Army of West Virginia
| Army of West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 9, 1864 – December 19, 1864 |
| Country |  Field Army |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Brig. Gen. George Crook Col. Thomas Harris Brig. Gen. Isaac Duval Col. Joseph Thoburn Col. J. Howard Kitching Col. Rutherford B. Hayes Brev. Maj. William McKinley |
The Army of West Virginia served in the
23rd Ohio Infantry
. With fighting in the Valley ended, the Army of West Virginia's designation was discontinued.
History
Shenandoah Valley Campaign
and fought in all the major engagements.
The 1st Division was led by Col.
Third Winchester. Command of the division passed to Col. Rutherford B. Hayes who led the division at Cedar Creek. A Provisional Division led by Colonel J. Howard Kitching joined just prior to the battle of Cedar Creek. Exact composition of the Provisional Division is unknown other than approximately 1,000 soldiers including the 6th New York Heavy Artillery.[2] Kitching was severely wounded at Cedar Creek and died the following year as a result. His place was taken by Col. Wilhelm Heine
.
On December 19, 1864, with the fighting in the Valley over, the official designation as "Army of West Virginia" was discontinued but Crook retained command of the Department of West Virginia. Hayes' division remained in the Department of West Virginia while Thoburn's (Harris') and Kitching's (Heine's) divisions were transferred to the Army of the James.
Commander
- Major General Franz Sigel
- Major General David Hunter (21 May–8 Aug 1864)
- Major General George Crook (8 Aug–19 Dec 1864)
Major battles
- Battle of Cloyd's Mountain
- Battle of New Market
- Battle of Piedmont
- Battle of Lynchburg
- Battle of Cool Spring
- Battle of Rutherford's Farm
- Second Battle of Kernstown
- Battle of Berryville
- Battle of Opequon
- Battle of Fisher's Hill
- Battle of Cedar Creek
References
- ^ Eicher does not confirm that the Army of West Virginia was synonymous with the VIII Corps in his book Civil War High Commands.
- ^ "Cedar Creek Battlefield" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
