WYTHEVILLE, Military Operations at. During the Civil War the lead mines and works near Wytheville assumed much importance. On 13 July 1863 Col. John T. Toland, the Second ca West Virginia cavalry and Ohio mounted infantry, about 800 men, started from Fay etteville, W. Va., to damage the lead works and destroy the railroad near Wytheville. On the evening of the 18th Toland arrived within five miles of the town and detaching two companies to destroy a railroad depot and track, 10 miles west, marched his remaining force into the town, which was defended by less than 200 men, under Major Bowyer, most of them distributed in houses and some in the streets supporting two guns. There was an obstinate fight in the streets, lasting an hour, when the town was taken and eight or 10 of the best houses burned. The two guns and many small arms were cap tured and some prisoners taken, but all were abandoned when the return march was taken up next morning. The command reached Fay etteville on the 23d after a march of about 300 miles. The expedition had failed of its object, with the loss of 78 killed, wounded and miss ing, of whom 17 were killed, including Colonel Toland and two other officers. Colonel Powell, commanding the Second West Virginia cavalry, was severely wounded and captured. The Con federates report a loss of six killed and 12 wounded. On 2 May 1864 General Crook started from Charleston on the Kanawha to destroy the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and join General Sigel in the Shenandoah Val ley. One of his columns of 2,600 cavalry, under General Averell, was directed upon Saltville to destroy the salt works, and then rejoin the main column under Crook at Dublin Station. After a very difficult march through the moun tains and some sharp skirmishing Averell reached Tazewell Court House on the after noon of the 8th, where he learned that Salt ville was defended by earthworks and artillery, and was held in strength by Gen. W. E Jones,
upon which he abandoned the idea of attack and turned toward Wytheville, near which he arrived on the afternoon of the 10th and en countered Col. John H. Morgan, who had tot lowed him from Saltville and by a detour first gained the town with a brigade and two bat talions. A detachment of Morgan's command had been pushed out to a small gap in the mountain, through which alone Averell could approach the town from the road on which he was marching. The detachment was immedi ately attacked and Morgan marched to its as sistance with all his command, and Averell fell back to a commanding ridge 800 yards from the gap. The contest continued four hours, or until nightfall, in s succession of attacks on the one side and retreats on the other, when Morgan fell back a short distance and Averell withdrew and next morning marched for Dah lia, where be arrived in the evening and. re suming his march, joined Crook at Union on the 15th. Averell had 114 killed and wounded and lost nearly 100 in prisoners. Morgan had 50 or 60 killed and wounded. When General Stoneman made his raid into southwestern Vir ginia in December 1864 he captured Wytheville on the 16th, partially burned it and next day sent a detachment to destroy the lead mines, which was done without loss. On Stoneman's second raid in southwest Virginia and western North Carolina in March 1A65, Cot J K. Mil ler, with 500 picked men of his cavalry brigade, captured Wytheville 6 April and destroyed the depot of supplies at that point and the bridges over Reedy Creek and at Max Meadows, At Wytheville, Miller was attacked by Confederate infantry and cavalry, but after hard fighting re pulsed them, and withdrew with • loss of 35 killed, wounded and missing, and rejoined the main column on its march for Salisbury, N. C.