Back in the Kanawha Valley
July 1863-May 1864
On July 21, Hayes and his brigade returned to Gallipolis, continuing the next day to Camp White and leaving the Thirteenth at Point Pleasant where they stayed until August 1.54 After the excitement of chasing Morgan, the regiment was again idle in the Kanawha Valley. By August 2, the Thirteenth was in camp "on the east bank of Elk River back of Charleston." On August 4, they returned to the camp at Coalsmouth, which by that time had been named "Camp Defiance."55 On August 15, Hayes wrote of his plans to inspect the Thirteenth the following day at Coalsmouth, saying he would ". . . take the band along for the fun of it."56 On September 3, the Thirteenth moved to Barboursville. On September 9, Company I was transferred to Guyandotte, and on November 12, Company C returned to Hurricane Bridge.57
From December 8-17, Hayes and part of his brigade cooperated with Brigadier General William W. Averell's Big Salem Raid; however, the Thirteenth did not go along. Colonel James M. Comly, Twenty-third Ohio, mentioned on December 13 that the Thirteenth was at Barboursville with Colonel Brown.58 Colonel Brown confirms Comly's statement and reports that for the year 1863, the Thirteenth lost four killed and seven wounded in action, and marched a total of 743 miles.59
The beginning of 1864 saw some minor reorganizations in the regiment. It had been discovered that Company G, commanded by Captain J.V. Young, was in fact part of the Eleventh Regiment, rather than the Thirteenth. Thus, the company was returned to its proper regiment, and in February, the Thirteenth formed a new Company G under Captain Allen C. Mason. In addition, details organizing Companies I under Captain Feazel, and K under Captain Stump were finalized, and the two companies were officially and formally mustered in.60 Also in February, Companies B and E moved to Mud Bridge, Company K to Coalsmouth, and Company A to Hurricane Bridge. In March, Company F moved to Guyandotte and Company I returned to Barboursville to join the rest of the regiment.61
On March 17, Colonel Brown and the Thirteenth were at Barboursville. Major John J. Hoffman of the Second West Virginia Cavalry wrote that he was ordered that day by Brown to cross the Kanawha River at Guyandotte, proceed to Trout's Hill (Wayne Court House) and
". . . at some point on the route . . . meet Col. Brown's command, . . . which was to cross at the falls of Guyandotte." On March 18, however, Brown sent a message to Hoffman saying that he was instead going to pursue a ". . . squad of 30 or 40 men crossing the river below the falls and traveling toward the Ohio River in the direction of Winfield." At Trout's Hill, Hoffman got word that there was a force of 400 rebel cavalry in the vicinity, but neither Brown nor Hoffman found any intruders.62 Hayes spent the last days of March and first days of April ". . . visiting the five posts between here [Camp White] and Sandy [River]."63
Dyer's Compendium says that the Thirteenth was at Cloyd's Mountain, New River Bridge, Cove Mountain, Salt Pond Mountain, and Gap Mountain in May.64 Hayes, however, makes no mention of them in battle while he specifically mentions the other regiments fighting under him.65 Furthermore, Hayes, with the 1st Brigade, was at Camp Reynolds near Gauley Bridge by May 1, but mentioned that the Thirteenth had not arrived yet. Hayes' unit moved out the next morning at 6:00 A.M.66 and he did not mention the Thirteenth again until he returned to camp when, writing from Meadow Bluff on May 25, he wrote that the ". . . Fifth and Thirteenth are coming, so I shall have my own proper brigade together soon."67 Neither did Major A.F. McCown, the commander reporting the movements and activities of the Thirteenth for the year 1864, make mention of the regiment taking part in the Cloyd's Mountain campaign. Considering this, it must be assumed that Dyer's Compendium is in error on this statement. As for the Thirteenth, it was to take part in the next two major campaigns—Hunter's Raid and Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
Next: Hunter's Raid on Lexington and Lynchburg, June 1864
Back: Morgan's Raid into Ohio, July 1863
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Copyright © Kimberly Ball Hieronimus Brownlee, 1998-2003. All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in any manner for any media without the express written agreement of the author.