Kanawha Division

The Kanawha Division was a Union Army formation whose organizational history began with a brigade of Ohio volunteer regiments commanded by Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox in 1861. Cox named the brigade for the Kanawha Valley in western Virginia, where Union forces were operating during the opening phase of the American Civil War. Although the formation changed size, designation, command structure, and higher headquarters several times, the Kanawha name remained associated with a succession of Union troops active in the mountain regions of Virginia and in major campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley. The formation first operated as the Kanawha Brigade and became part of the District of the Kanawha, also commanded by Cox. Elements fought at Kanawha Gap in September 1861, and the brigade participated in the 1862 fighting around Princeton Court House. By the middle of 1862, the organization had expanded to division strength, and the designation Kanawha Division was being used officially in the Mountain Department. In the period leading to the Second Battle of Bull Run, Cox and the division were transferred to the Army of Virginia. Only one brigade, commanded by Colonel Eliakim P. Scammon, took part in the preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge on August 27, 1862. After the Union defeat, the division was assigned to the Washington defenses. The division returned to field operations during the Maryland Campaign and was attached to the IX Corps. It fought at South Mountain under Cox and then participated in the Battle of Antietam. Command arrangements were unusually fluid because the death of IX Corps commander Jesse L. Reno at South Mountain led Cox to assume corps command, while Scammon took over the division. The division's brigades were subsequently led by Hugh Ewing and George Crook. At Antietam, Crook's brigade supported the fighting near Burnside Bridge, while Ewing's brigade crossed Antietam Creek at Snavely's Ford. After Antietam, the formation returned to western Virginia. It was increasingly involved in irregular operations and counter-guerrilla activity rather than large conventional battles. During this phase it lost the formal Kanawha Division designation and was identified as the 3rd Division in the Department of West Virginia. Carr B. White organized Blazer's Scouts from troops associated with the division to conduct mobile operations against Confederate partisan forces. George Crook commanded the formation for a period, followed by Scammon, before Crook returned to command in February 1864. In 1864 the formation was officially the 2nd Division in the Department of West Virginia. It contained three brigades led by Rutherford B. Hayes, Carr B. White, and Horatio G. Sickel, with Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania regiments. Crook led the division at Cloyd's Mountain and during David Hunter's campaign toward Lynchburg. In July, Crook organized a larger field force known as the Army of the Kanawha and temporarily commanded two Kanawha divisions. That force was renamed the Army of West Virginia in August and joined Philip Sheridan's operations in the Shenandoah Valley under the VIII Corps. The division fought at the battles of Opequon, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. At Opequon, the division was initially held in reserve before being committed at a decisive point; Hayes's brigade made a flank attack, while division commander Isaac H. Duval was wounded and Hayes assumed command during the battle. Crook retained Hayes as division commander afterward, and Hayes helped coordinate the successful Union attack at Fisher's Hill. At Cedar Creek, the division bore the brunt of the Confederate surprise attack, and Hayes was wounded. The engagement was the formation's last major battle. Hayes remained in command until December 1864. The Kanawha Division was therefore less a continuously stable administrative unit than a lineage of related Union formations whose commanders and designations changed as the war progressed.

The Kanawha Division originated on July 1, 1861, when Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox assumed command of a brigade composed of Ohio volunteer regiments. Cox named the organization the Kanawha Brigade because it was assigned to the Kanawha Valley in western Virginia. A portion of the 34th Ohio Infantry fought at Kanawha Gap in September 1861. The brigade became part of the District of the Kanawha, which Cox also commanded, and took part in the 1862 operation at Princeton Court House. By 1862, the formation had expanded to division size. The Kanawha Division designation was in official use by June while the unit served in the Mountain Department. Cox and the division were transferred to the Army of Virginia in preparation for the Second Battle of Bull Run. Only Scammon's brigade was engaged, in preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge on August 27. After the campaign, the division was moved to the Washington defenses. During the Maryland Campaign, the Kanawha Division was attached to the IX Corps. Cox led it at South Mountain, but the death of IX Corps commander Jesse L. Reno created a succession problem. Cox assumed corps command, while Colonel Eliakim P. Scammon took command of the division. At Antietam, the division operated with brigades led by Hugh Ewing and George Crook. Crook's troops crossed in support of the fighting near Burnside Bridge, and Ewing's brigade crossed Antietam Creek at Snavely's Ford. Following Antietam, the division returned to western Virginia. George Crook commanded it during part of the winter of 1862–1863, after which he was transferred and Scammon resumed command. The unit was then formally identified as the 3rd Division in the Department of West Virginia rather than the Kanawha Division. Its operations became more focused on guerrilla warfare and counter-partisan activity, including actions against forces associated with John S. Mosby. Colonel Carr B. White organized Blazer's Scouts from troops connected with the division. Rutherford B. Hayes, one of the brigade commanders, criticized the cautious pace under Scammon and favored Crook's more aggressive leadership. Crook returned to command in February 1864. The formation was then the 2nd Division in the Department of West Virginia and contained three brigades commanded by Rutherford B. Hayes, Carr B. White, and Horatio G. Sickel. Its regiments included troops from Ohio and West Virginia, as well as two Pennsylvania regiments. Crook led the division at Cloyd's Mountain before it joined David Hunter's army in the movement toward Lynchburg. On July 2, 1864, Crook organized a larger force called the Army of the Kanawha and personally commanded its first and second Kanawha divisions for a short period. By late July, Joseph Thoburn and Isaac H. Duval had taken command of those divisions. The force was renamed the Army of West Virginia on August 8 and joined Philip H. Sheridan's army near Winchester as part of the VIII Corps. At Opequon, Duval's division was initially held in reserve but was committed when the battle reached a critical stage. Hayes's brigade made a flank attack, and Duval was wounded. Hayes then assumed command of the division. Crook retained Hayes despite interest from several brigadier generals. At Fisher's Hill, Hayes and Crook helped coordinate a successful flank operation. At Cedar Creek, the Confederate surprise attack initially overwhelmed Crook's command, Hayes was wounded, and the division suffered heavily. Cedar Creek was its last major battle, and Hayes remained in command until December 1864. The formation's changing names and structures reflect Civil War reorganizations rather than a single uninterrupted divisional establishment.

