Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 1.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[224] Mountain on the very night it took place. Without losing a minute, he abandoned Laurel Hill in his turn before daybreak, and proceeded in great haste towards Beverly, where he hoped to join Pegram and find the southern route still open to him. But McClellan had preceded him there by a few hours with a force which the Confederate general did not deem it prudent to attack.

The position of the latter was critical in the extreme. He had become entangled in a narrow pass between the two impassable ridges of Rich Mountain and Cheat Mountain; he found its southern extremity, through which he might have reached the interior of Virginia, in possession of the enemy, while the troops who watched him at Laurel Hill had only to follow in his tracks in order to surround him completely.

He could find no means of escape except to the northward, by descending the valley of Cheat River through difficult roads, and striking the frontier of Maryland in order to force his way into the upper gorges of the Alleghanies. Retracing his steps as soon as he was apprised of the presence of McClellan at Beverly, he had the good fortune to pass once more through Leedsville before Morris, who had not watched him sufficiently, had arrived there from Laurel Hill. But his troops, exhausted by the rapid countermarch, soon fell into disorder. Morris, who had reached Leedsville shortly after him, harassed his retreat, and finally overtook him at Carricksford, twelve kilometres below St. George, just as he was crossing Cheat River. The Confederates succeeded in placing the river between them and their assailants, but left in their hands all their artillery, their baggage, and about fifty prisoners.

Garnett himself was killed while bravely endeavoring to repair the disaster. This old regular officer was the first general who lost his life in the war. After his death his soldiers dispersed, thus baffling the efforts of the Federals, who were too much fatigued to continue long in pursuit; and at the end of an eight days campaign, McClellan was able to announce to his government that the Federal authority was re-established in West Virginia, and that the Confederates had even abandoned the borders of the Great Kanawha.