Unknown to Montgomery C. Meigs, September 1, 1865

Quartermaster-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.: General : I have the honor to submit to your department, through Col. A. Stager, chief, &e. (pursuant to General Orders, No. 39, Quar¬ termaster-General’s Department), my annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1865. My annual report for 1864 was rendered to your department through Col. A. Stager, chief of U. S. Military Tele¬ graphs, in the latter part of October, 1864.

It has been my duty during the past year to act as assistant superintendent of U. S. Military Telegraphs within the Department of West Virginia and the State of Ohio, and to be chief purchasing officer for the supplies required by the different officers connected with this branch of the public service for the operation and construction of >;U. S. military telegraphs within the several departments. My headf quarters have been at Cleveland, Ohio.

Military operations have not been extensively active within the Department of West Virginia during the last year, and, with the exception of two or three important movements, the operations have been confined to rnaintaining a line of militarj^ posts adjacent to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and along the Kanawha River.

Whenever our troops have been dispatched upon expeditions or raids within the enemy’s lines cipher operators have generally been furnished to accompany such movements. The expedition of MajorGeneral Crook in May, 1864, was not referred to in my report for that year, and allusion to the same is therefore made herein. A portion of General Crook’s command, comprising three brigades of infantry and ^out 300 cavalry, left Fayetteville, W. Va., during the first week of May and proceeded to Lexington, where they destroyed the camp and garrison equipage of two rebel regiments which had been left in charge of rebel guards. On the evening of the 8th the expedition arrived at Shannon’s Cross-Roads, ten miles from Dublin Depot. At Shannon’s Cross-Roads a rebel telegraph line was intercepted by the cipher operator accompanying the expedition, but owing to the pre-

ing of the 9th our forces reached Cloyd’s Mountain, five miles from Dublin Depot, and General Crook at once made an attack upon the rebels, who were protected by earth-works; but after two hours’ deter¬ mined resistance the enemy fled in utter confusion, leaving their dead and wounded. During this engagement the telegraph operator acted as aide-de-camp to the general, and received a complimentary notice from that officer in his official report of the affair. General Crook pushed on for Dublin Depot, and when within three miles of the town met a force of Morgan’s men, numbering about 1,000, who had come from Saltville to re-enforce the rebels at Cloyd’s Mountain, but were not in time to effect a junction. After a skirmish the rebels retreated, and our forces entered Dublin Depot, on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, about 3 p. m. on the 9th. The depot buildings, rebel govern¬ ment property, and telegraph office here were destroyed, and General Crook pushed on to destroy the long railroad bridge ten miles from Dublin Depot, which, after an engagement of two hours, was accom¬ plished. The object of the expedition having been attained, the com¬ mand started upon its return via Salt Pond and Peter’s Mountain, through Union, across Greenbrier River to Meadow Bluff, reaching there May 23, having marched about 300 miles. At Meadow Bluff we were in telegraphic communication, and cipher messages detailing operations, &c., were forwarded to headquarters, Washington, D. C.

On the 1st of June following General Crook started with his com¬ mand for Staunton, Va., via Lewisburg, Hot and Warm Springs, through Panther Gap, into Augusta Valley. At Panther Gap a sol¬ dier in rebel uniform was captured, claiming to belong to Imboden’s command, but upon being brought to headquarters was found to be the bearer of cipher messages from General Hunter ordering General Crook to join him at Charlottesville. The order, however, was after¬ ward countermanded, and our forces joined the other command at Staunton. From Staunton the expedition moved via Lexington and Buckhannon, crossing the Blue Ridge at the foot of Peaks of Otter via Liberty, for Lynchburg. On arriving in the vicinity of Lynch¬ burg we encountered the rebel force and whipped it during the first day’s engagement. At night the rebels were re-enforced by troops under General Early. After successfully resisting the rebel attack on the second day our forces fell back under cover of the night and started for the Shenandoah Valley; but finding that the rebels were pursuing actively, and that probably we could not get out in the direc¬ tion taken, our column turned toward the Kanawha Valley and marched out via Salem, Sweet Springs, and Lewisburg to Gauley Bridge. At the latter place orders were received to move the troops on to Charleston, where they took transports for Parkersburg, and from thence by railroad to Martinsburg, Va. From Martinsburg the I troops were ordered to Harper’s Ferry and into Maryland after Gen¬ eral Early, who had come down the Shenandoah Valley and crossed the Potomac into Maryland. At Hillsborough it was ascertained that Early had fallen back, going toward Snicker’s Gap and Winchester, Va. Near Hillsborough the Sixth Corps joined us and the command moved to Snicker’s Gap. The Sixth Corps moved from here to W ashington and General Crook’s forces for Winchester. At Kernstown, three miles from Winchester, General Crook fought General Early on the 24th of July. Crook was defeated and at night retreated to Bunker I!

