The Wytheville Raid or Toland's Raid (July 18, 1863) was an attack by an undersized Union brigade on a Confederate town during the American Civil War. Union Colonel John Toland led a brigade of over 800 men against a Confederate force of about 130 soldiers and 120 civilians. The location of Wytheville, the county seat of Wythe County in southwestern Virginia, had strategic importance because of a nearby lead mine and the railroad that served it. This mine supplied lead for about one third of the Confederate Army's munitions, while the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad transported Confederate troops and supplies; plus telegraph wires along the railroad line were vital for communications. In addition to logistics of moving the lead to bullet manufacturing facilities, this rail line also connected an important salt works of an adjacent county with the wider Confederacy.
Toland's entire brigade was mounted, and consisted of a mounted infantry regiment plus eight companies of cavalry. It approached the small town of Wytheville on the evening of July 18. The community had been warned that a large force of Union horsemen was heading in its direction, and hastily made preparations before the brigade's arrival. While many in the community fled south or hid in their homes, a force of about 120 civilians (including home guard) volunteered to defend their town. The Union cavalry entered the town first, charging in column down the main road that led into town. The men from the cavalry were ambushed by Confederate soldiers, Home Guard, and local citizens. Most of the local men, and women, fired their one–shot muskets from inside their homes and businesses. This type of warfare was considered unconventional at the time. One Union soldier described the road as an "avenue of death".
The Union force suffered significant losses. The Union commander, Colonel Toland, was killed. The severely wounded cavalry commander, Colonel William H. Powell, was left to die and became a prisoner of the Confederates. (Powell was also second in command of the entire brigade.) Additional officers and enlisted men were killed, wounded, or missing. The Union after action report listed a total of 86 men killed, wounded, missing, or taken prisoner during the entire expedition—although Confederate leadership believed the Union casualties were much higher. (The entire expedition includes the trips to and from Wytheville.) Approximately 300 horses were lost (killed, wounded, or injured) by the brigade during the raid and retreat—including an estimated 80 killed on the streets of Wytheville. Despite significant losses, the Union brigade was eventually able to secure the town. However, the victory was costly, and the northerners retreated less than 24 hours after entering the small community. A group of soldiers and civilians, less than one third the size of the Union force they opposed, prevented a brigade from destroying vital assets of the Confederacy—a railroad line, telegraph line along the railroad, a lead mine, and possibly a salt mine. After the conflict, Union infantry leaders were critical of the Union cavalry's performance, and men from the cavalry were critical of the infantry leadership's tactics.
Wythe County
Wythe County is located in southwestern Virginia near the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was created in 1790, and named after George Wythe. Wythe was a legal mentor to Thomas Jefferson during the 1760s, and signed the Declaration of Independence. The crossroads town of Wytheville was the county seat during the Civil War, and remains so today. According to the 1860 census, the county's population was 12,305, and Wytheville's population was 1,111. Wytheville was said to have 1,800 "inhabitants" in 1863.
Wythe County had two resources that caught the attention of the Union army during the Civil War—a lead mine and a railroad. The lead mine was located about southeast of Wytheville in the unincorporated community of Austinville. The mine was the source for a significant portion, estimated to be about one third, of the lead used by the Confederacy to produce bullets for its armies.
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, which ran roughly east–west through the county, served the lead mine. Telegraph lines strung along the railroad were vital for communications in the region, and enabled communications between the Confederate capitol of Richmond and points as far west as Tennessee. In addition, the railroad was important for transporting Confederate troops and supplies. The railroad had a station located about south of the center of Wytheville. Ammunition and weapons for the Confederate Army were often stored there. Thus, the town had a strategic significance during the American Civil War, and was often a target.
Because of the railroad, Wytheville was connected to two more points of military significance. A small headquarters for the Confederate army was located about west of Wytheville at the western edge the adjacent Smyth County. The army outpost was at the community named Saltville, which was the home of a salt mine that was important to the Confederacy. Salt is essential for the diet of humans and livestock, and was also used (at the time) to preserve meat. Salt was not widely available during the Civil War, and eight states used salt from this mine. More fighting would occur at Saltville in 1864. About east of Wytheville in Pulaski County is the Dublin railroad depot, which was a regional headquarters for the Confederate Army. The Dublin Depot was originally named Newbern Depot, although the town of Newbern is south of the railroad line. A short time before the Civil War, the depot was renamed Dublin Depot in honor of the New Dublin Presbyterian Church, which was located nearby. Thus, some maps from the early 1860s still used New Bern to identify the depot.
