The Battle of Charleston was an engagement on September 13, 1862, near Charleston, Virginia (now West Virginia) during the American Civil War. It should not be confused with the Battle of Charleston (1861), which occurred a year earlier in Missouri. September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Official website: www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

During the summer of 1862, General William W. Loring’s Department of Southwest Virginia (Confederate States of America) made plans to move into the Kanawha Valley of western Virginia and take the city of Charleston. On September 6, 1862, General Loring, with 5,000 men, left Rocky Gap, Virginia and began a march toward Charleston. The Confederate troops first encountered Union forces near Fayetteville on September 10, driving the Federals back toward Charleston. The pursuit continued all day on the September 11, with the Federals splitting their forces near Gauley's Bridge on both sides of the Kanawha River, and the CSA doing the same in hot pursuit. By late afternoon on September 13, the Battle for Charleston had begun and was over by 7:30 p.m. when Loring's troops broke off the engagement at the Elk River. The Union forces withdrew across the Ohio River over night, leaving Charleston to be occupied by Confederate forces. Southwest Virginia at its greatest geographical definition Southwest Virginia is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. ... For the fictional documentary about alternative history, see C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America. ... The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 miles (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Fayetteville is a town located in Fayette County, West Virginia. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... This article is about the date September 11 in general. ... The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 miles (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... The Elk River is a tributary of the Kanawha River in central West Virginia. ... The Ohio River is the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. ...

The occupation of Charleston by the Confederates lasted a scant six weeks, until October 28, 1862, when Loring's troops begin withdrawing under the threat of 12,000 Union forces approaching from the northeast. October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

References

• Synopsis of information contained in: 50th Virginia Infantry, Regimental History; John D Chapla, ©1997 HE Howard, Lynchburg, VA, pages 50-58.

External links

• West Virginia History