History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

642 THIRTY-THIRD REGIMENT —FOURTH RESERVE. 1864
tributaries of the Kanawha had no bridges and the men were obliged to ford
them. On the morning of May 2d, the command started from Great Falls,
at the confluence of Gauley and New rivers, (forming the Kanawha,) and
climbed the heights of Cotton Mountain. The morning was bright and beautiful, quite warm, and many of the men, as they toiled up the steep rough way,
became exhausted, and threw away overcoats and blankets. Before noon, dark
clouds arose succeeded by a cold chilly rain, and by the time they reached the
ragged village of Fayette, they were greeted with a driving snow storm. MVn
divested of overcoats and blankets, wet to the skin, shivering with the cold,
presented a pitiable sight. Fayette was the extreme out-post held. by the
TTnion forces. The brigade of infantry and battery on duty here, were added
to General Crook's command.
The force was now composed of three brigades of infantry, three batteries,
GeneralAverill's cavalry, and a train of one hundred and fifty wagons with
about fifty ambulances. The design of the expedition was to strike the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at Wytheville and Dublin, tear up the track, burn
the bridge across New river and thus co-operate with the army of the Potomac,
by cutting the main artery which furnished supplies to Lee's Army. General
Averill moved by Logan Court House, intending to strike at Saltville, to which
point there was a branch from the main road.
To deceive the enemy as to the route, General Crook sent the Fifth Virginia
Infantry, under command of Colonel A. A. Tomlinson, with Lieutenant Blazer's
scouts on the Lewisburg road. This feint succeeded admirably in drawing off' MCausland's Brigade in that direction.
From Fayette Court House the three brigades of infantry with artillery and
wagon train, marched through Raleigh county, and across the Great Flat Top
Mountain, which was set on fire by our advance. The mountain was systematically fired on both sides of the road. This was done to give General Averill
a signal and mark the course of the infantry. On this day the Third Reserve
was acting as a guard to the wagon train. The road was lined with the trunks
of dead chestnut trees which burned with great fury. Occasionally a flaming
limb or top of a tree would fall across the road, terrifying both horses and men.
It was by no means a pleasant duty to guard wagons loaded with ammunition,
while passing through such an ordeal as this. Even veteran soldiers were in
trepidation lest there should be a premature explosion from sparks that might
find their way among the wooden boxes to the missiles of death. On the
south side of the Great at lt Top Mountain many trees were found felled across
the road-the first intimation of the presence of an enemy. On the 6th of May
the advance had a lively skirmish with the Sixtieth Virginia, at Princetown,
the county seat of Mercer county, Our forces came upon them suddenly. They
left their tents standing, and dropped their tools in the trench of the formidable fort they were erecting. During the next two days the command made
a forced march, skirmishing by the way with small detachments of the rebels,
groasd East River Mountain, passed through Rocky Gap in Tazewell county,
and moved through Walker's Valley. It was tfter a march of thirty miles,
on the.8th, that the gap near Shannon's bridge ws gained. This gap opens
up to the north-west slope of Walker or Cloyd Mountain.
On the morning of the 9th, the command passed through this gap. The
Second Brigade was under command of Colonel C. B. Nybite. The Third Reserve and Eleventh Virginia filed off the mountain road t the left, marched