Photo By Erin Thompson | Battle map of Droop Mountain, 6 November 1863.... read more read more
Subscribe
by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
6 NOVEMBER 1863
On 6 November 1863, a U.S. Army Signal Corps detachment supplied vital information to Brig. Gen. William W. Averell during the Battle of Droop Mountain. This was the largest battle fought in West Virginia during the American Civil War.
West Virginia joined the Union as a state separate from Virginia in mid-1863. Still, Confederate forces remained a heavy presence in the region due to major rail lines along its southeast border. In the fall of 1863, the commander of the Union Army’s West Virginia department, Brig. Gen. Benjamin F. Kelley, was determined to force the Confederates out of the new state. Kelley tasked General Averell with securing the town of Lewisburg, West Virginia, with the help of Brig. Gen. Alfred N. Duffié. By forcing the Confederates to abandon Lewisburg, the Union hoped to seize control of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroads.
On 1 November, General Averell left Beverly, West Virginia, with a column of about 5,000 men of two infantry regiments, three mounted infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment, two light artillery batteries, and a signal corps detachment. This force marched eastward, meeting slight resistance from Confederate Gen. William L. Jackson’s small cavalry brigade on 4 November. Averell’s men emerged victorious from the skirmish, and General Jackson informed Brig. Gen. John Echols of Averell’s movement towards Lewisburg. On the morning of 6 November 1863, Echols’ infantry brigade and the 14th Virginia Regiment, numbering approximately 1,700, had blockaded the road over Droop Mountain leading to Lewisburg.
General Averell decided to perform a flanking maneuver, sending his infantry units to “zigzag” along the mountainsides to surround the blockade. With Echols’ men focused on their right and left flanks, General Averell then sent the 2d, 3d, and 8th West Virginia Mounted Infantry regiments to lead a dismounted charge up the mountain at Echols’ front. The fighting soon devolved to hand-to-hand combat. While the Union forces were able to produce a chaotic Confederate retreat, General Echols’ men continued to fight into the afternoon, and General Averell was reluctant to put his last reserve units into the fray.
Among Averell’s units was a U.S. Army Signal Corps detachment of the 68th New York Infantry led by Capt. Ernst A. Denicke. Signal operations during Averell’s march to Lewisburg had primarily consisted of patrols and scouting operations due to the known presence of Confederate regiments in the mountains. As the battle began on Droop Mountain, the signal officers were sent to direct gunfire, with Captain Denicke stationed at the enemy’s front, Lt. A. Clarkson Merritt on the right, and Lt. Martin Denicke on the left. As the fight continued into the afternoon, Lieutenant Denicke was ordered to move to support the artillery batteries. From his new vantage point, he was able to see the crumbling Confederate defenses as they slowly began their retreat down the mountain. He quickly supplied this information to General Averell, which pushed Averell to use his reserve forces to finally route Echols’ men off the mountain by late afternoon.
General Duffié, who had been stationed in Charleston, West Virginia, until 3 November, was delayed in arriving at Lewisburg by Confederate blockades. He was fifteen miles from the city when he heard of the fighting at Droop Mountain and was unable to capture Echols’ retreating forces. With Echols’ men out of the way, Union forces were able to take control of Lewisburg, though both Averell and Duffié failed to secure the railroads.
----
"This Week in MI History" publishes new issues each week. To report story errors, ask questions, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2023 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 457181 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Signal Corps Provides Intelligence at Droop Mountain (6 NOV 1863), by Erin Thompson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
