The Battle of Lewisburg occurred in Greenbrier County, Virginia (now part of West Virginia), on May 23, 1862, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Colonel George Crook soundly defeated a larger Confederate force commanded by Brigadier General Henry Heth. Panicked Confederate forces escaped by crossing and burning a bridge across the Greenbrier River.
Prior to the battle, George Crook's Union force occupied Lewisburg, where almost all of the residents were Confederate sympathizers. A larger Confederate force led by Heth attacked early in the morning, believing it would have an easy victory. Crook sent two companies forward as skirmishers to meet Heth's attackers, and those two companies engaged and retreated. Believing the entire Union force was retreating, Heth sent his whole force forward, including his artillery. Crook had placed infantry regiments on both sides of town, and soon the outflanked Confederates were fleeing.
Heth lost at least four pieces of artillery in the battle, and more pieces were lost near the Greenbrier River Bridge. Many of his men discarded their weapons and provisions in the retreat while they were pursued by cavalry and infantry. The unexpected victory by Crook resulted in a promotion to brigadier general. Heth and a battalion of new recruits were blamed for the loss.
Background
The Commonwealth of Virginia ratified an Ordinance of Secession that declared secession from the United States on May 23, 1861, and later joined other southern states in the Confederate States of America. Many people in the western portion of Virginia preferred to remain loyal to the United States, and they declared their own statehood on October 24, 1861—officially becoming the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. In the southern half of western Virginia, many of the people from the mountains were pro-Union, while the majority in the large valleys were pro-Confederate. Bushwhackers and partisan rangers practiced guerrilla warfare tactics to gain control of the region.
Within this area of mixed loyalties, Lewisburg has been the Greenbrier County seat since 1778. The town supported the Confederacy, and bushwhackers used it as a base of operations in Greenbrier and adjacent counties. The town is located in a small valley, with ridges on its east and west sides. It had a population of about 700 in 1862, and had a strategic location because of the intersection of two turnpikes. Washington Street, which was the Lewisburg portion of the James River and Kanawha Turnpike (today's U.S. Route 60), ran roughly east–west. Eastward, the road led to the Shenandoah Valley and the Virginia Central Railroad at Covington, Virginia. To the west, the road led to the Kanawha River Valley and Charleston. The Huntersville Turnpike (present day U.S. Route 219) ran roughly north–south. Three counties to the south of Lewisburg was the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. This railroad and the Virginia Central Railroad were important to the Confederacy for transporting soldiers and supplies.
Opposing forces
Union army
The Union's Mountain Department, created in March 1862, covered western Virginia, portions of Tennessee, and portions of eastern Kentucky. It was commanded by Major General John C. Frémont. Within the Mountain Department, Brigadier General Jacob Dolson Cox commanded the Kanawha Division that was responsible for the western Virginia territory relevant to the Battle of Lewisburg. The division had three brigades, and the brigade involved in this battle was the Third Provisional Brigade, which was commanded by Colonel George Crook. Crook was a professional soldier who graduated from the United States Military Academy (a.k.a. West Point) in 1852. His brigade consisted of three infantry regiments. The brigade was headquartered at Meadow Bluff in Greenbrier County, located about 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Lewisburg in what one soldier called a "natural position for defense". Crook reported that 1,200 infantry were engaged in the battle. Other sources use a higher number, including 1,400 cited in a newspaper several weeks later. Listed below are the two infantry regiments and cavalry battalion at Lewisburg. The 47th Ohio Infantry Regiment was part of Crook's Brigade, but was at Meadow Bluff during the battle.
- 36th Ohio Infantry Regiment, commanded at one time by Crook, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Clarke. The entire regiment was armed with Enfield rifled muskets. The regiment had nine companies in the battle, and Clarke called them a battalion. Although portions of the regiment had experience fighting guerrillas, this fight was the regiment's first battle.
- 44th Ohio Infantry Regiment was commanded by Colonel Samuel A. Gilbert. The regiment gained some fighting experience in late 1861, and had been stationed near the Kanawha River not far from Charleston.
- 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry Regiment, later known as the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment, was part of the Kanawha Division but unattached. The regiment was commanded by Colonel William M. Bolles, but only one battalion was attached to Crook at the time of the battle. The battalion consisted of companies B, C, F, H, and I, and was usually commanded in the field by Major John J. Hoffman or Captain William H. Powell. The regiment was armed with sabers, pairs of one-shot horse pistols, and at least a portion of the regiment had shortened Enfield rifles.
Confederate army
In May 1862, the Confederate Army in western Virginia was part of the Department of Southwest Virginia, and it was commanded by Major General William W. Loring. The department's headquarters was located in southwestern Virginia at the Dublin railroad depot on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Among those reporting to Loring was Brigadier General Henry Heth, a graduate of West Point and veteran of United States Army posts in the western region of the country. Heth called his command the Army of New River. His force for the battle had two experienced infantry regiments, a small portion of cavalry, a battalion of dismounted cavalry, and an inexperienced infantry battalion. Including his artillerists, his command totaled to about 2,300 men.
- 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton.
- 45th Virginia Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel William Henry Browne.
- Edgar's Battalion (a.k.a. 26th Virginia Infantry Battalion) was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William W. Finney. Major George Edgar, who was second in command, organized the unit with men from the 59th Virginia Infantry Regiment that were not captured in the Battle of Roanoke Island, plus additional recruits. The men were inexperienced and poorly armed, and weapons included squirrel rifles. For the battle, Edgar's Battalion was split into two battalions. Edgar commanded the regular portion of this battalion, which consisted of the remnants of the 59th Virginia Infantry, several militia regiments from southwest Virginia, and possibly soldiers from Captain Lewis A. Vawter's Western Artillery. Finney commanded a two-company detachment from the 50th Virginia Infantry Regiment plus a two-company detachment from the 51st Virginia Infantry Regiment.
