PRINCETON, W. Va., Engagement at. In the spring of 1862 General Fremont, com manding a military department that included West Virginia, proposed to move from Mon terey on Staunton, thence to the New River near Christianburg, his ultimate destination being Knoxville, Tenn. Gen. J. D. Cox, commanding on the Kanawha, was to co-operate by advanc ing from Gauley Bridge, in two columns, one by Fayette and Raleigh Court House over Flat Top Mountain to Princeton and "the narrows". of New River, the other by the turnpike to Lewisburg. Cox had four brigades; one was left to hold the lower Kanawha Valley; Cal. George Crook was sent forward to Lewisburg; and Cox, with the two brigades of Colonels A. Moor and E. P. Scammon, about 2,000 each, moved on the Fayette and Princeton Giles Court House and ((the narrows" of New River were reached 7 May, and on the 16th his two brigades, after leaving a detachment at Princeton, were on the East River, and Crook had reached Lewisburg, on the other side' of New River, all prepared to joint Fremont's main column at Christianburg. But "Stonewall" Jackson's appearance in the Shenandoah Valley sadly deranged Fremont's plans, and Cox was told to look out for himself. Meanwhile the Confederate brigades of Generals Humphrey Marshall, Harry Heth and J. S. Williams, all under command of Marshall, had been concen trated to protect the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, and on the 16th Marshall, leaving Heth to hold the passes of New River, marched with about 2,500 men and three guns by the Wytheville road on Princeton, driving out the small detachment Cox had left there, after a stubborn resistance of six hours, continued until 10 P.M., and capturing the camp, with several
tents, horses and other things, including the headquarters correspondence. During the night Cox, with Moor's brigade, marched back from East River, ordering Scammon to follow, and at daylight of the 17th found Marshall with drawing from the town and back to a wooded range of hills south and west of it. Cox ad vanced and attacked, and Marshall again fell back a mile, to a strong position covering the Wytheville and Wyoming roads, and waited for Heth to come tip. Cox made some demon strations, but seeing that Marshall held a steep wooded ridge, not easily accessible, and had a large force and some artillery, he waited until Scammon should come up, before making a serious attack. Scammon came up in the even ing, closely pursued part way by Heth, and brought information that the Confederates were in great force; and Cox, realizing that his posi tion at Princeton could be turned and his line of communication seized, retreated before day light next morning to Flat Top Mountain, 25 miles from Princeton, a very strong position, and ordered Crook to halt at Lewisburg. Heth attacked Crook at Lewisburg on the 23d and was badly repulsed. (See LEWISBURG,
Or). The Union loss at and around Princeton was 23 killed, 69 wounded and 21 missing; the Confederate loss was much less. Consult I Official Records' (Vol. XII); The Century Company's