i 3 8
1st Kentucky to proceed to Ripley, landing at Ravenswood, about 50 milesabove, while with two and a half regiments I myself should move up theKanawha Valley . The two detachments would join me after a time bylateral roads. My total force, when assembled, would be a little over threethousand men, the regiments having the same average strength as those withMcClellan. The opposing force underGeneral Wise was four thousand by thetime the campaign was fully opened,though somewhat less at the begin -mng.it
The Kanawha River was navigablefor small steamboats about 70 miles, toa point 10 or 12 miles above Charleston ,the only important town of the regionand lying at the confluence of the Kan-awha and Elk rivers. Steamboats wereplenty, owing to the interruption oftrade, and wagons were wholly lacking,so that my column was accompaniedand partly carried by a fleet of stern-wheel steamers.
On the 11th of July the movementfrom Point Pleasant began. An advance-guard was sent out on each side of theriver, marching upon the roads which -were near its banks. The few horse-men were divided and sent with them as messengers, and the boats followed,steaming slowly along in rear of the marching men. Most of two regimentswere carried on the steamers, to save fatigue to the men, w'ho were as yetunused to their work, and many of whom were footsore from their first longmarch of 25 miles to Gallipolis, from the station where they left the railway.The arrangement was also a good one in a military point of view, for if anenemy were met on either bank of the stream, the boats could land in amoment and the troops disembark without delay.
Our first day’s sail was thirteen miles up the river, and it was the veryromance of campaigning. I took my station on top of the pilot-house of theleading boat, so that I might see over the banks of the stream and acrossthe bottom-lands which bounded the valley. The afternoon was a lovelyone. Summer clouds lazily drifted across the sky, the boats were dressedin their colors, and swarmed with men as a hive with bees. The bands playednational tunes, and as we passed the houses of Union citizens, the inmateswould wave their handkerchiefs to us and were answered by cheers from thetroops. The scenery was picturesque, the gently winding river makingbeautiful reaches that opened new scenes upon us at every turn. On either
^ Wise reported his force on 17th July as on the 18th. When he abandoned the valley3500 “effective” men and 10 cannon, and says ten days later he reported his force 1000 inhe received “perhaps 300” in reenforcements round numbers.—J. D. C.