Confederate Army of the Northwest, Letter Book
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 2965
An 82 page manuscript order and letter book (29 July 1861-13 February 1862, Virginia) of the Confederate States Army of the Northwest detailing with the operations of the Cheat or Valley Mountain campaign of 10-15 September 1861 and the "Romney Campaign" of 9 January-5 February 1862, both unsuccessful efforts to dislodge Federal forces from the upper Potomac region and the earliest confrontation between Rosecrans, Jackson and Lee. This letter book gives some idea of the indefinite chain of command in the early Confederate Army and also portrays its efforts to institutionalize itself in the orders and regulations recorded. Included are copies of 3 ADS, 35 DS, and 8 ALS by the Confederate General, C.L. Stevenson, the Adjutant General of the Army of the Northwest, commanded by General W.W. Loring. Noteworthy are the letters written during the Romney Campaign in January 1862 which indicate the suspicions of W.W. Loring and C.L. Stevenson as to their deployment by T.J. Jackson. Reports name Confederate spies who reported on concentrations of Federal troops, at Cumberland and the building pontoons there for the crossing the Potomac. Also noteworthy is a 11 October 1861 letter from Loring praising the forces under his command at Cheat Mountain for their victory in an engagement, which indicates the friction between W.W. Loring and R.E. Lee, who had earlier failed to hold the same mountain from a major Federal assault.
English
No special access restriction applies.
Researchers may access digitized materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
0.1 Linear Feet (Summary: 1/2 in. (1 folder, 1/2 in.); 1 reel of microfilm)
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository