Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

Here the General was informed that the enemy were holding the summit of the mountain; and on the morning of the ninth, with the Second brigade, Colonel C. B. White, and two regiments of the third, he ascended the mountain to the left of the road, but found the enemy posted on a wooded spur of the mountain about three-fourths of a mile distant, and opposite to and commanding a point where the road debouched from the mountain. The Second brigade was sent to the left to turn the enemy's right flank, while, with the two regiments, the General joined the main body, by this time descending the slope of the mountain. The enemy all this time kept up a perpetual discharge of artillery whenever our men appeared. The Second brigade having many sharp, wooded ridges and deep gulleys to cross, was very much delayed when getting into position. The First brigade was then sent to the left of the road to form in the edge of the wood and support the right of the Second, while the Third formed on the right of the First. As soon as the Second brigade had fairly engaged the enemy, the other two brigades were ordered to charge. The hill was thickly wooded, steep, and was encircled by a stream of water from two to three feet deep, and was approached through a beautiful meadow five or six hundred yards in width. Across this the First and Third charged through a most galling fire of musketry and artillery. For a moment a part of the Third was thrown into confusion, but they soon rallied and came up in good style. On this meadow the gallant Colonel Wolworth fell.

At the foot of the slope the men plunged through the muddy creek, and crossed where they were under shelter from the enemy's fire. A moment's pause, and once more on hard up the ridge, in places ascending at an angle of sixty degrees, under the same withering fire. At the crest of the bridge the men rushed forward over the enemy's breastworks, the enemy bravely remaining and contesting every inch, the artillery men attempting to retreat when our line was within ten paces. Heaps of their dead lay behind their works, mostly shot in the head. Finally the enemy wavered and gave way before the impetuosity of our men, who followed them as fast as their jaded and worn-out condition would permit. Colonel Oley, with his four hundred cavalry men from different regiments, and horses — almost broken down — was ordered in pursuit, and did all that could be possibly done under such circumstances. “Had I but one thousand effective cavalry,” says General Crook, “none of the enemy could have escaped.” Two pieces of artillery and a great number of small arms were captured on the field. Moving on toward Dublin, we encountered some five hundred or one thousand of Morgan's men, who had just arrived on the cars from Saltville; these were soon driven to a rapid flight after their comrades. At Dublin depot we found no enemy, all had fled to the New River bridge.

In the Cloyd's Mountain battle the enemy numbered from four to seven thousand, under the command of General A. G. Jenkins. A rebel Captain, mortally wounded and prisoner, stated that their force outnumbered ours. The prisoners taken were from fourteen different regiments. We buried over two hundred of their dead, and captured two hundred and thirty prisoners, besides the wounded. General A. G. Jenkins and Lieutenant-Colonel Smith fell into our hands, and were paroled to report at Charleston as soon as capable of removal.

Our loss in killed was one hundred and seven; wounded, five hundred; missing, twenty. Most of the latter straggled back to the hospital. Owing to the lack of transportation, it was found necessary to leave two hundred of the most seriously wounded in a hospital near the battle-field, with whom ample supplies and medical attendance were left. Colonel Woolworth, of the Fourth Pennsylvania reserves, fell while leading his men across the meadow. The Ninth Virginia, Colonel J. H. Duvall, lost one-third of its number in killed and wounded while in the same charge.

At Dublin a great amount of rations and cavalry equipments of all kinds fell into our hands, and here the General saw despatches from Richmond stating that Grant had been repulsed and was retreating, with which deceit their leaders had hoped to bolster up the weakened spirits of their men.

On the morning of the tenth the advance reached New River bridge, and found the rebels drawn up in line on the opposite side, having evacuated their works and burned the carriages of two siege guns. After an artillery duel of two hours, they retreated, when the bridge and public property in the vicinity were destroyed. Our loss here was one killed and ten wounded.

On the morning of the eleventh, fifty prisoners arrived from General Averill, with the report that he had been able to reach Saltville, but would strike the railroad at Wytheville. General Crook moved to Blacksburg on this day, and that night heard by courier from General Averill that he had met a large force and could not reach Wytheville, but would be at Dublin that night. Orders were sent to him to destroy the railroad moving towards Lynchburg, which was done for five miles, as far as Christiansburg. Averill rejoined Crook at Union.

Crossing the New River at Pepper's Ferry, the command started for Union through a drenching rain. At the crossing of the road from the Narrows of New River, we met Mudwall Jackson, with fifteen hundred men, who fled toward the Narrows, leaving knapsacks, camp and garrison equipage, etc., in our hands. Owing to the impassable condition of the roads — the mud being hub deep — and the worn out and almost starved condition of the mules, it was found