• 1864

  Cloyd's Mountain

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  George Crook leads the formation, then designated the 2nd Division in the Department of West Virginia, at Cloyd's Mountain.

• 1864

  Army of West Virginia

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  Crook's Army of the Kanawha is renamed the Army of West Virginia and joins the Shenandoah Valley campaign.

• 1864

  Final major engagements

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division fights at Opequon, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, the last major battle associated with the formation.

• 1862

  Princeton Court House

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The brigade participates in the fighting at Princeton Court House.

• 1862

  Second Bull Run operations

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The expanded formation is known as the Kanawha Division and contributes one brigade to preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge.

• 1862

  Maryland Campaign

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division fights at South Mountain and Antietam as part of the IX Corps.

• 1861

  Kanawha Brigade is organized

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  Jacob D. Cox takes command of an Ohio volunteer brigade and names it for the Kanawha Valley in western Virginia.

• 1861

  Battle of Kanawha Gap

  [1]Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  A portion of the 34th Ohio Infantry fights at Kanawha Gap in September.

A Union Army combat formation organized for operations in the Kanawha Valley, western Virginia, the Maryland Campaign, and the Shenandoah Valley.

• Military formation · 1861

  Kanawha Brigade

  The original Ohio-based brigade commanded by Jacob D. Cox from July 1861. It served in and around the Kanawha Valley and formed the organizational basis for the later Kanawha Division.

• Military division · 1862

  Kanawha Division

  The division-sized Union formation associated with Cox, Scammon, Crook, Duval, and Hayes. Its troops served in western Virginia, the Maryland Campaign, and the Shenandoah Valley.

• Field army · 1864

  Army of the Kanawha

  The larger force assembled by George Crook in July 1864, incorporating Kanawha divisions and additional infantry and cavalry formations.

• 1864Cloyd's Mountain and Lynchburg campaign

  West Virginia · Virginia

  Crook's division fought at Cloyd's Mountain and then joined David Hunter's army during its advance toward Lynchburg.

  Outcome. The Union campaign did not capture Lynchburg, and Crook's forces later became part of the reorganized Army of West Virginia.

  Source
• 1864Shenandoah Valley campaign

  Shenandoah Valley · Virginia

  The formation served under Crook and then Hayes during the battles of Opequon, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek.

  Outcome. Union victories at Opequon and Fisher's Hill were followed by the difficult defense at Cedar Creek, which became the division's final major engagement.

  Source
• 1862Maryland Campaign

  Maryland · Virginia

  Attached to the IX Corps, the division fought at South Mountain and Antietam. Its brigades crossed Antietam Creek at different points in support of the Union attack.

  Outcome. The campaign ended with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's withdrawal from Maryland, although the division suffered the command disruptions associated with Reno's death and Cox's elevation to corps command.

  Source

• 1864

  Army of the Kanawha is renamedOther

  Background

  George Crook assembled a larger force around the Kanawha divisions in July 1864.

  Action taken

  On August 8, Crook renamed the force the Army of West Virginia before it joined Sheridan's forces under the VIII Corps.

  Aftermath

  The Kanawha formations continued to operate in the Shenandoah Valley under a broader army identity.

  Source

• 1863

  Shift toward counter-guerrilla operationsStrategy

  Background

  After returning to western Virginia, the formation operated in an area where Confederate partisan activity was a significant concern.

  Action taken

  Troops undertook irregular operations, including the creation of Blazer's Scouts under Carr B. White.

  Aftermath

  The formation became less associated with large conventional battles during this period and was formally designated the 3rd Division in the Department of West Virginia.

  Source

• 1862

  Transfer to the Army of VirginiaStrategy

  Background

  The enlarged formation was moved from the Mountain Department in preparation for the Second Bull Run campaign.

  Action taken

  Only Scammon's brigade was committed to the preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge, while the rest of the formation did not participate in the main battle.

  Aftermath

  After the campaign, the division was transferred to the Washington defenses.

  Source

1. 1Kanawha Divisionen.wikipedia.org