Army of West Virginia
Encyclopedia
The Army of West Virginia served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
and was the primary field army of the Department of West Virginia. It campaigned primarily in West Virginia, Southwest Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley
. It is noted for having two future U.S. presidents serve in its ranks: Rutherford B. Hayes
and William McKinley
, both from the 23rd Ohio Infantry
.
George Crook
was appointed to command the Department of West Virginia on July 25, 1864. Crook did not immediately assume this command and in the meantime was in command of the Army of the Kanawha. When Crook assumed command on August 9, 1864, the army in the field was given the title "Army of West Virginia". The army consisted of three divisions and for all practical purposes functioned as a corps in Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan
's Army of the Shenandoah. Often this command has been referred to as the VIII Corps. It should not be confused with the official Union Army VIII Corps, which was commanded by Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace
and on guard duty along the B & O Railroad during this time. Crook led the army through the Shenandoah Valley Campaign
and fought in all the major engagements.
The 1st Division was led by Col. Joseph Thoburn
until he was killed in action at Cedar Creek
. He was succeeded by Col. Thomas Harris. The 2nd "Kanawha" Division
was led by Col. Isaac H. Duval until he was wounded at Third Winchester
. Command of the division passed to Col. Rutherford B. Hayes
who led the division at Cedar Creek
. A Provisional Division led by Colonel J. Howard Kitching
joined just prior to the battle of Cedar Creek. Exact composition of the Provisional Division is unknown other than approximately 1,000 soldiers including the 6th New York Heavy Artillery. Kitching was severely wounded at Cedar Creek and died the following year as a result.
On December 19, 1864, with the fighting in the Valley over, Crook's forces ceased to be known as the Army of West Virginia and continued on simply as the Department of West Virginia.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was the primary field army of the Department of West Virginia. It campaigned primarily in West Virginia, Southwest Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. It is noted for having two future U.S. presidents serve in its ranks: Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
and William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, both from the 23rd Ohio Infantry
23rd Ohio Infantry
The 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during much of the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a variety of campaigns and battles, and is remembered with a stone memorial on the Antietam National Battlefield not far from Burnside's...
.
History
Brigadier GeneralBrigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
was appointed to command the Department of West Virginia on July 25, 1864. Crook did not immediately assume this command and in the meantime was in command of the Army of the Kanawha. When Crook assumed command on August 9, 1864, the army in the field was given the title "Army of West Virginia". The army consisted of three divisions and for all practical purposes functioned as a corps in Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
's Army of the Shenandoah. Often this command has been referred to as the VIII Corps. It should not be confused with the official Union Army VIII Corps, which was commanded by Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace
Lew Wallace
Lewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
and on guard duty along the B & O Railroad during this time. Crook led the army through the Shenandoah Valley Campaign
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
and fought in all the major engagements.
The 1st Division was led by Col. Joseph Thoburn
Joseph Thoburn
Joseph Thoburn was born in the district of Mallusk north of Belfast, County Antrim, to be found in the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, UK. He went on to be a physician and soldier from the state of West Virginia who served as an officer and brigade commander in the Union...
until he was killed in action at Cedar Creek
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...
. He was succeeded by Col. Thomas Harris. The 2nd "Kanawha" Division
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.-Kanawha Brigade:On...
was led by Col. Isaac H. Duval until he was wounded at Third Winchester
Battle of Opequon
The Battle of Opequon, more commonly known as the Third Battle of Winchester, was fought in Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War....
. Command of the division passed to Col. Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
who led the division at Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek
-In Delaware:*Cedar Creek, Delaware*Cedar Creek Hundred, an unincorporated subdivision of Sussex County, Delaware-In Georgia:*Cedar Creek , former name for Vickery Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River-In Indiana:...
. A Provisional Division led by Colonel J. Howard Kitching
J. Howard Kitching
John Howard Kitching , often referred to as J. Howard Kitching, was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served in the cavalry, artillery and infantry in the Army of the Potomac and Army of the Shenandoah...
joined just prior to the battle of Cedar Creek. Exact composition of the Provisional Division is unknown other than approximately 1,000 soldiers including the 6th New York Heavy Artillery. Kitching was severely wounded at Cedar Creek and died the following year as a result.
On December 19, 1864, with the fighting in the Valley over, Crook's forces ceased to be known as the Army of West Virginia and continued on simply as the Department of West Virginia.
Commander
- Major General Franz SigelFranz SigelFranz Sigel was a German military officer, revolutionist and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
- Major General David HunterDavid HunterDavid Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
(21 May–8 Aug 1864) - Major General George CrookGeorge CrookGeorge R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
(8 Aug–19 Dec 1864)
Major battles
- Battle of Cloyd's MountainBattle of Cloyd's MountainThe Battle of Cloyd's Mountain was a Union victory in western Virginia in 1864 that allowed the Union forces to destroy the last railroad connecting Tennessee to Virginia.-Background:...
- Battle of New MarketBattle of New MarketThe Battle of New Market was a battle fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute fought alongside the Confederate Army and forced Union General Franz Sigel and his army out of the Shenandoah...
- Battle of PiedmontBattle of PiedmontThe Battle of Piedmont was fought June 5, 1864, in the village of Piedmont, Augusta County, Virginia. Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter engaged Confederates under Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones north of Piedmont. After severe fighting, Jones was killed and the Confederates were routed...
- Battle of LynchburgBattle of LynchburgThe Battle of Lynchburg was fought on June 17–18, 1864, two miles outside Lynchburg, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. The Union Army of West Virginia, under Maj. Gen. David Hunter attempted to capture the city, but was repulsed by Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Anderson...
- Battle of Cool SpringBattle of Cool SpringThe Battle of Cool Spring, also known as Castleman's Ferry, Island Ford, Parker's Ford, and Snicker's Ferry, was a battle in the American Civil War fought July 17–18, 1864, in Clarke County, Virginia, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864...
- Battle of Rutherford's FarmBattle of Rutherford's FarmThe Battle of Rutherford's Farm, also known as Carter's Farm and Stephenson's Depot, was a small engagement between Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur and Union forces under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell on July 20, 1864, in Frederick County, Virginia, during the American...
- Second Battle of Kernstown
- Battle of BerryvilleBattle of BerryvilleThe Battle of Berryville was fought September 3 and September 4, 1864, in Clarke County, Virginia. It took place toward the end of the American Civil War....
- Battle of OpequonBattle of OpequonThe Battle of Opequon, more commonly known as the Third Battle of Winchester, was fought in Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864, during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War....
- Battle of Fisher's HillBattle of Fisher's HillThe Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Fisher's Hill is located near Strasburg, Virginia....
- Battle of Cedar CreekBattle of Cedar CreekThe Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...