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By Capt. A. C. Jones, of Three Creeks, Ark.
From the Confederate Veteran, Vol. XXII, pp. 305-306
I read with interest in the May number of the VETERAN an article by Gen. William McComb, of Gorrdonsville, Va.. in which he gave the experience of a Tennessee regiment in what is known as the Cheat Mountain expedition, which attracted considerable attention in the earlier stages of the war. General McComb says very truly that the plans for the capture of the enemy's fortifications on the summit of Cheat Mountain were apparently admirable; that the troops expected to cooperate in the attack from the west were in place in time and awaiting anxiously the signal, which was to be the sound of the guns in the attack from the east; but for some unknown reason not a gun was fired, and the expedition was a failure.
Some years ago an autograph letter from President Davis was published in the VETERAN in which he made the same statement; that the surprise of the enemy was complete and that the reason the intended attack was not made had never been known. In view of these facts and in the interest of true history, I have concluded at this late date to make a statement of facts and answer that long-pending question. This I am fully prepared to do, having been in command of Company G, 3d Arkansas Regiment, commanded by Col. Albert Rust, the leader of the expedition. Although now a very old man, the scenes and incidents of that occasion are as distinct in my memory as though they had occurred but yesterday.
In order that the situation may be well understood, it will be necessary to make a brief statement of the circumstances leading up to these events. When the serious disaster of General Garnett's defeat in the extreme western part of Virginia occurred, our defeated army was rapidly pursued, creating something of a panic in Richmond. Troops were rushed to that quarter and the enemy's advance finally checked; but in the meantime they had succeeded in establishing a considerable force (probably about three or four thousand men) in a strongly fortified position on the summit of Cheat Mountain, nearly one hundred miles from the border.
The presence of this force so far inland was a constant menace to the rich valley of Virginia, and especially to the city of Staunton. In consequence a defensive force of about twenty-five hundred men was located on Greenbrier River, about ten miles east. This force was composed of one Georgia regiment, two Virginia regiments, one Arkansas regiment, and one battery. These troops were all green in the service, never having fired a gun in battle nor heard the whistle of a bullet.
Col. Albert Rust, of the 3d Arkansas, was a somewhat famous politician of his day and brave to the point of recklessness, but entirely inexperienced in military matters. Becoming impatient at the idleness of camp life and being ambitious to distinguish himself in his new profession, he made a special request to the government that he be allowed to take his own regiment, with what other troops could be spared, and surprise and capture the enemy's position on Cheat Mountain.
After some delay the request was granted and arrangements were made for some troops on the west of the mountain to cooperate. The plan was for Colonel Rust, with about fourteen hundred men, to make a circuitous march of about forty miles and surprise the enemy in their rear. The rest of the army, about a thousand men, with the battery, were to march straight up the road and maneuver in front, and at the sound of Rust's guns all detachments were to close in. Thus the success of the whole scheme depended upon the initiative to be taken by Rust's command.