Toland's Raid

KC-4

Col. John T. Toland of the 34th Regiment Mounted Ohio Volunteer Infantry leading Federal cavalrymen, marched from Tazewell County, and raided Wytheville during the evening of 18 July 1863. Confederate troops under Maj. Thomas M. Bowyer and local citizens fortified in buildings at first withstood the attack, killing Toland. After the Confederates withdrew, Federal forces burned several buildings. After learning that Confederate troops were situated at present day Rural Retreat, the federals left Wytheville early the next morning initially headed north towards Walker Mountain.

Department of Historic Resources, 2005

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

John M. Johnson, Lead, Salt, and the Railroad: Toland’s Raid on Wytheville, July 18, 1863 (Wytheville, Va.: Wythe County Historical Society, 2003) in the Wythe History Series; Mary B. Kegley, I Like Molly Tynes Whether She Rode or Not And Twenty-Five Other Tall Tales and Cherished Myths (n.p., 2003); Mary B. Kegley, Wythe County, Virginia: A Bicentennial History (Wytheville, Va.: Wythe County Board of Supervisors, 1989), 196-199; The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Prepared Under the Direction of the Secretary of War by Robert N. Scott. 129 Vols. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1889-1901), 27, Pt. 2: 945-951 and 39:1000-1005.