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Valley of Yellow Dog Creek, W. Va.
April 4, 1863
Col. Wm. R. Brown, Thirteenth Virginia, Point Pleasant, W. Va.:
According to orders received from you on March 29 a detachment from Company E prepared three days rations and traveled to this valley in response to information that a deserter, Samuel Stinemen, musician, had been seen there. The detachment remained in this valley until April 2. We found numerous civilians in caves and impromptu shelters, all claiming to be Unionists seeking refuge from Jenkins’ raiders.
We searched both sides of Yellow Dog Creek including the heads of three draws. We were directed by a civilian to one small cache of miserable food and, upon setting an ambush there, winkled out not our errant musician but three of Jenkins’ stragglers who, after an uphill chase through heavy timber and rocks, yielded to our spirited assault and became our prisoners.
At least one group of self-proclaimed Unionists may have been aiding these Confederates. An unguarded remark from a child in the group revealed that they saw a campfire that was from the Confederate camp on the night of April 1 but failed to report that to us when we questioned them about their business and whether they had seen anything that might indicate a deserter in the area. The key individual in this group is a former Richmond slave trader, a Mr. Trent, conspicuous by his sly demeanour and his gentlemanly attire, including a fancy fur hat. Mr. Trent, if accosted by our troops in the Kanawha Valley, owes the U.S. Government $2 he received as payment for information that turned out to be a preposterous taradiddle.
The Confederate prisoners, captured through the enterprise of the soldier stationed at our ambush, said one of our sweeps across the western expanse of the Valley of Yellow Dog Creek passed within 20 yards of their hiding place without detecting them. The terrain in the area is heavily timbered with brushy draws, caves, outcroppings, and steep inclines creating numerous places of concealment. An entire regiment could have swept the valley and missed anyone earnestly seeking not to be detected.
Running low on rations but determined not to leave without making every effort to find the deserter and redeem our performance at Point Pleasant, I arranged with a Unionist family to butcher and prepare for our evening meal a pig, outraging a female member of the Parker family in the process who raged that her family would now starve. Her protests fell on deaf ears as the welfare of the men came first as a prerequisite to ensuring that they did their duty and the pig certainly did far better duty to his country by fortifying our detachment than it would have performed if captured by Jenkins’ raiders.
I regret to report that one of the prisoners escaped during the confusion caused by a storm that swept through the valley, drenching us and forcing us to seek shelter in a nearby barn.
We left the valley at noon April 3 without finding the deserter.
W. Watson
Capt. commanding detachment, Co. E
Thirteenth West Virginia
April 4, 1863
Col. Wm. R. Brown, Thirteenth Virginia, Point Pleasant, W. Va.:
According to orders received from you on March 29 a detachment from Company E prepared three days rations and traveled to this valley in response to information that a deserter, Samuel Stinemen, musician, had been seen there. The detachment remained in this valley until April 2. We found numerous civilians in caves and impromptu shelters, all claiming to be Unionists seeking refuge from Jenkins’ raiders.
We searched both sides of Yellow Dog Creek including the heads of three draws. We were directed by a civilian to one small cache of miserable food and, upon setting an ambush there, winkled out not our errant musician but three of Jenkins’ stragglers who, after an uphill chase through heavy timber and rocks, yielded to our spirited assault and became our prisoners.
At least one group of self-proclaimed Unionists may have been aiding these Confederates. An unguarded remark from a child in the group revealed that they saw a campfire that was from the Confederate camp on the night of April 1 but failed to report that to us when we questioned them about their business and whether they had seen anything that might indicate a deserter in the area. The key individual in this group is a former Richmond slave trader, a Mr. Trent, conspicuous by his sly demeanour and his gentlemanly attire, including a fancy fur hat. Mr. Trent, if accosted by our troops in the Kanawha Valley, owes the U.S. Government $2 he received as payment for information that turned out to be a preposterous taradiddle.
The Confederate prisoners, captured through the enterprise of the soldier stationed at our ambush, said one of our sweeps across the western expanse of the Valley of Yellow Dog Creek passed within 20 yards of their hiding place without detecting them. The terrain in the area is heavily timbered with brushy draws, caves, outcroppings, and steep inclines creating numerous places of concealment. An entire regiment could have swept the valley and missed anyone earnestly seeking not to be detected.
Running low on rations but determined not to leave without making every effort to find the deserter and redeem our performance at Point Pleasant, I arranged with a Unionist family to butcher and prepare for our evening meal a pig, outraging a female member of the Parker family in the process who raged that her family would now starve. Her protests fell on deaf ears as the welfare of the men came first as a prerequisite to ensuring that they did their duty and the pig certainly did far better duty to his country by fortifying our detachment than it would have performed if captured by Jenkins’ raiders.
I regret to report that one of the prisoners escaped during the confusion caused by a storm that swept through the valley, drenching us and forcing us to seek shelter in a nearby barn.
We left the valley at noon April 3 without finding the deserter.
W. Watson
Capt. commanding detachment, Co. E
Thirteenth West Virginia
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