William S. Rosecrans to E.D. Townsend, August 4, 1861

Col. E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.:

COLONEL: Lower Cheat River region appears to be entirely free of rebel forces as far as Winchester. Eight thousand militia reported at Harrisonburg, 2,000 between Monterey and Cheat Mountain Pass. I think the rebel forces in Western Virginia are mostly about Lewisburg.

I have directed the building of small field works below Gauley Bridge, and Cox to open communication with Tyler at Summersville. Two Ohio regiments sent to Kanawha; Twenty-first Ohio (three-months’ men) ordered out; Twenty-second Ohio at Parkersburg, on its way out; Seventeenth Ohio, the last, at Weston to-night, on its way home. One of the Ohio regiments coming up will move to Elk River by Bulltown and scour that country. A detachment from Glenville also scours a region now infested with guerrillas. Ten days will probably complete all this work, and, were we prepared to hold it, enable me to seize Lewisburg, which is but five days’ march from head of steamboat navigation on the Kanawha; propose a provision depot of ample size, properly fortified, there. In twenty days I shall have a packed train . for 5,000 men—ten days’ rations.

As soon as the new Ohio regiments begin to come in, so that we ean seeure this front here, I shall begin to dispose matters for the movement on Wytheville and East Tennessee. 1 propose to seize that place, and take possession of the railroad as far down as Abingdon; break the railroad bridges down east of Wytheville, so as to prevent the enemy from coming in that direction; make a fortified depot of it and a good road from thence to the Great Falls of the Kanawha, and there concentrate all the troops we can spare on thatline. In the interim shall make every effort towards the restoration of peace, law, and order in Western Virginia.

very respectfully, your obedient servant,