Unknown to George R. Latham, November 8, 1861
Camp Gauley Mountain, November 8, 1861.
Schenck’s boats will not be ready to-night. Scouts from Lookout and —
Bowyer’s Ferry report no indications of approaching force. There is a scout out to-night to go up towards Sewell. I want Nugent’s located on our map and to hear from your scouts above. We may be obliged to seize Cotton Hill by the front if strongly opposed and unable to cross above. I hope to hear again from your scouts to-night as to the road
over to Laurel Creek, &c. I hope, general, you will be reserved in dis- .
cussing our plans and caution the staff. A dispatch came to me in cipher to you from Lander.
Brigadier-General BENHAM, Camp, Loop Creek Mouth. [Inclosure No. 21.]
Nos. 14 and 15 received. Everything you report noted and so far satisfactory. What I want to know is what sort of a road or path you will have to go over to reach Warner’s Mill and what sort of ground you could form or debouch on. The details of that should be well studied. If your front is narrow, the difficulties will of course increase. If you can form out of sight and deploy so as to cover the ground right
and left of their position, it would be better. If the passway is clear in —
the center and positions can be found for the two mountain howitzers to enfilade or even play on their camp, better still. Proceed with great caution and secrecy to get these details as far as possible. The scouts have seen the camp at a distance, as Dives saw Lazarus, but there may be a great gulf between thems Appearances indicate that your
brigade, with support from Gauley properly timed, could whip them, .
but let us try to make a certainty. The distance of 2 miles given by the scouts, as mentioned in No. 15; must be a mistake. It is 4 miles from the mouth of Loop to the Fayette road, mouth of Big Mill, and
Peary between these is that immense ridge, on top of which they certainly are
not. You say nothing of Cassidy’s Mill. Our information shown on
the sketch indicates it as a key-point. Give that a little of your atoo early to-morrow. Fifteen dragoons have been ordered to report O you.