Hill. The cipher operator was employed all night in putting the gen¬ eral’s official dispatches into cipher for transmission from the nearest telegraph station to Washington and other points. Next morning we marched from Bunker Hill to Williamsport, through Shepherdstown to Pleasant Valley, and from there to Frederick, and thence to Har¬ per’s Ferry and up the Shenandoah Valley to Strasburg, but again fell back to Halltown. After remaining at Flalltown five days the command again moved up the valley to Berryville, at which place the cipher operator received orders to return to the Department of West Virginia.

On the 26th of September, 1864, the military telegraph line from I Claiksbuig, Va., to V^eston was intercepted at TV^eston by a rebel • operator, who, under the pretense of being the regular U. S. military ^ telegraph operator stationed at that post, transmitted a telegram in dant of the post at Clarksburg, stating that 3,000 rebels under General /Basil Duke were advancing on Weston, and asking how many troops were at Clarksburg and how many could be sent to Weston. The military operator at Clarksburg felt satisfied from the peculiarity of the manipulation of the telegraph key at Weston that the telegram . was a iraud and that it had been transmitted by a rebel operator, and :.so informed Colonel Wilkinson, then in command at Clarksburg. Ihis suspicion, however, Avas kept from the rebel operator, and an .answer pgularly transmitted to Weston stating that 2,000 troops had arrived by railroad and that more were expected during the night. Subsequent facts proved that the rebels were under command of Col¬ onel Witcher, 900 strong, who retreated after plundering Weston and its inhabitants, although the original intention of the rebels had been :to capture Clarksburg and destroy the large amount of Government property at that depot, which they could very easily have accomplished, only two companies of troops being stationed at Clarksburg at that time. Whether the subterfuge resorted to on our part was Lthe means of saving Clarksburg and its supplies or not is unknown morning of September 27, 1864, the rebels under Colonel Witcher, about 900 strong, captured the town of Buckhannon, burned

■ bridges and several dwellings, and plundered the inhabitants. Most iOt the small garrison stationed at this place eluded capture

On the morning of October 29, 1864, a force of rebel infantry, 300 btrong, under Captain Hill, attacked the Federal forces at Beverly, [IV a., but after a sharp contest were repulsed. After the rebels had retreated the military telegraph repairer stationed at Beverly, havins i thorough knowledge of the country, took the lead of our pursuing ^corce, and, by taking a short by-road, got to the front of the rebels when a charge was made, driving the rebels across a creek, taking W prisoners and recapturing about 40 of our own men taken in the ittack on Beverly llie telegraph employ^ was complimented in the )nicial report of the affair.

I At about 11 a. m. November 28 the rebels, in U. S. uniform, under l^eneral Rosser, surprised the Federal force at New Creek, Va., and [;;00k possession of the place. The rebel force consisted of a division >i cavalry. Much Government property was destroyed. The mili-

■ nZ * seized so quickly that the operator had not

ohLn retreating rebels. He was

Dbed of his valuables and clothing, compelled to march barefoot , 0 Harrisonbui^, given nothing to eat until the third day of his aptivity, and then merely three-quarters of a pound of fresh beef.

rebel force of about 600, under command of General Rosser, surprised and captured the picket-post at Beverly, Va. ; passed quietly toward the Federal camp, surprised it, and captured the whole force, number¬ ing some 800 men, under command of Colonel Youart, Eighth Ohi( Volunteer Cavalry. A very humiliating affair.

Herewith will be found my property statement A, embracing all the property which has come into my possession during the year.

I have nothing to report on Form B.

Herewith will also be found my statement of public moneys received^ &c., during the year. Out of the total amount expended, $149, 799. 7b was applied to purchases, and $124,564.76 to service account.

Have nothing to report on Forms C, CC, nor D.

Herewith will be found Form E, showing the articles of property which the enemy has captured during the year while in my possession and the estimated value thereof.

Have no use for Form F, nothing having been captured from tht enemy and come into my possession.

The following U. S. military telegraph land and submarine line were in operation July 1, 1864, under my supervision in the Depart ment of West Virginia and the State of Ohio:

From Hamden, Ohio, to Fayette, Va . . . .

From Gallipolis, Ohio, to South Point, Ohio – – – 45

From Clarksburg, Va. , to Beverly, Va. . . . . – 58

From Clarksburg, Va., to Bulltown, Va . . – . – 4J

From Green Spring, Va., to Springfield, Va. . – . < The line from Green Spring to Springfield was necessarily abandoned in July,

Leaving – – – – – – –

Number of lines in operation June 30, 1865, as follows:

From Gallipolis, Ohio, to South Point, Ohio – 4c

From Clarksburg , Va . , to Beverly ,Va – – – – –

Prom Clarksburg, Va., to Bulltown, Va – – – – – 4b

Cable from Point Pleasant to the Ohio shore . – – –

I have nothing to report upon Form G.

respectfully, your obedient servant, Captain and Asst. Quartermaster, Asst. Superintendent.