Overview
The Battle of Charleston took place on September 13, 1862, during Confederate General William Wing Loring’s Kanawha Valley Campaign. Union officials had weakened the region’s defenses on August 11, 1862, when they transferred General Jacob D. Cox and about 5,000 soldiers to Eastern Virginia. A cavalry raid led by Confederate General Albert Jenkins confirmed that Colonel Joseph A.J. Lightburn commanded only about 5,000 Union soldiers in the valley.
Loring led about 5,000 Confederate troops northwest from Narrows, Virginia, on September 6. His men drove Union forces from Fayetteville on September 10 and continued pushing them north. Early on September 13, Confederate artillery opened fire from high ground east of Charleston. Union artillery returned fire, but Lightburn withdrew toward the center of town at about 11:30 a.m.
Lightburn advised civilians to evacuate and burned several buildings to prevent their capture. At about 3 p.m., Loring’s men seized the Union garrison flag and entered downtown Charleston. Union soldiers crossed and destroyed the suspension bridge over the Elk River before continuing their retreat.
Lightburn protected a 700-wagon supply train as his troops moved north. They crossed the Ohio River at Ravenswood on September 16. The Confederate campaign forced Union troops from Western Virginia, but Union forces returned and regained the Kanawha Valley by November 1862.
Essential Facts
- Date: September 13, 1862.
- Location: Charleston, Virginia, now Charleston, West Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Joseph A.J. Lightburn.
- CSA Commanders: General William Wing Loring.
- Who Won: The Confederate States won the Battle of Charleston.
- Campaign: Kanawha Valley Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, July–December, 1862.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 310 for the entire campaign, including 25 killed, 95 wounded, and 190 missing or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Department of the Ohio.
- Troop Strength: 5,000.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 97 for the entire campaign, including eight killed and 89 wounded.
- Forces Engaged: Department of Southwestern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: 5,000.
Significance
The Battle of Charleston is important to American History because it completed General William Wing Loring’s successful effort to force Union troops from the Kanawha Valley. Although Union Colonel Joseph A.J. Lightburn lost Charleston, he saved a 700-wagon supply train valued at more than $1 million. Confederate control remained temporary. Disagreements involving Loring weakened the Confederate position, and officials removed him from command on October 15, 1862. Union General Jacob D. Cox later returned with a larger force, which regained the Kanawha Valley and Western Virginia by November.
History
During the summer of 1861, Union and Confederate forces struggled for control of western Virginia. The area was of considerable importance because gaps in the Appalachian Mountains connected the East to the Midwest. The Virginia Militia acted quickly, disrupting traffic on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and taking control of turnpikes through the mountains. Federal officials countered by sending 20,000 troops into the area under the command of Major General George B. McClellan.
McClellan Occupies Charleston
McClellan’s forces pressed the Confederate troops in the area throughout the summer and fall. Following the Union victory at the Battle of Rich Mountain (July 11, 1861), Federal troops marched into Charleston two weeks later on July 25. Subsequent Union successes at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry (September 10, 1861), and the Battle of Cheat Mountain (September 12–15, 1861) cemented Federal control of the Kanawha River Valley and western Virginia.
Kanawha Valley Under-defended
On August 11, 1862, Union officials transferred Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox and roughly 5,000 soldiers from his Kanawha Division to eastern Virginia as part of the troop buildup for the Northern Virginia Campaign (July 19–September 1, 1862). Cox’s departure left the Kanawha Valley dangerously under-defended.
On August 22, 1862, Confederate Major General William Wing Loring, commanding the Department of Southwestern Virginia, ordered Brigadier General Albert Jenkins to lead a cavalry raid into the Kanawha Valley, south of Charleston. Upon his return, Jenkins confirmed reports that the Union had recently cut the size of the garrison protecting the valley in half, from 10,000 to 5,000 soldiers, commanded by Colonel Joseph A. J. Lightburn.
Battle of Fayetteville
Sensing an opportunity to restore Confederate control of the valley, Loring led about 5,000 Confederate soldiers northwest from Narrows, Virginia, on September 6, 1862, toward the Kanawha River. Four days and roughly seventy-five miles later, Loring’s troops engaged the Federals and drove them away from Fayetteville, Virginia, on September 10. Throughout the next two days (September 11–12, 1862), the two sides engaged in several skirmishes as the Confederates continued to drive the Yankees north.
Loring Drives Federals From Charleston
Early on Saturday morning, September 13, 1862, the Confederates established artillery batteries on the high ground east of Charleston and began shelling Union forces near the site of the present state capitol building. The Federals countered with their own barrage, touching off a spirited artillery engagement that lasted most of the morning.
