Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/489

 isei] West Virginia reconquered. 457 dispersed by Colonel Kelley at the head of a newly -formed West Virginia Union regiment. Lee was still disposed to dispute the possession of West Virginia, and sent forward about five regiments, with one of which Colonel Pegram established himself in the pass at Rich Mountain, while General Garnett, formerly a Federal major, held the pass at Laurel Hill with the remainder. McClellan, taking the initiative, sent five or six regiments under General Morris to confront Garnett at Laurel Hill and threaten a main attack, while he himself moved with seven regiments to carry the pass held by Pegram. But he found the latter so well entrenched that he hesitated to make a direct attack in front, even with the numerical superiority of seven to one. McClellan's subordinate officer, however, Brigadier-General Rosecrans, with a force of 1900 men, succeeded in making a circuitous march, by a secret path, and in a heavy rainstorm gained the rear of a small entrenched camp, held by 300 men and two guns, on the summit of the mountain. On June 11 Rosecrans easily captured this camp, which placed him in possession of the turnpike-road two miles to the rear of Pegram's works. Finding himself caught between the Federal forces, Pegram precipitately spiked his guns and abandoned his camp, fleeing northward along the mountain-ridge to join Garnett at Laurel Hill ; but he was once more intercepted, and this time compelled to surrender. On receiving news of the disaster Garnett himself commenced a hurried retreat, but was pursued and overtaken by the Federal advance guard at Carrick's Ford, on June 13, where another engagement ensued, between one regiment of the fleeing Confederates and three of the pursuing Federals ; and, shortly afterwards, Garnett himself was killed in a desultory skirmish. The engagements at Rich Mountain and Gal-rick's Ford, insignificant as to numbers and casualties, were very important in their military and political results. Thereafter the Confederates were unable to maintain any hold upon West Virginia ; and the military frontier was permanently pushed back by this single campaign. The laconic telegram in which McClellan summed up the combined three days' results made such an impression of generalship and energy that public opinion at once singled him out as the coming leader, and gave him a prestige which contributed largely to his receiving, at an early day, the command of the army of the Potomac, and the rank of General-in-Chief. (3) THE WAR IN THE WEST. West of the Mississippi river the Secessionist leaders had secured the adhesion of the vast State of Texas, and also a very uncertain promise of allegiance from the half-civilised tribes occupying the Indian Territory. President Jefferson Davis sent Major-General Leonidas CH. XIV.