War of the Rebellion: Serial 002 Page 0261 Chapter IX. CAMPAIGN IN WEST VIRGINIA.
of the whole command under Colonel Johnson was resumed to Monterey, where General Jackson, of Georgia, assumed the command, and where a halt was made until the remainder of General Garnett's army arrived.
Numbers 22. Report of Mr. Jed. Hotchkiss, Topographical Engineer, Confederate service, of events from July 2 to 14.
CHURCHVILLE, AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA., January 18, 1862.
I was appointed engineer at Camp Garnett, Rich Mountain, Randolph County, Virginia, by you, as commander of the post, on Tuesday, July 2, 1861, and on Wednesday morning, the 3rd, I commenced my duties by initiating a survey of the camp and its vicinity, preparatory to the construction of an accurate topographical map of the locality; and by the aid of parties detailed for the purpose I had nearly completed the necessary triangulations and measurements for the purpose indicated, and had also by barometrical observations ascertained the height of the points occupied by our forces, and had made considerable progress in the drawing of the map of the camp and vicinity, when (the enemy having made their appearance before our lines on the evening of July 9), by your order I spent a portion of the 10th in the breastworks on the hill to the left of your position, and the whole of the 11th, during which day the battle of Rich Mountain was fought and lost. I remained at the breastworks until midnight of that day, the enemy having occupied the parallel ridge in front of us during the day.
At midnight, by your order, I came down from the hill in company with the Augusta Lee Rifles, Captain R. D. Lilley, of your regiment, and followed by the companies of Captains Moorman, Kiracofe, Smith, Hall, and Mullis, and marched with them to the turnpike between the center and right of our position, and was there informed by you that Lieutenant-Colonel Pegram, who had assumed the command on the morning of July 8-he having been ordered by General Garnett to report to you with his regiment, and then he claimed the command of the post as being of the same rank in the Confederate service that you were in the State, and therefore ranking you-had been injured by a fall from his horse on the 11th and had resigned the command to you, again ordering you to march to Laurel Hill, to General Garnett, through the forest on the right of our position. You directed me to lead the front of the column over the hill on the right through the breastworks there, and so on towards the top of Rich Mountain. All the forces left at Camp Garnett were at that time formed in the road. As before said, I was directed to proceed at once, as the enemy was closing down upon our lines in overwhelming numbers, and you told me that you would bring up the rear. I then proceeded to the head of the column to move forward having been passed, was proceeding up the road, intending to reach the top of the hill [by] its easy winding grade, and had proceeded some little distance, when you overtook me and informed me that the enemy occupied the turn of the road on the hill, and that we must go up along the hill and so over by the way of the breastworks on the right.