At roughly 11:30 a.m., the Yankees yielded their position and withdrew to the center of town. As the Confederates continued to push the Federals back, Colonel Lightburn advised the civilian population to evacuate and then torched several buildings to keep them from falling into Confederate hands.
At about 3 p.m., General Loring’s men captured the Union garrison flag and the triumphant general rode into downtown Charleston. Meanwhile, Lightburn’s men crossed the suspension bridge spanning the Elk River and then destroyed it to delay the pursuing Confederates. Each side shelled their opponent until about 5 p.m., and infantrymen continued to skirmish until darkness ended the battle.
The next day, Loring reported to Confederate Secretary of War George Randolph that “besides inflicting a great loss in men, we have captured immense amounts of wagons and horses, inventories of which we are now taking, and which will doubtless amount to at least $1,000,000.” After pausing in Charleston long enough to enable his supply train to catch up with his soldiers, Loring continued in hot pursuit of the retreating Federals.
Aftermath
Accompanied by liberated slaves and townspeople, Lightburn’s soldiers traveled fifty miles northward for the next three days, struggling to protect a 700-wagon supply train, while skirmishing with the Confederates to their rear. On September 16, 1862, they crossed the Ohio River at Ravenswood, Virginia (now West Virginia), and Loring called off the chase.
Loring’s hugely successful campaign, which drove the Yankees out of western Virginia, cost him only 97 casualties (eight killed and 89 wounded). Lightburn suffered 310 casualties (25 killed, 95 wounded, and 190 missing/captured), but officials credited him with saving a huge supply train valued at over one million dollars.
Loring’s triumph was short-lived. While occupying Charleston, he became embroiled in disagreements with Virginia state officials. He also vacillated between maintaining control of the Kanawha Valley and complying with Robert E. Lee’s request for support as the Army of Northern Virginia retreated from Maryland following the Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862). As a result, on October 15, 1862, Confederate officials relieved Loring from his command.
Loring’s replacement, General John Echols, could not halt the reoccupation of the valley by an overwhelming Federal force led by Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox, who had returned to the area. By November, the Yankees regained control of the Kanawha Valley and western Virginia.
Timeline
- 1861, Summer — Union and Confederate forces struggled for control of Western Virginia.
- 1861, July 11 — Union forces won the Battle of Rich Mountain.
- 1861, July 25 — Union troops occupied Charleston.
- 1861, September 10 — Union forces won the Battle of Carnifex Ferry.
- 1861, September 12–15 — Union forces won the Battle of Cheat Mountain.
- 1862, August 11 — Union officials transferred Jacob D. Cox and about 5,000 soldiers from the Kanawha Division to Eastern Virginia.
- 1862, August 22 — William Wing Loring ordered Albert Jenkins to conduct a cavalry raid into the Kanawha Valley.
- 1862, September 6 — Loring led about 5,000 Confederate soldiers northwest from Narrows, Virginia.
- 1862, September 10 — Confederate troops drove Union forces from Fayetteville.
- 1862, September 11–12 — Confederate and Union forces fought several smaller actions as the Federals retreated north.
- 1862, September 13
- Confederate artillery opened fire on Union forces near Charleston.
- A.J. Lightburn withdrew his troops toward the center of Charleston at about 11:30 a.m.
- Lightburn advised civilians to evacuate and ordered several buildings burned.
- Confederate troops captured the Union garrison flag and entered downtown Charleston at about 3:00 p.m.
- Union soldiers crossed and destroyed the suspension bridge over the Elk River.
- Darkness ended the Battle of Charleston.
- 1862, September 14 — Loring reported the capture of wagons, horses, and supplies valued at at least $1 million.
- 1862, September 16 — Lightburn’s troops crossed the Ohio River at Ravenswood, and Loring ended the pursuit.
- 1862, September 17 — The Battle of Antietam took place as the Army of Northern Virginia retreated from Maryland.
- 1862, October 15 — Confederate officials removed William Wing Loring from command.
- 1862, November — Union forces regained control of the Kanawha Valley and Western Virginia.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Charleston (1862) — The Battle of Charleston was a Confederate victory fought in Charleston, Virginia, on September 13, 1862, during the Kanawha Valley Campaign. General William Wing Loring advanced after Union officials reduced the valley’s garrison to 5,000 soldiers. Confederate artillery forced Colonel Joseph A.J. Lightburn to withdraw through the city. Lightburn destroyed the Elk River bridge, protected a 700-wagon supply train, and escaped across the Ohio River. Despite the Confederate victory, Union forces regained control of the valley by November.
Alignment
The Battle of Charleston is part of the following AP US History sections:
