Army of West Virginia

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Army of West Virginia


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country=United States of America
branch=United States Army
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battles=American Civil War
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anniversaries=The Army of West Virginia was a small and short-lived military force during the Civil War that served in the Union Army in the Shenandoah Valley. It is noted for having two future U.S. presidents serve in its ranks: Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley.

History

Brigadier General George Crook was appointed to command the Dept of West Virginia on July 25, 1864. Crook did not immediately assume this command and in the meantime was in command of the "Army of the Kanawha". When Crook assumed command on August 9, 1864 the army in the field was given the title "Army of West Virginia". The army consisted of three divisions and for all practical purposes functioned as a corps in Philip Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah. Often this command is seen labeled as the VIII Corps [Eicher does not confirm that the Army of West Virginia was synonymous with the VIII Corps in his book "Civil War High Commands".] . Crook led the army through the Shenandoah Valley Campaign and fought in all the major engagements.

The 1st Division was led by Col. Joseph Thoburn until he was killed in action at Cedar Creek. He was succeeded by Col. Thomas Harris. The 2nd Division was led by Col. Isaac H. Duval until he was wounded at Winchester. Command of the division passed to Col. Rutherford B. Hayes who led the division at Cedar Creek. A Provisional Division led by Colonel J. Howard Kitching joined just prior to the battle of Cedar Creek. Kitching was severely wounded at Cedar Creek and died the following year as a result.

On December 19, 1864 with the fighting in the valley over, Crook's forces ceased to be known as the Army of West Virginia and continued on simply as the Dept of West Virginia.

Commander

* Major General George Crook (8 Aug–19 Dec 1864)

Major battles

* Battle of Opequon
* Battle of Fisher's Hill
* Battle of Cedar Creek

References

* [http://www.civilwarhome.com/usforces.htm Civil War Home]