After Action Report - Beaver Creek

A big HUZZAH! to Maj. Penix and staff (including Capt. Gaynor and Sgt. Maj. Muehlenbein from the Army of the Ohio) for such a great job at Beaver Creek. Work duties may have called me away but my heart was with all of you. Sounds like everyone had a great experience.

Cheers to Mike Lawson and Chris Jones for all of the work they did to organize the weekend.

The following is Maj. Penix's AAR.

Your Servant,

Col. Christopher L. Smith
Birney's Division, 2d Battalion




After Action Report of 9-10 June 1862, Birney's Division
Near the Village of Beaver Creek, Ohio

Saturday, 9 June - We camped on Beaver Creek in a pine grove. Good ground and plenty of water and shade for the men. We took out an advanced force of 5 companies in the afternoon to sweep the village for supplies. Columbiana County is full of Rebel sympathizers.

I split our Battalion in two in order to approach the village from both ends. The Rebs had pickets posted at a foot bridge on the North end of town and in a covered bridge on the South. Their pickets opened fire on us at both ends of town at about the same time. Luckily I had artillery support on the north end of town and they were able to sweep the village at will.

Capt. Slattery was able to push the Reb pickets in from the South and I, with the other half of our force, was able to push into town from the north. The main body of Rebs pushed on our flank forcing me to pull back in order to recover our wounded and reform for another push. We gained the high ground in town taking a Reb cannon in the process but only after some close in hand to hand combat. The Rebs pulled back behind a large farm house I assumed to reform and charge us again. To my surprise, General "Stonewall" Jackson came out to surrender the town. We struck a truce to care for our dead and wounded.

Sunday 10 June - We were camped in town now but I put out pickets as I expected Jackson to attempt to retake the town. Our pickets at the foot bridge and at the trail in rear of the farm house were hit hard and pushed back quickly barely giving us time to un-stack arms and get on line.

Capt. Baltzer took two companies to the defense quickly but was only able to slow the Rebs down but not stop them. The other three companies went to defend the covered bridge but struggled to get on line as the Rebs were pushing and would not be denied. If not for the 110th OVI and their Henry Rifles, we would have been overwhelmed immediately.

Wiedrich's Battery did all they could and stood to their gun as long as possible until they were overrun by screaming Rebs. I pulled the wings back as slowly as possible while sending squads to weak points as needed. We fought our way back to and through a barn to the road where we reformed along a fence line enabling a squad to cross the covered bridge and push the Rebs out of a cluster of buildings. The troops used what cover they could but the Rebs flanked them out of the fence line sending us all across the covered bridge where we fought until all was lost.

General Jackson stopped the bloodshed and paroled us to tend our dead and wounded.

I want to send a special thanks to Mike Lawson and Chris Jones for two incredible battles and to the EMT ladies that tended our every need as well as our civilians that had health and heat issues. They did an outstanding job and we can't thank them enough!


Faithfully submitted 14 June.
Maj. Bob Penix, commanding