[41] At the fighting's end, the Confederates withdrew from the field and Garfield sent his troops to Prestonsburg to reprovision.[42]

Middle Creek battlefield. Garfield commanded from the distant hill in the center of the photo.
In recognition of his success, Garfield was promoted to brigadier general.[43] After Marshall's retreat, Garfield's command was the sole remaining Union force in eastern Kentucky and he announced that any men who had fought for the Confederacy would be granted amnesty if they returned to their homes, lived peaceably, and remained loyal to the Union.[44] The proclamation was surprisingly lenient, as Garfield now believed the war was a crusade for eradication of slavery.[44] Following a brief skirmish at Pound Gap, the last rebel units in the area were outflanked and retreated to Virginia.[45]
Garfield's promotion gave him command of the 20th Brigade of the Army of the Ohio, which received orders to join Major General Ulysses S. Grant's forces as they advanced on Corinth, Mississippi, in early 1862.[46] Before the 20th Brigade arrived, however, Confederate forces under General Albert Sidney Johnston surprised Grant's men in their camps, driving them back.