Sept. 10, 1861 - Battle of Carnifex Ferry

Sept. 10, 1861

Battle of Carnifex Ferry

["Nestled on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near"] Summersville, West[ern] Virginia


Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans > Col. William S. Smith (U.S. Colonel John W. Lowe)

vs.

Brigadier General John B. Floyd


https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20864&Result=1

Built in the 1850's by Mr. Patterson, this house was caught between opposing armies during the Battle of Carnifex Ferry.


You can see it here! 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20876

The Battle of Carnifex Ferry

Seeking to gain a foothold in Western Virginia from which to conduct military operations, Gen. John B. Floyd, C.S.A. with approx. 1,800 troops established Camp Gauley here on the Patterson Farm about one mile from Carnifex Ferry.

Gen. William Rosecrans, U.S.A. with nearly 7,000 troops was ordered from Clarksburg to march on Floyd. It was the afternoon of Sept. 10, 1861 when the Federals came in sight of Camp Gauley and the battle commenced. Rosecrans used only part of his forces in the attack and the well entrenched Confederates were able to successfully drive back the Yankee troops. With darkness approaching, Rosecrans decided to wait until morning before launching a major offensive.

Gen. Floyd reassessed his situation and decided to withdraw across the river during the night rather than face a superior force in the morning. He accomplished this maneuver without alerting the Union troops. The following morning, the Federals moved into Camp Gauley without incident and a vital line was secured by the Union, thus enabling the movement for West Virginia statehood to proceed.

Although Gen. Rosecrans could rightfully claim victory, the North lost more men than the South in the battle. Federal casualties were over 130 with 28 killed while Southern losses were near 30 with no reported fatalities.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=165002

Most of the lumber used for the rebuilding of this well house came from a large white oak tree that uprooted during a windstorm in 2000. The tree grew near the edge of the woods behind the Patterson House and was determined to be approximately 150 years old. From its location the tree witnessed many events, including the battle fought here in 1861. If trees could talk, imagine the stories they might tell.

Great trail, circumventing the whole park, with some stunning overlooks...

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=169490

Late in the afternoon, as part of an attempt to make a coordinated attack on the Rebel line, several Federal units under the command of Col. William S. Smith were ordered deep into this ravine known as Pierson Hollow. The plan was called off though because of the fading daylight. Confused, tired, and traveling in darkness while in the thick woods, members of the 13th and 23rd Ohio mistakenly fired upon the 28th Ohio. Two soldiers were killed and some 30 men wounded.

Gauley River

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=20845

The Civil War battle fought here on September 10, 1861 was named by the Union army after a nearby river ferry. Even though it was over a mile downstream, the ferry was the closest well-known landmark. Constructed by William Carnefix in the early 1800's, the ferry provided an important link between the James River & Kanawha Turnpike, now Rt. 60, and the Gauley & Weston Turnpike, now part of Rts. 39 & 19. The spelling of the name Carnifex has varied over the years. The heading above is the spelling found on the gravestone of Mr. Carnefix who died in 1856.
 



Since there are no Civil War Trail markers at this location, I essentially drove 1,000 miles round trip (in 36 hours) [this was March 2025] to see THIS sign:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=169492

Scene of battle, Sept. 10, 1861, between Federal army of Gen. W.S. Rosecrans and Confederate army of Gen. John B. Floyd. Engagement followed defeat of Federals at Cross Lanes, Aug. 26, 1861. State acquired site, Oct. 29, 1935.


https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=165005

This sunken pathway is a remnant of the old Carnifex Ferry road. The road was an important travel route before the Civil war and into the early 1900's. Under the cover of darkness, the Confederate army was able to retreat on this narrow trace without detection by the Federal forces.


https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=21188

Used in battle reenactments, these log breastworks stand near the site of the original Confederate entrenchments designated by General Floyd as Camp Gauley. The rebel fortifications consisted of several thousand feet of log breastworks, trenches, wooden palisades, and felled trees with sharpened branches. Although lightly manned with less than 2000 troops, Camp Gauley presented a formidable challenge to the Federal troops who had to approach across open ground.


