The 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, often called "Derrick's Battalion", was an infantry battalion in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia (now West Virginia) and the Shenandoah Valley, and was usually part of a brigade commanded by John Echols or George S. Patton. By 1864, the brigade was usually part of a division commanded by Major General John C. Breckinridge or Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton.
From its organization in January 1862 until a reorganization in May of the same year, the battalion was commanded by Major David Stuart Hounshell. Shortly after the reorganization, Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Derrick was commissioned and became battalion commander. Derrick graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1861. Most of the battalion's men were from Virginia counties located along the Appalachian Mountains. An additional company was from West Virginia's Mercer County, and another company from North Carolina's Stokes County.
Battles at White Sulphur Springs, Droop Mountain, and Third Winchester were the most significant fighting for the battalion. Major William Blessing temporarily led the battalion in the Battle of Droop Mountain in 1863. After Derrick was captured in the Third Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864, Captain Edmund S. Read temporarily commanded the battalion until Blessing returned from the hospital. Blessing commanded the battalion until the end of the war.
Formation and organization The 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, also known as Derrick's Battalion or the 1st Battalion, was organized on January 15, 1862. It originally consisted of five companies commanded by Major David Stuart Hounshell. Several of the companies were originally part of an unsuccessful attempt to organize a regiment. The battalion was reorganized on May 21 of the same year. Clarence Derrick was commissioned lieutenant colonel and assigned command of the battalion on May 25. Derrick, who graduated from the United States Military Academy (a.k.a. West Point) in 1861, was previously adjutant to Brigadier General John B. Floyd.
Three more companies were added in the spring of 1863, completing the battalion at eight companies. Most of the men in the battalion were from the Virginia counties of Smyth, Tazewell, and Giles. One company was from Mercer County, which was located in western Virginia and became part of the new state of West Virginia. Another company was from Stokes County, North Carolina, which is located along the border with Virginia. Captains William P. Cecil and William Blessing became majors of the battalion. Cecil resigned in the spring of 1862. Blessing received his promotion on March 5, 1863. After Derrick was captured on September 19, 1864, Blessing commanded the battalion for the remaining portion of the war.
Early service Kanawha campaign of 1862
Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Derrick commanded the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion. His battalion was also known as Derrick's Battalion or the 1st Battalion. Its first action as a unit came in the Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1862. At that time, the battalion was part of the Army of Southwestern Virginia, which was commanded by Major General William W. Loring. The battalion was in the First Brigade, which was commanded by Brigadier General John Echols.
On September6, Loring began a campaign to remove Union soldiers from the Kanawha Valley. His army moved north to Fayetteville, Virginia, where he attacked a Union brigade on September10 in the Battle of Fayetteville. Fayetteville was often called "Fayette Court House", and later became part of West Virginia. In this battle, Derrick's Battalion was detached to a flanking force that moved behind the Union fortifications at Fayetteville. The Union force escaped during the night, and Loring's army pursued it to Charleston.
In September13, the battalion fought the two-brigade Union army commanded by Colonel Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn in the Battle of Charleston. In this battle, the battalion was part of the First Brigade, which was temporarily commanded by Colonel John McCausland since Echols was ill. The battalion formed a skirmish line that led the attack on Union forces within the city. The Union army burned a bridge across the Elk River, and escaped to the safety of Ohio. During the entire campaign, the battalion had a total of 29 casualties—including two killed.
White Sulphur Springs
During August26 and27, 1863, Derrick's Battalion fought in the Battle of White Sulphur Springs, which is also known as the Battle of Dry Creek. The battle took place at the intersection of Anthony's Creek Road and the James River and Kanawha Turnpike, which was about east of the town of White Sulphur Springs. Further west was Lewisburg, the Greenbrier County seat. Derrick's Battalion was part of a brigade normally commanded by John Echols, but temporarily commanded by Colonel George S. Patton. The brigade was part of the Department of East Tennessee, which was commanded by Major General Samuel Jones. Jones called his command the "Department of Western Virginia", and he was headquartered in Sweet Springs, West Virginia. Jones monitored a Union expedition toward Lewisburg that was led by Brigadier General William W. Averell. Jones was concerned for the safety of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, which was used to transport soldiers and supplies for the Confederate army.
Averell's Union brigade consisted of cavalry and mounted infantry, and totaled to about 1,300 men. The Confederate brigade led by Patton consisted of about 2,300 men. Derrick's Battalion, with additional men from the 37th Virginia Infantry Battalion, arrived at the battle after it began. Patton had become concerned about his left, and Derrick's Battalion arrived in time to reinforce that section of the battlefield. While Derrick made position adjustments, Major William Blessing led two companies of the battalion to the line of battle. Blessing's detachment helped repel a charge made by the 2nd West Virginia Mounted Infantry. The Confederate army successfully stopped Averell near White Sulphur Springs, and Averell was pursued back to a Union outpost in Beverly, West Virginia. Casualties for the 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion were three killed and 18 wounded for a total of 21 of the 162 reported casualties for Patton's brigade.