Union brigade On the afternoon of July 13, 1863, a brigade of 870 Union soldiers departed their base camp located a few miles upriver (east) of Charleston, West Virginia. Their orders, which came from General Eliakim P. Scammon, were to disable the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. Telegraph line strung along the railroad line was also a target. If circumstances allowed, nearby lead and salt mines would also be objectives. Although the railroad, lead mine, and salt mine were obvious targets, communications sent by General Scammon were in code. Thus, exact details of the plan were known by few.
The Union brigade consisted of 365 men from the 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment and 505 men from the 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This combined force is considered undersized for a Civil War brigade, which usually consisted of about 2,600 soldiers. Colonel John T. Toland was the acting brigadier general, and therefore commanded the brigade. He was from the 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Toland had performed with "utmost bravery and valor" in the Kanawha Valley Campaign, which occurred during September 1862. During the campaign, Toland twice escaped serious injury while his horses were killed.
The infantry commander was Lieutenant Colonel Freeman E. Franklin. The 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was also known as "Piatt's Zouaves" or the "1st Ohio Zouaves", and typically served as a mounted infantry, including in this expedition. As mounted infantry, Piatt's Zouaves used horses for transportation, but (unlike cavalry) fought dismounted. Their infantry weapons were heavier and had longer range than the light weapons used by cavalry. Colonel Abram S. Piatt, who retired in 1862 after injuries, was their original commander. Piatt's Zouaves wore distinctive caps and uniforms trimmed in red, but did not always have the Asian-style baggy pants with open jackets typical of zouave units. Regiments that dressed as zouaves during the Civil War were copying the look (and hopefully the discipline) of elite French troops that fought successfully during the 1850s in northern Africa.
Colonel William H. Powell was commander of the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry regiment, and second in command of the brigade. Powell also performed well in the Kanawha Valley Campaign, leading (as a major) the advance guard of the 2nd Loyal (West) Virginia Cavalry that successfully attacked a larger rebel cavalry and drove it away. If the rebel cavalry had not been removed from its position, the entire Union army in the Kanawha River Valley would have been surrounded and prevented from retreating to safety. During November 1862, Powell led a group of 22 men that captured an entire rebel camp in what became known as the Sinking Creek Raid. For this action, Powell was later awarded the Medal of Honor. Powell, who had been told by General George Crook to not return from the Sinking Creek Raid without good results, received a letter from Crook in 1889 that said "... I have always regarded the part you took in that expedition as one of the most daring, brilliant and successful of the whole war."
Raleigh After departing from camp, the brigade traveled along the Coal River, moving upriver about without significant incidents. Traveling along the river required numerous river crossings. On the evening of July 14, the advance guard (the cavalry's Company C) was about east of Raleigh Court House (also known as Beckley, West Virginia) when it was ambushed while crossing Piney Creek. A sergeant was killed, and a private mortally wounded. Three additional men were wounded. Colonel Toland sent forward two companies of infantry as skirmishers, which soon drove the Confederate force away.
After the incident, the men were ordered to fall back to the pike that was located between the West Virginia communities of Raleigh Court House and Oceana. (At the time, Oceana was the county seat of Wyoming County.) The brigade became separated into two groups during this time (early morning before sunrise on July 15) because the portion led by Lieutenant Colonel Franklin had not received the order to fall back. Both groups were required to operate on bad roads and in extreme darkness. They were reunited about from Raleigh Court House around noon.
At a farm west of Raleigh Court House, a two-company detachment from the 1st West Virginia Cavalry joined the brigade and brought supplies. The detachment's leader, Captain George Washington Gilmore, also brought orders from General Scammon that clarified the brigade's mission. The men were issued four days of rations plus three days of rations for their horses. Any men or horses determined to be unfit to continue the expedition were sent back to their home camp with the empty supply wagons. The group returning to home camp was escorted by one company from the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry. Thus, the brigade continued with 441 mounted infantry men, 298 men from the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry, and 79 men from the 1st West Virginia Cavalry.
Tug Ridge