Key Facts
- Date
- August 26–27, 1863
- Location
- Greenbrier County, West Virginia
- Confederate force size
- Over 2,000 men
- Also known as
- Battle of Rocky Gap; Battle of Dry Creek
- State age at time of battle
- West Virginia statehood only months old
Strategic Narrative Overview
Averell's Union brigade advanced toward Lewisburg but was intercepted near White Sulphur Springs, roughly ten miles east of the town, by four Virginia regiments and an artillery battery under Colonel George S. Patton. Both sides launched repeated charges across two days of fighting on August 26 and 27 without either gaining decisive ground. Patton's force successfully blocked the Union advance, preventing Averell from reaching Lewisburg and forcing a difficult northward retreat under Confederate pursuit.
01 / The Origins
In late summer 1863, Union Brigadier General William W. Averell led the first of three mounted expeditions into Confederate-held territory in western Virginia. His objectives included destroying a saltpeter works, neutralizing a Confederate cavalry force in Pocahontas County, and seizing law books from Lewisburg. Confederate leaders feared his true aim was to destroy the Virginia and Tennessee or Virginia Central Railroad, both critical to Confederate supply lines and connected to a lead mine supplying army ammunition.
03 / The Outcome
The Confederate victory halted Averell's first expedition short of its primary objectives. Patton demonstrated his capability to command a force exceeding 2,000 men. Confederate leaders mistakenly believed they had protected the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and a lead mine. Averell accomplished two of three stated objectives, and his newly mounted troops gained experience in mountain cavalry operations. The Lewisburg law library, never captured, was later moved to Richmond. As of 2011, the battlefield remains unpreserved.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
William W. Averell.
Side B
1 belligerent
George S. Patton, John Echols.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.