Skimishes at Hurricane Bridge and Point Pleasant
March 28-30, 1863

In the meantime, Confederate General Albert Gallatin Jenkins and his superiors were planning another raid into the Kanawha Valley. The raid was to have three goals:

    1)  To distract attention from a separate raid being conducted by Confederate Generals William Jones and John D. Imboden in the northern part of the state;

    2)  To capture a store of supplies and horses that was rumored being collected at Point Pleasant; and

    3)  To receive a supply of beef cattle which was being secretly delivered to Confederate troops by southern sympathizers from Ohio.14

En route to the Kanawha Valley and Point Pleasant, however, Jenkins found the post at Hurricane Bridge garrisoned. It has been written that Jenkins could have circled, out of sight of the post, and reached Point Pleasant without a confrontation. However, if his raid was to be successful, Jenkins knew that he would have to return by the same route, encumbered by large amounts of supplies and livestock. Also, to avoid the post would allow the federals time to send for reinforcements, and thus be better prepared to challenge his passage back into Confederate territory.15
 
    Therefore, Jenkins chose a different strategy. At 6:00 A.M. on March 28, a note was delivered to Captain James W. Johnson, in command of the detachment at Hurricane Bridge. The note, addressed to Colonel William R. Brown, read as follows:

COLONEL: I have now an overwhelming force so disposed as to completely surround you and cut off your retreat. A humane desire to avert the loss of life induces me to demand your surrender. In the event of your compliance, and the surrender in good faith of all forces under your command, they shall receive the treatment warranted by the usages of war, and both officers and men will be paroled. Twenty minutes will be allowed for the consideration of this note and a return reply.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A.G. Jenkins
Brigadier-General, C.S. Army16

Johnson refused to surrender ". . . unless forced to do so by an exhibition of his [Jenkins'] boasted strength . . ." and quickly prepared his 150 men for action. The location of this skirmish is a deep, narrow valley, and Johnson reported that Jenkins fired on his men ". . . on three sides from as many different hills . . ." Their fortifications unfinished, the Thirteenth was exposed to a ". . . most galling cross fire. . ." Fighting continued for about five hours before Jenkins withdrew. His wounded were captured and later told Captain Johnson that Jenkins had not less than 500 men under his command. The Thirteenth's losses were three killed and four wounded, one of whom died later.17

When Brigadier General Eliakim P. Scammon (Hayes's superior at the time) received news of the attack, he ordered Companies C and F to march the same day to Hurricane Bridge, leaving only Company E, composed of 60 men, in defense of Point Pleasant. Jenkins's men, in the meantime, had reached the Kanawha River by an alternate route, and were quickly approaching Point Pleasant. At the river, they made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the transports Victor No. 2 and GeneralMeigs, but did succeed in capturing some other boats, on which they proceeded down the Kanawha River.18

Company E, still at Point Pleasant under Captain John D. Carter, was attacked by Jenkins on March 30. General Cox—in Marietta at the time—reported that at 11:00 A.M. the company was in the court house and that he had sent for help. Cox was under the impression that there were ". . . about 250 men in post" there and seemed confident in their ability to defend it. It was not until later in the day that he reported, "The force at Point Pleasant is weaker than I supposed. General Scammon had ordered most of it to sustain the post at Hurricane Bridge and only one company is left there."19

Details of the affair at Point Pleasant are conflicting. Colonel Hayes noted in his diary that at 4:00 P.M. Point Pleasant was ". . . in possession of the Rebels . . . " and at 6:00 P.M. it was reported to him that the Thirteenth, with help from ". . . impromptu gunboats from Gallipolis . . ." had driven the rebels out.20 At 12:30 A.M. on March 31, however, Governor Pierpont, who was at Point Pleasant, telegraphed, "We are fighting, and trying to retake the place. We are driving them."21 By 5:00 P.M., General Cox reported that the enemy had been repulsed. Captain Carter's report of the affair was unfortunately lost, but Colonel Brown reported of Jenkins' forces that, realizing "they could not take the place, they retreated at 3:30 P.M."22 Colonel Brown also reported Captain Carter's losses as two killed and three wounded during the fighting that day. Jenkins lost a total of 76 killed, wounded, and taken prisoner.23 Hayes was quite pleased with the lack of damage Jenkins had been able to inflict during his raid, but felt that if not reinforced, Jenkins would eventually run him out of the Kanawha Valley.24

Next: On Guard in the Kanawha Valley, April-May 1863
Back: Action in in the Kanawha Valley, August 1862-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.