Droop Mountain
The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on November 6, 1863. In this battle, a Union brigade commanded by Averell defeated a smaller force commanded by Echols. Averell's objective was to move south past Droop Mountain to Lewisburg, West Virginia, where he would join another Union brigade moving from Charleston to Lewisburg, to drive out a Confederate force stationed there. The second part of his objective, which was the principal goal, was to advance further south and destroy a railroad bridge over the New River—which would make it difficult for two Confederate divisions commanded by Lieutenant General James Longstreet to return to Virginia from Tennessee. To protect Lewisburg and the railroad, Echols arrived at Droop Mountain with Patton as his brigade leader. He reinforced a smaller unit already at the top of the mountain. The smaller force was commanded by Colonel William L. "Mudwall" Jackson. As part of Patton's brigade, Derrick's Battalion was temporarily commanded by Major William Blessing. Echols placed Derrick's Battalion on his extreme right, putting the men on the right side of the road to Lewisburg at the summit of the mountain.
Averell placed artillery and one cavalry regiment on his left, and three mounted infantry regiments occupied the center. They needed to get past the mountain to continue toward Lewisburg. Averell planned an attack where a portion of his troops would divert the attention of the Confederates with artillery from the front and left, while a 1,175-man force would covertly flank Echols from the Union right (Confederate left). To counter the flanking maneuver (and pleas for help), Derrick's Battalion (except one company) was shifted to the Confederate left. The Union plan worked well, and eventually Confederate troops fled in panic. Derrick's Battalion had 5 killed, 26 wounded, and 29 captured for a total of 60 casualties. For all Confederate troops, 33 were killed, 121 wounded, and 122 captured for a total of 276 casualties. Echols' men escaped south before the Union brigade from Charleston arrived at Lewisburg, and Averell did not continue south to the railroad because of rumors that heavy Confederate reinforcements were arriving at the New River bridge. Although some historians conclude that Confederate resistance in West Virginia collapsed after this battle, the fighting may have simply shifted to the Shenandoah Valley.
Service 1864
At the beginning of 1864, Echols' Brigade (with Patton listed as commander) continued to be part of the Confederate Department of Western Virginia. The brigade operated as a detached unit in West Virginia, including near the community of Beverly. In March, Major General John C. Breckinridge was assigned command of the department. The territory included Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and south of Stanton, Virginia, and the southern portion of the new Union state of West Virginia. By that time he had only 5,000 scattered troops to defend nearly of mountainous terrain.
Breckinridge became concerned about the increasing number of Union troops near his territory, so he began concentrating Confederate troops during early May. Among the troops concentrated near Staunton, Virginia, were Echols' brigade and a second brigade commanded by Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton. Derrick's Battalion, along with the 26th Virginia Infantry Battalion and 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment, comprised Echols' brigade. The 2,150-man brigade was well armed and equipped as of May 6, and described as "soldierly and imposing". Working as a division commanded by Breckinridge, the two brigades moved north to Harrisonburg on May 13. Further north in the valley was a Union army commanded by Major General Franz Sigel.
New Market and east
Breckinridge's Division, with cavalry, fought Sigel in the Battle of New Market on May 15. Derrick's Battalion began the fight near the Valley Pike concealed from Union troops. Derrick was the only Confederate West Point graduate in the battle. Included among the Confederate troops were cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (a.k.a. VMI). Defending from high ground and then taking the offensive, Breckenridge drove Sigel's larger force away. As part of this fight, Derrick's Battalion helped repel an attacking Union cavalry division commanded by Major General Julius Stahel. The battalion was also involved in a flanking maneuver that inflicted 45 percent casualties on the Union's 54th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Derrick's Battalion, which consisted of 579 men, had two killed, 75 wounded, and two missing for a total of 79 casualties. The Union defeat led to Sigel being replaced by Major General David Hunter.
After the battle, Breckinridge was ordered out of the valley and moved to Hanover Junction near the North Anna River, where he waited for additional Confederate troops. Breckinridge's assignment was to protect the rail junction. The junction was a vital part of the Army of Northern Virginia's supply lines, and Confederate troops arrived there before Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac. Lee and Grant's armies had multiple skirmishes in the area that became known collectively as the Battle of North Anna, but no significant gains were made by either side.