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Battle of Scary Creek | |||||||
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Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
Plaque commemorating the Battle of Scary Creek | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States of America (Union) | Confederate States of America | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jacob Dolson Cox John W. Lowe | Henry A. Wise George S. Patton, Sr (WIA) Albert G. Jenkins | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,000+ (est.) | 800 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
14 killed, 30 wounded, 7 captured | 4 killed, 6 wounded |
The Battle of Scary Creek was a minor battle fought during the American Civil War across the Kanawha River from present day Nitro in Putnam County, West Virginia on July 17, 1861. It was the first Confederate victory in Kanawha Valley. [1]
The battle occurred three months after the beginning of the war and days before the first major battle at Manassas (Bull Run). Union forces under General Jacob Cox began a push up the Kanawha Valley from Ohio. Confederate General Henry A. Wise commanded a few thousand troops stationed near present-day St. Albans, WV.
The battle occurred when Union regiments advanced toward the Confederate camp. Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, the grandfather of the famous George S. Patton of World War II, commanded the Confederate line behind Harlem Creek, 2 miles from the main Confederate camp. The Union forces engaged the Confederates, launching artillery barrages and musket volleys. The 21st Ohio charged the Confederates with bayonets but were repulsed with casualties. The Union forces began falling back after suffering casualties from the charge.
After the Federal forces began falling back, for some reason, the Confederates thought that fresh Union reinforcements were arriving and the result was a retreat by both sides. However, the Confederates realized their mistake and returned to the battlefield to claim victory.
Despite the tactical victory, General Wise decided to withdraw back up the Kanawha Valley toward the Confederate supply bases in Fayette and Greenbrier Counties in a highly criticized move. Thus, the victory was hollow for the South. Wise's retreat resulted in most of the Kanawha Valley falling into Union hands.
Casualties were rather light considering the ferocity of the battle. The Union lost 14 killed, approximately 30 wounded, and several missing. The Confederates lost between 1-5 killed, and a half a dozen wounded, including Lieutenant Colonel Patton.
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The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate Army Lieutenant General Jubal Early in one of the largest, bloodiest, and most important battles in the Shenandoah Valley. Among the 5,000 Union casualties were one general killed and three wounded. The casualty rate for the Confederates was high: about 4,000 of 15,500. Two Confederate generals were killed and four were wounded. Participants in the battle included two future presidents of the United States, two future governors of Virginia, a former vice president of the United States, and a colonel whose grandson, George S. Patton became a famous general in World War II.
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The 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from the western Virginia that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Its commander was George S. Patton Sr., the grandfather of World War II General George S. Patton.
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The 36th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment mostly raised in the Kanawha Valley for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
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The Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862 was Confederate Major General William W. Loring's military campaign to drive the Union Army out of the Kanawha River Valley during the American Civil War. The campaign took place from September 6 through September 16, 1862, although an important raid that had impact on the campaign started on August 22. Loring achieved success after several skirmishes and two battles, and Union troops retreated to the Ohio River and the safety of the state of Ohio.
The Battle of Fayetteville occurred in Fayette County, Virginia, on September 10, 1862, during the American Civil War. A Confederate army, consisting of multiple brigades commanded by Major General William W. Loring, drove away a Union brigade commanded by Colonel Edward Siber. The battle was part of the Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862, and should not be confused with the Battle of Fayetteville fought in Arkansas.
The 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, often called "Derrick's Battalion", was an infantry battalion in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, and was usually part of a brigade commanded by John Echols or George S. Patton. By 1864, the brigade was usually part of a division commanded by Major General John C. Breckinridge or Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton.
Jenkins' Trans-Allegheny Raid was a Confederate cavalry expedition in the American Civil War that took place in Western Virginia and Ohio during August and September 1862. The raid was led by Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins, and it started on August 22 as a preliminary step in Confederate Major General William W. Loring's military campaign to drive the Union Army out of the Kanawha River Valley. That campaign, known as the Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862, took place from September 6 through September 16. The purpose of Jenkins' raid was to get behind the Union army outposts located near the beginning of the Kanawha River, and cut off their main route of retreat to the safety of Ohio.