until he was also transferred further west , at which time Scammon returned to command . By the time Scammon returned to command the division lost its official designation as the “ Kanawha Division ” and was now designated the 3rd Division in the Department of West Virginia . This period also marked a time of relative inactivity for the division . Fighting devolved to guerrilla operations against Confederate partisans , particularly those under John S . Mosby . One noteworthy unit to come out of the division at this time was the so called Blazer ' s Scouts created by Colonel Carr B . White . One of the division ’ s brigade commanders , Colonel Rutherford B . Hayes , scorned Scammon for his cautious nature and the resulting inactivity . When George Crook returned to command the division in 1864 , Hayes welcomed the aggressive new commander . Cloyd ’ s Mountain . Crook took command of the Kanawha Division in February 1864 . At the time only a few regiments remained from the original Kanawha Division which had fought at South Mountain and the division was officially designated the 2nd Division in the Department of West Virginia . The division had three brigades commanded respectively by colonels Rutherford Hayes , Carr B . White and Horatio G . Sickel . West Virginia Union regiments were dispersed throughout the three brigades , the original Ohio regiments were divided between Hayes and White and two Pennsylvania regiments were added with the arrival of Colonel Sickel . Crook led the division into action at the battle of Cloyd ’ s Mountain and then joined David Hunter ’ s army for the battle of Lynchburg . Army of the Kanawha and Army of West Virginia . On July 2 , 1864 George Crook took command of what he called the Army of the Kanawha . At the same time Crook also personally commanded the 1st and 2nd “ Kanawha ” Divisions of his army . By the end of July Joseph Thoburn assumed command of the 1st Division and Isaac H . Duval of the 2nd Division . A third division of infantry and two divisions of cavalry were also added . Crook led his short - lived army into the Second Battle of Kernstown . On August 8 , Crook renamed his forces the Army of West Virginia . Crook ’ s “ army ” joined Philip H . Sheridan ’ s forces outside Winchester , Virginia under the banner of the VIII Corps . Colonel Duval continued in command of the Kanawha Division at the battle of Opequon and was initially held in reserve . At a critical point in the fighting the division was called forward and the brigade of Colonel Hayes made a charge against the Confederate flank . During the fighting Colonel Duval was wounded and Hayes assumed command of the Kanawha Division . At Opequon the division had two brigades initially commanded by colonels Hayes and Daniel Johnson . Colonel Hiram Devol succeeded Hayes in command of the 1st Brigade command and Lt . Col . Benjamin F . Coates replaced the wounded Johnson in command of the 2nd Brigade during the fighting . Despite the inquiries of several brigadier generals for command of the Kanawha Division , Crook decided to keep Hayes in command , much to the Ohio politician ’ s delight . Hayes and Crook helped coordinate the successful flank attack at the battle of Fisher ' s Hill carried out by Hayes ’ division . At the battle of Cedar Creek the entire Union army was caught off guard by the Confederate surprise attack and Crook ’ s entire command bore the weight of the initial assault . Hayes was wounded and narrowly escaped capture . Despite this poor showing of Hayes and the Kanawha Division , earlier successes in the campaign assured their reputations would escape any permanent blemish . Hayes remained in command of the Kanawha Division until December 1864 . Cedar Creek would be its last major fight of the war . Units . These regiments fought in the Kanawha Division from South Mountain to Cedar Creek