https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=165006

"We promptly returned the fire, at this time our cannon sent a fearful shot amongst them… Then commenced the fight in earnest. Boom went the cannon of our enemy, the large balls whistling over our heads, our men flat on the ground,… Then came a terrible shot of shell, it burst and fell all around us; The bullets fell like rain whistling and whizzing over our heads and into the logs we lay behind."
Capt. Robert Winn Snead, Co. F, 50th Va Inf. C.S.A.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=164998

The Patterson family kept a large cornfield just north of their house. It was in the cornfield that U.S. Colonel John W. Lowe was struck and killed by rebel gunfire while shouting his final order to the men of the 12th Ohio. His death while leading his men into battle made him a hero. He also became the first field grade officer from Ohio to be killed in the Civil War.


https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=164999

 Granville Blevens of Grayson county, Virginia, joined the Confederate Army with his brother, Haywood, and some friends on 5/29/1861 at Wytheville, Virginia. Like many other soldiers, both North and South, Granville died of sickness. He was buried here by his brother and friends on 9/7/1861, just three days before the battle. A Number of other Confederates also died from sickness while camped on Patterson's farm but Granville's is the only known grave site. Most of the Union battle fatalities were buried on the battlefield and moved after the war for burial elsewhere.
 



https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=146330


This knoll is believed to be one of the Northern artillery positions. With possibly as many as seven artillery pieces each, the two armies engaged in a fierce bombardment for several hours. The blasts were heard as far away as Summersville. Although the armies were within a few hundred yards of each other, the cannon firing was poorly directed and generally passed over the heads of the combatants, destroying the treetops, but causing little damage to the troops.

 
Thus ends my visits to the site of every major battle in West Virginia in 1861! 

https://wvstateparks.com/park/carnifex-ferry-battlefield-state-park/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The American Civil War Chronologically - Introduction

Image
Welcome, please allow me to explain what's going on here.  I started off trying to visit each Civil War battlefield in the Eastern Theatre in the order they occurred. That quickly spiraled out of control. Now, I'm just visiting every Civil War-related site I can, with an emphasis on the East (and especially my home state of Maryland), and then assembling my observations in chronological order. I try to minimize editorializing, and tend to just copypasta information directly from the sources I encounter- and credit. Sometimes though, I can't help it. My acute interest is compounded by the fact that I and my neighbors still live on sacred ground soaked with the blood of the American Revolution and Civil War. These events literally created the nation we have today. It's fascinating to see a fast-food place where a hero died - and so few care. I also agree with Grant who said the cause of the Confederacy was "one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for...
Read more

Nov. 28, 1864 - Capture of New Creek

Image
Nov. 28, 1864 Capture of New Creek New Creek aka Keyser, WV Col. George R. Latham @ Fort Fuller  vs Confederates under Gen. Thomas Rosser "On November 28, 1864, Confederates under Gen. Thomas Rosser rode to New Creek, where a sizeable Union force commanded by Col. George R. Latham occupied Fort Fuller . With several of the Confederates wearing enemy uniforms, the attack was a complete surprise. More than 700 Union soldiers were captured, along with horses and artillery. A vast amount of supplies was destroyed." https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=152788 " Keyser.  Between 1861–1865, Keyser, then New Creek, was sought by the North and South. It changed hands fourteen times. Fort Fuller, where Potomac State Collect stands, was supported by a series of forts girding the town. Averell’s Raid. Here in 1863 General W. W. Averell started the Federal cavalry raid to Salem, Virginia, and then back into this State. This is among the great exploits of the War. Many of his troopers were fr...
Read more

Summer 1861: The First Campaign (various WV sites)

Image
Summer 1861 The First Campaign West[ern] Virginia (various WV sites) There are many remote places to visit in WV that are associated with the Civil War but that may not be associated with one particular date. The town of Beverly, which saw action and changed hands multiple times throughout the war, is a perfect example. Visiting these places, I sometimes felt like I was the only one. Often the historical markers I sought were destroyed or in such disrepair as to be unreadable. While I found markers that nobody had entered into the database before, more often I was confirming the absence of one for the first time. People were nice in WV, but  most don't seem too invested in preserving their history. And  wow are their roads bad. Also, nobody in the state's 161 years of existence has ever asked the very important question: "Where are we gonna work when the trees/coal are gone?"  Anyway, here's Elkins, WV first.  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=23238 War in West Virgini...
Read more