RADFORD – The hills of Pulaski County will echo with cannon fire this weekend, as a reenactment of the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Events will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday, with the actual battle reenactment set for 2 p.m. each day.
“The event will include more than 300 living historians portraying various soldiers, civilians and medical corps relative to the events that took place in May 1864,” said Jamie Weddle, a member of New River Rifles, one of the event organizers. “Living history events will take place at the New River Valley Fairgrounds in Dublin, along with battle scenes taking place on the original battlefield.”
According to the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain, which took place May 9, 1864, was the “most significant battle in Southwest Virginia.” It was fought in Pulaski County and included the burning down of the New River Bridge at Central Depot, today’s City of Radford. The battle was between Union forces under General George Crook and Confederate forces under General Albert Jenkins, and future Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley both fought in it.
A synopsis of the battle by the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, which is located at Virginia Tech, states the following.
“In 1864, under the orders of General Ulysses S. Grant, Brigadier General George Crook and three brigades of the Army of West Virginia marched south through the Appalachian Mountains, intent on destroying the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, [which] was under the protection of Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins’s few Confederate units.
“On May 9, 1864, after receiving reports of Union forces in the area, Jenkins prepared for defense at Cloyd’s Mountain, near Dublin in Pulaski County,” the battle description continues. “Early fighting at Cloyd’s Mountain appeared to favor Confederates and their strong defensive position, but persistent Union attacks eventually broke through, forcing the Confederates to retreat. The battle lasted for one fierce hour, devolving into brutal hand-to-hand combat. Making matters worse, a fire broke out on the battlefield and many were wounded.
Confederate forces lost not only the battle, but also their commander. Jenkins was wounded in battle, and later died in hospital due to improper care after an amputation. Casualties were high for the relatively low number of troops engaged and the short duration of the battle: 688 Union and 538 Confederate.”
After the battle, the Union forces headed toward Radford “burning the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad depot at Dublin before turning towards the strategically important New River Bridge at Central Depot (Radford).” Crook destroyed the New River Bridge on May 10 and turned towards Blacksburg the next day.
Saturday and Sunday’s reenactment is being sponsored and organized by New River Rifles, Inc., the County of Pulaski and Interstate Construction. The schedule of events is:
Friday, May 3, 2019
9:00 a.m. – Registration opens for re-enactors
Midnight – Registration closes for re-enactors
Saturday, May 4, 2019
7:00 a.m. – Registration opens for re-enactors
9:00 a.m. – Grounds open to public
9:30 a.m. – Shuttle to Dublin Depot leaves Fairgrounds for Cloyd’s Mountain march (Participating re-enactors only)*
10:00a.m. – March to Cloyd’s Mountain-Dublin Depot
10:00 a.m.-1:00p.m. – Living history at Cloyd’s Mountain Battlefield (45th Virginia Infantry Battalion)*
10:00 a.m. – Infantry Demonstration (Fairgrounds)
11:00 a.m. – Federal Army-Shuttle to Cloyd’s Mountain
12:00 pm. – Confederate Army-Shuttle to Cloyd’s Mountain
2:00 p.m. – 155th Anniversary of the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain*
4:00 p.m. – Grounds closed to public
Sunday, May 5, 2019
9:00 a.m. – Grounds open to public
11:00 a.m. – Church Service at New Dublin Presbyterian Church (across the road from fairgrounds)**
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – Living History at Cloyd’s Mountain Battlefield (45th Virginia Infantry Battalion)*
2:00 p.m. – 155th Anniversary of the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain*
4:00 p.m. – Grounds closed to public
