Troops
The Union forces consisted of about 4,500 men from a variety of different units, including several units which had participated in smaller-scale raids into Southwest Virginia earlier in the conflict. The Union army was under the command of Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, Brig. Gen. Alvan Gillem, and Brig. Gen. Stephen Burbridge. The majority of the forces that would have been stationed at Marion had been transferred to the Army of Northern Virginia. The heavily scaled-down Confederate forces consisted of approximately 1,500 men, under the overall command of Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge and Brig. Gen. Basil Duke.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Marion
Famous quotes containing the word troops:
“But, where the road runs near the stream,
Oft through the trees they catch a glance
Of passing troops in the sun’s beam—
Pennon, and plume, and flashing lance!
Forth to the world those soldiers fare,
To life, to cities, and to war!”
—Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)
“Nearly all the bands are mustered out of service; ours therefore is a novelty. We marched a few miles yesterday on a road where troops have not before marched. It was funny to see the children. I saw our boys running after the music in many a group of clean, bright-looking, excited little fellows.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“Therefore the skilful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.”
—Sun Tzu (6th–5th century B.C.)