- 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment totaled to about 200 mounted and dismounted men. The dismounted portion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alphonso F. Cook and fought with the infantry. The mounted portion was commanded by Colonel James M. Corns. The Greenbrier Cavalry, a company (eventually Company K of the 14th Virginia Cavalry Regiment) commanded by Captain Benjamin F. Eakles, is also believed to have been attached to the mounted section.
- Heth had eight to ten artillery pieces, from Bryan's Battery, Chapman's Battery, Lowry's Battery, and Otey's Battery.
Positioning prior to battle
Frémont's plan for the Mountain Department was to attack the Confederates in Knoxville, Tennessee. A first step was to send Cox's Kanawha Division south to disable the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, which was a major link between Confederate armies in Virginia and Tennessee. Once the railroad was disabled, Cox would move west to join Frémont's other divisions in the Knoxville attack. The plan began at the beginning of May, with Cox and two of his brigades moving to Flat Top Mountain. While at Flat Top Mountain, Cox was notified that the raid on Knoxville was cancelled because of maneuvers in the Shenandoah Valley by Confederate Major General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Cox decided to continue with the attack on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
Cox moves south
From Flat Top Mountain, Cox gained control of Princeton in Mercer County. Cox planned to attack further south with his First and Second brigades, and hoped to reach the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad at the Dublin Depot near New Bern. His 23rd Ohio Infantry Regiment occupied Pearisburg in Giles County, Virginia, beginning May 6. Confederate Brigadier General Heth, with a larger force, arrived on May 10—causing the 23rd Ohio to withdraw back toward Princeton after skirmishing.
On May 15, Confederate forces began skirmishing again with Cox's brigades near the mouth of Wolf Creek in the southern part of Mercer County. After an ambush closer to Princeton caused a Union detachment to have over 90 casualties, fighting ended. Cox became concerned about Confederate forces approaching from multiple directions, so he withdrew back to Flat Top Mountain. The fighting in Mercer County became known as the Battle of Princeton Courthouse and is considered a Confederate victory.
Crook moves east
On May 11, Crook sent detachments of infantry (47th Ohio) and cavalry to capture Lewisburg and drive out the small Confederate force (two companies) stationed in town. This force approached Lewisburg on May 12 from two roads, and drove all the Confederate troops out of town. Afterwards, the cavalry portion of the detachment departed for their original camp, while the infantry occupied the town during the day and camped on a ridge outside the town at night. On May 15, the infantry detachment was joined by Crook with most of his brigade, including the cavalry.
Crook's brigade (excluding the 47th Ohio) moved east to White Sulphur Springs on the next day. Further east at the Jackson River Depot on the Virginia Central Railroad, he planned to capture supplies belonging to Confederate Brigadier General Heth. While moving toward the railroad, Crook learned that the notorious Confederate guerrillas known as the Moccasin Rangers were nearby, and decided to capture them if possible. Although the western termination of the railroad was at the Jackson River Depot east of Covington, Virginia, some railroad infrastructure was partially completed further west. Crook's advance guard of 12 cavalrymen led by Captain Powell surprised some of the Moccasin Rangers near Callaghan's Station west of Jackson River, and captured about 30 of them. The official report described the guerrillas as the "Mountain Rangers" and described fewer men captured.
Crook's brigade arrived at the Jackson River Depot on May 17, and learned that Confederate troops had fled the area with Heth's supplies. A search of the depot's telegraph office resulted in the discovery that Stonewall Jackson was sending troops to Covington, and two local militias were also expected. Crook also received an order by courier to return to Lewisburg to reinforce Major General Cox. As a precaution to delay any Confederate troops arriving by rail, a railroad bridge about 10 miles (16 km) east of the depot was burned, and Crook's return trip began on the next morning. Crook arrived in Lewisburg on the evening of May 19.
Heth moves toward Lewisburg
After what he called the "rout of Cox's army" (Pearisburg or Princeton), Heth moved his force toward Lewisburg. On May 21, he was at Salt Sulphur Springs, which was 24 miles (39 km) from Lewisburg. He knew he outnumbered the Union troops at Lewisburg, and was confident that he could achieve a successful surprise attack. However, Crook already knew Heth was at Salt Sulphur Springs. A company of cavalry sent on a scout to Monroe County discovered Heth and reported back to Crook, causing Crook to notify Cox and begin preparations.
In case he had to move quickly, Crook had all supplies loaded into wagons. He sent Lieutenant Colonel Elliot and his detachment west on the turnpike, where they would unite with the remainder of the 47th Ohio Infantry about seven miles (11 km) north of Blue Sulphur Springs at Meadow Bluff. Pickets were placed on all roads leading to Lewisburg, including near the Greenbrier River Bridge on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike. Lewisburg was about three miles (4.8 km) west of the bridge, and the Union camp was another mile (1.6 km) west of town.
Leaving Salt Sulphur Springs at 5:00 am on May 22, Heth moved through the town of Union. He arrived that evening at a point about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Greenbrier River Bridge, where his men made camp. Pickets were stationed between the camp and bridge, and campfires were not allowed. The long covered bridge was located at present-day Caldwell, West Virginia.