Molly, drawing back in surprise, and almost pleading, shouted, “Oh, no! No! No! General Lee, you can’t desert these people.”
General Lee placed a hand on each of Molly’s shoulders, looked her straight in the eye, and replied, “It’s imperative, my dear. I’m greatly disappointed in Western Virginia. The majority of the people are openly against us. Others secretly are in sympathy with the Yankees. We cannot waste our time or strength in defense of people who plan on secession from Virginia. Even here, among my own enlisted officers and men, dissension reigns. Dissension is so great that it is impracticable to wage a successful campaign here. Soon as we withdraw this section of Virginia will be taken over by the enemy. Those allied with the Confederates will not be safe. You cannot stay here because your loyalty to the South puts you in grave danger. You must go somewhere well within the Confederate lines. Why not Richmond, where you can stay with your aunt?”
He could see the tears flowing from her blue eyes, so he took her by the hand and opened the flap on the tent. “Molly, Colonel Tyler will give you his tent. You must rest. I have work to do if we leave for the Gauley tonight,” said the general.
CHAPTER XI
It was late afternoon when Molly emerged from the tent. Rested, refreshed, but still in the Yankee uniform. The first thing she saw was Black Demon still hitched to the top rail of an old, worm-eaten fence. When he saw her coming, he perked up and began to whinny. She picked up the reins and walked toward a nearby watering trough with him playfully nudging her in the back.
When they reached the water, Molly let him drink. Then she began washing the whitewash from his black coat. Tearfully, she began to talk, “Black Boy, we’re not disloyal to anyone. We’re both loyal to the South, to Rubin and Nanny, and to General Lee and to Andy. In spite of what General Lee says, and regardless of his suspicions, Andy is loyal to us. He says the enemy will overrun Western Virginia and that we will not be safe. If General Lee says so, it must be true. We have to go with them. We have to leave the Pines.”
“Molly! Molly!” Startled, she turned quickly to see General Lee standing at a table under the huge white oak tree in front of his tent, motioning for her to join him. She could see Generals Wise, Loring, Floyd, Colonel Veneable, and Chapman standing there with him. As she approached, General Lee continued, “Molly, we have completed our plans for one more thrust into the Kanawha Valley before we withdraw. This is August 22nd. We must have our mission completed and back here by mid-September.
“We have reputable information that General Cox has withdrawn to Gauley Bridge, leaving only three to four hundred men on the Meadow Bluffs. Our informant reports that Cox is meeting General Rosecrans, who is now the ranking officer of the Federal troops in Western Virginia. He will be leaving Clarksburg to establish headquarters at Gauley Bridge. We owe a debt of gratitude to General Wise for burning the bridge that crossed Gauley River when he withdrew from the Kanawha Valley. Because of the heavy current, they cannot cross the river at that point. This also means we cannot cross, preventing us from mounting a frontal assault, and we do not wish to, since our orders are to leave Western Virginia.
“There are two points where they can mount an attack against us—first at Carnifex Ferry at Cross Lanes. Second, they could cross at the Montgomery Ferry and come across Cotton Hill. Molly, here is the plan we have decided to pursue. General Floyd will leave this afternoon, going by the Meadow River route to Cross Lanes. There at the Carnifex Ferry, they can prevent Colonel Tyler from crossing. Tomorrow General Wise will leave with his men. They will take the road through Meadow Bridge to the Fayette Court House. There he will set cannons in place and cannonade the hell out of the road below the falls. This will prevent them from reaching the Montgomery Ferry.
“The following day, Colonel Chapman and I will march down the old turnpike. Our first bivouac will be at Spy Rock. This will provide us a strong position to mount our attack on the dragoons’ position. Spy Rock provides an excellent position overlooking a valley several miles broad. From here we can mount our attack, either by the turnpike or the Clifty Road.
“After we drive the dragoons out, Colonel Chapman will place cannons in the beetling cliffs on the New River side overlooking the Gauley. From here he will cannonade the town for ten days to two weeks.
“General Loring will secure our position for withdrawal by marching east to the Greenbrier River, providing defense from any Northern troops coming in from Huntersville.
“Colonel Venable will keep things normal here in camp, keeping a place where we can regroup and withdraw as a complete army. He will also keep the enemy on the other hill from taking this hill. Gentlemen, we all have our assignments. Remember, we are to rendezvous in mid-September.”
Less than two hours later, about three thousand troops were in readiness for their ride to Cross Lanes. They had orders to dislodge any Union picket posts along the way. Orders to move out were given. Next morning, General Loring marched east with nearly one thousand troops. General Wise left that afternoon, leading a column of over two thousand men.
On the third day soon after the midday meal, General Lee and Molly were riding at the head of a column of nearly eight hundred men. Generals Wise and Floyd reached their destination without encountering any resistance. General Lee’s men were in a number of sharp skirmishes along the line of picket posts extending from the old Stone House to Spy Rock. The pickets scattered left and right, but none retreated toward the Gauley.
On the twenty-sixth of August, Floyd reached the Carnifex Ferry at Gauley River. He salvaged two flatboats that had been sunk by Colonel Tyler to prevent an attack from that direction. The flatboats ferried about two thousand troops across the Gauley, launching a surprise attack that routed Tyler’s regiment. Within the next few days, Floyd constructed a footbridge across the river. Currents above and below Carnifex Ferry prevented any crossing. With the bridge in place, Floyd was ready for a hasty retreat.
Rosecrans broke camp just outside Summerville before daylight, the tenth of September, for a two-day march to Gauley, planning to bivouac at Carnifex Ferry. General Benham’s brigade was in front. Soon he met enemy pickets. Assuming that Floyd was in retreat, Benham pressed forward rather rashly, deploying his men to the left, encountering a sharp rain of fire from the enemy’s works. The woods were dense and tangled. It was too late for proper reconnaissance. Rosecrans hastened the advance and deployment of the brigade of Colonels Cook and Scammon. It was impossible to see much of the Rebel troops. They lacked unity, and Rosecrans was at his height of anger because his troops were engaged in battle before he had time to plan an attack. He ordered the troops withdrawn from fire until positions could be unified for an attack in the morning.
Floyd knew his position could be subjected to destructive cannonade; therefore, he silently retreated across the Gauley in the night. He sunk the flatboats and destroyed the footbridge that they had built over the smooth water known as the Fury. Above and below the Fury, the mountain torrent was impassable. The next morning, out of range of the cannons, he started an orderly retreat toward Big Sewell Mountain.
General Lee, with extreme caution, rested his men an extra day while scouting the enemy position in and around the old inn. Reports received from the scouts estimated the force to be somewhere around three hundred men with few pickets east of the Tyree Inn.
The morning of August 26, the morning meal over, plans were reviewed. The sun had risen above the top of the mountain and hung there like a large ball of fire partially secured by a blue morning haze that reminded them that autumn was fast approaching. General Lee mounted Traveler and looked west over the broad valley. The order was relayed to his troops to mount. “Forward ho!” echoed back through the mounted troops as they began to move down the old turnpike.