The Battle of Marion was an action that occurred on December 17–18, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fight took place in southwestern Virginia's Smyth County near Marion. A Union Army under the command of Major General George Stoneman defeated a smaller Confederate Army under the command of Major General John C. Breckinridge. The fight was mostly a stalemate for about 36 hours as the Confederate troops held better field position. After realizing that his force was nearly surrounded and low on ammunition, Breckinridge stealthily withdrew his troops during the night, escaping to the south before heading east.
The fight at Marion was one of several conflicts that occurred during a Union expedition known as Stoneman's 1864 raid. The objective of the raid was the destruction of Confederate economic and transport infrastructure—salt mines, lead mines, and the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. All three were important to the Confederacy's war effort.
After the victory at Marion, Union forces advanced to the salt mines and defeated a small militia in the Second Battle of Saltville. The lead mines and railroad infrastructure had already been ravaged. The salt mines were damaged, and then Stoneman's force split to begin a difficult return trip to Union strongholds in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Background
Salt and lead
During the 1860s, salt was necessary to preserve meat—especially beef. At the beginning of the American Civil War, the Confederate states had only five major producers of salt. Three of those sources were lost to Union Army forces early in the war. Of the two remaining salt works after 1863, Virginia's Saltville salt mine produced as much as two thirds of the salt used by the Confederate states. Saltville was located on the west side of Smyth County, close to the border with Washington County. The remaining major salt works was in Alabama—too far away to supply salt for the Confederacy's largest army—General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
Austinville, in Wythe County, was the home of the Wytheville Union Lead Mine Company. Despite having "Union" in its name, the company mined lead that was used to produce bullets for the Confederate Army. Almost all of the domestically–produced lead used by the Confederacy came from this mine, and it produced at least one third of the lead used by the Confederate Army. In addition to lead and salt, southwestern Virginia was also a producer of iron, niter (the main ingredient for gunpowder), and coal. All of these minerals were needed for the war effort. Wytheville was the headquarters of the Confederate Department of Western Virginia and East Tennessee. It was near the lead mines and railroad, and was a location for supplies used by the Confederate Army. Marion, the county seat of Smyth County, is located between the salt and lead mines.
The railroad
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad allowed the transport of material necessary for the Confederate war effort. It helped connect southwestern Virginia with the Confederate capital at Richmond, and its western junction at Bristol near the Virginia–Tennessee border enabled connection to the western Confederacy.
In addition to transporting minerals such as salt and lead both east and west, the railroad moved food east. The railroad was also used to transport Confederate troops. During March 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant became commander of all Union armies. As part of his strategy to attack Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia from multiple fronts, Grant wanted to damage Lee's support system from western Virginia.
Previous attacks on the railroad and mines
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and the mines it served, had been attacked by the Union Army with limited success. In 1863, Colonel John Toland led a raid that aborted an attempt to attack Saltville and ended with a fight at Wytheville (where he was killed) as part of an attempt to damage the lead mines and railroad line. The excursion, known as the Wytheville Raid or Toland's Raid, caused only a small amount of damage to the railroad and the lead mines were not attacked. In November 1863, Brigadier General William W. Averell won the Battle of Droop Mountain, but decided to not proceed to the railroad.
In late April 1864 Brigadier General George Crook began an expedition to attack the railroad and its bridge over the New River while Brigadier General Averell attacked the salt mines at Saltville. Averell decided not to attack Saltville because it was too well defended, and was prevented from attacking the Austinville lead mines in the Battle of Cove Mountain that occurred at Crockett's Cove near Wytheville. Crook defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain. On the next day, he burned the railroad bridge over the New River. The bridge was rebuilt within five weeks, and the wood used for the rebuild was fire-resistant. In October 1864, a Union force led by Brigadier General Stephen G. Burbridge was defeated at the Saltville saltworks in the First Battle of Saltville. After the battle, Confederate soldiers executed some of the wounded soldiers from the 5th United States Colored Cavalry Regiment, and this became known as the Saltville Massacre.
Opposing forces
Union Forces
Major General George Stoneman was second-in-command in the Department of the Ohio, and based in Knoxville, Tennessee in late 1864. For his excursion into southwestern Virginia, his command consisted of two forces: one from Kentucky and one from Tennessee.
Governor's Guards: This Tennessee brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem, and totaled to 1,500 mounted soldiers that were chosen for the expedition. The brigade consisted of the 8th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union), the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union), and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union). Gillem's brigade did not engage at Marion, but its positioning at the battlefield at the end of the second day was one of the factors that caused the Confederate force to withdraw.
Burbridge's Division: Brevet Major General Stephen G. Burbridge was the commander of this division. This mounted force was organized into brigades and consisted of 4,000 soldiers according to Burbridge's report.
- Burbridge's First Brigade was commanded by Colonel Simeon B. Brown of the 11th Michigan Cavalry. It consisted of the 12th Ohio Cavalry, the 11th Michigan Cavalry, the 11th Kentucky Cavalry, and the 12th Kentucky Cavalry. The 12th Ohio and 11th Michigan were considered veteran regiments, and both were using Spencer carbines. Three of the regiments (the 12th Kentucky did not) had experience fighting in the First Battle of Saltville that occurred on October 2, 1864. At least one company from the 12th Kentucky was armed with Henry repeating rifles. The 12th Kentucky was detached for a mission of damaging railroad infrastructure, and passed through Marion a day or two before the battle, but it is unlikely that it fought at the Battle of Marion.
- Burbridge's Second Brigade was commanded by Colonel Harvey M. Buckley of the 54th Kentucky Mounted Infantry. Regiments in this brigade included the 30th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment, the 53rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment, and the 54th Kentucky Mounted Infantry. Buckley's brigade did not engage at Marion, but its positioning approximately six miles (9.7 km) behind the Confederate force was one of the factors that caused the Confederates to withdraw. One source says this brigade had only 600 soldiers.
- Burbridge's Third Brigade was commanded by Colonel James F. Wade of the 6th United States Colored Cavalry. The brigade consisted of the 45th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment (Union), the 5th United States Colored Cavalry Regiment, and the 6th United States Colored Cavalry Regiment. All three regiments had experience fighting at Saltville on October 2, but the two Colored Cavalry regiments had been organized only a few months earlier. Although not listed in Dyer's Compendium as present at the battle, other sources (including the regiment history in Dyer's Compendium) have indicated that the 39th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Regiment was present.
Other units: Battery "E" Kentucky Light Artillery (Union) and the 10th Michigan Cavalry Regiment were also part of the Union force. The 10th Michigan was a detachment of 50 soldiers, led by Captain James B. Roberts, that was Major General Stoneman's escort.
Confederate forces
The Confederate forces were under the command of Major General John C. Breckinridge, who was the commander of the Department of Western Virginia and East Tennessee. Breckinridge's force totaled to about 1600 soldiers excluding Vaughn's brigade. For the Battle of Marion, the militia portion of the force remained in Saltville, giving Breckinridge a force of approximately 1,000.
- Cosby - This cavalry brigade was commanded by Brigadier General George B. Cosby. It was described as "a small brigade from the Valley of Virginia."
- Duke - This cavalry brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Basil W. Duke. It was the remnants of the famed Morgan's Cavalry that was commanded by John Hunt Morgan until his death on September 4, 1864. By the time Duke's cavalry fought at Marion, it had about 220 effectives.
- Giltner - Colonel Henry L. Giltner, of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (Confederate) commanded this brigade.
- Witcher - Lieutenant Colonel Vincent A. Witcher, of the 34th Virginia Cavalry Battalion, commanded the battalion. This battalion consisted of about 300 soldiers.
- Artillery - Breckinridge had artillery at Saltville and Marion. His report mentions "Barr's artillery company, a few men of Kain's artillery, and some pieces in position" at Saltville. He also said he had Burroughs' battery at Marion, which had four artillery pieces.
Colonel Robert T. Preston commanded 400 to 500 reservists and militia members. They were stationed at Saltville, and did not engage at Marion. Brigadier General John C. Vaughn commanded a cavalry brigade that was in the area and providing intelligence to Breckinridge. It fought Stoneman's force mostly in Smyth and Wythe counties, but did not engage at Marion on December 17 and 18. Included in Vaughn's brigade was the 43rd Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel James W. Gillespie.
Expedition begins
Organization
Major General Stoneman began organizing a raid into southwestern Virginia during November 1864. The portion of his plan that was approved had the objective of destroying a Confederate salt works in Saltville, Virginia—and the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad that served it. An additional target of interest was the lead mine in Austinville.
Union Major General Burbridge brought a division of approximately 4,000 soldiers from Kentucky to combine forces with Stoneman in Tennessee. Stoneman had 1,500 Tennessee troops led by Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem. By December 1 Confederate Major General Breckinridge was made aware that Burbridge had moved through the Cumberland Gap and was heading toward Bean Station, Tennessee. Breckinridge had cavalry units positioned in eastern Tennessee between Bean Station and Virginia, and they were commanded by Brigadier General John C. Vaughn and Brigadier General Basil Duke.
Gillem fights Duke
Stoneman and Gillem left Knoxville on December 10, and met Burbridge on December 11 at Bean's Station. The combined force of about 5,700 soldiers began moving east on the morning of December 12, with Gillem leading the advance followed by Burbridge with his three brigades. On December 12 and 13, Gillem (with the support of two regiments from Burbridge's command) fought Duke's Confederate brigade of about 800 soldiers near Kingsport, Tennessee. Duke's Brigade had over 100 casualties and lost its wagon train with food and ammunition. Portions of Duke's Brigade scattered and escaped to the woods. Brigadier General Basil Duke, who was on leave at Bristol, left town to find and reorganize the remaining soldiers from his brigade. Duke's soldiers regrouped in Saltville. By now, Breckenridge was aware of the threat of the Union force moving from Tennessee to Virginia, and he began assembling forces.
Bristol and Abingdon
On the evening of December 13, Burbridge's division entered Bristol against little opposition. His force began destroying railroad infrastructure and storage sheds. They also took over the telegraph office, and were able to monitor Breckinridge's communications for several hours—learning Confederate positions and force sizes.
Breckenridge ordered Vaughn to proceed to Bristol; and he had already ordered Brigadier General John Echols to call in the reserves. Witcher was ordered to move his brigade to Saltville, and the brigades commanded by Cosby and Giltner were ordered to Abingdon.