Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes

Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes Part of the American Civil War Date August 26, 1861 Location Nicholas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) Coordinates: 38°14′06″N 80°56′06″W / 38.23500°N 80.93500°W Result Confederate victory Belligerents United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy) Commanders and leaders Erastus Tyler John B. Floyd Strength Approximately 1,000 men 2,000 men[1] Casualties and losses 15 killed 20 wounded 38 captured[2] 40

The Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes, also known as the Battle of Cross Lanes, took place on August 26, 1861 in Nicholas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War.

On August 26, Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd, commanding Confederate forces in the Kanawha Valley, crossed the Gauley River to attack Col. Erastus Tyler's 7th Ohio Regiment encamped at Kessler's Cross Lanes. The Union forces were surprised and routed. Floyd then withdrew to the river and took up a defensive position at Carnifex Ferry. During the month, Gen. Robert E. Lee arrived in western Virginia and attempted to coordinate the forces of Brig. Gens. Floyd, Henry A. Wise, Col. Douglas Micklich and William W. Loring.

References

1. Rushmore G. Horton (1867). A youth's history of the great Civil War in the United States from 1861 to 1865. Van Evrie, Horton & Co. p. 150.
2. Stan Cohen (August 1982). The Civil War in West Virginia: a pictorial history. Pictorial Histories Pub. Co. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-933126-17-6. Retrieved 20 January 2013.

• National Park Service battle summary
• CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles