"Advance of General Rosecrans's division through the forests of Laurel Hill to attack the Confederate intrenchments at Rich Mountain. General McClellan's plan for attacking the Confederates under General Garnett in Western Virginia and driving them beyond the Alleghanies involved the surprise of a large body strongly intrenched at Rich Mountain, in a position commanding the turnpike over Laurel Hill. He detailed General Rosecrans to surprise them. This in turn involved a circuitous march through the dense forests of Laurel Hill, over a wild nd broken country. General Rosecrans's column of 1,600 men was guided by a woddsman named David L. Hart, who described the march as follows: "We started at daylight, and I led, accompanied by Colonel Lander, through a pathless wood, obstructed by bushes, laurels, fallen timber and rocks, followed by the whole division in perfect silence. It ended in the utter rout and final capture of the Confederates under Colonel Pegram, with a loss of 150 killed and 300 wounded." — Frank Leslie, 1896

Laurel Hill

"Advance of General Rosecrans's division through the forests of Laurel Hill to attack the Confederate…

"General Rosecrans, commanding the Department of Western Virginia, surrounded by his staff, at their headquarters, Clarksburg, VA. We present to our readers a most interesting and valuable sketch of General Rosecrans and his staff- a sketch rendered all the more interesting by the brilliant triumph he gained over the Mercury of the Confederates, Floyd. We enumerate the names of the gallant men who so efficiently carried out the plans of their chief: Joseph Derr, Jr., private secretary; Captain C. Kingsbury, Jr., aid-de-camp; Captain N. P. Richmond, adjutant, and Captain Charles Leib, quartermaster." — Frank Leslie, 1896

General Rosecrans

"General Rosecrans, commanding the Department of Western Virginia, surrounded by his staff, at their…