Kanawha Division
| Kanawha Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1862-1864 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Jacob D. Cox Eliakim P. Scammon George Crook Isaac H. Duval Rutherford B. Hayes |
The Kanawha Division was a Union Army division which could trace its origins back to a brigade originally commanded by Jacob D. Cox. This division served in western Virginia and Maryland and was at times led by such famous personalities as George Crook and Rutherford B. Hayes.
On July 1, 1861 Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox took command of a brigade, composed of Ohio volunteer regiments. He titled his command “Kanawha Brigade” in reference to its duty in the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia. The brigade became part of the new District of the Kanawha, both of which were commanded by Cox. Cox and the brigade took part in the Battle of Princeton Court House in 1861.
By 1862 the unit grew to the size of a division. As early as June 1862 the name “Kanawha Division” was officially being used for service in the Mountain Department. In preparation for the upcoming battle of Second Bull Run, Cox and the Kanawha Division were transferred to the Army of Virginia. Only one brigade under Col. Eliakim P. Scammon was involved in the engagement and that was only in the preliminary fighting near Bull Run Bridge on August 27. In the aftermath of Bull Run the Kanawha Division was transferred to the Washington Defenses which Cox also assumed command of upon his arrival in Washington.
During the Maryland Campaign the Kanawha Division was removed from Washington and attached to the IX Corps. The division was composed of two brigades commanded by colonels Eliakim P. Scammon and Augustus Moor. Cox remained in command and led the division at the Battle of South Mountain. Days before the Battle of Antietam an unusual change in command occurred. General Ambrose E. Burnside had recently commanded the IX Corps, but during the Maryland Campaign had been raised to that of a "Wing" commander, having under his command the IX Corps and I Corps. General Jesse L. Reno had been acting IX Corps commander, but upon his death at South Mountain, Jacob Cox being the next ranking general in the corps replaced Reno in command. Colonel Scammon, though only a colonel, was the next ranking officer and took command of the Kanawha Division. At Antietam, Burnside still held on to his title of Wing commander, even though the two corps in his wing were on complete opposite sides of the battlefield. Burnside remained with his old IX Corps but elected to keep Cox in corps command, creating an extra and unnecessary link in the chain of command. The Kanawha Division’s two brigades were now commanded by Col. Hugh Ewing (succeeding Scammon) and Col. George Crook (replacing Moor, who had been captured Sept 13). Crook’s brigade crossed Burnside Bridge in support of Samuel D. Sturgis’s division while Ewing’s brigade crossed Antietam Creek at Snavely’s Ford in support of Isaac P. Rodman.
...
Wikipedia