The Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia was a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

command in the Trans-Allegheny Theater during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. This department existed in two previous forms during the war.

Department of Southwestern Virginia

Organized May 8, 1861 for the mountainous region of southwest Virginia and present-day southern West Virginia. Commanders: * William W. Loring - May 8, 1861 - October 16, 1862 *

John Echols John Echols (March 20, 1823 – May 24, 1896) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early and family life John Echols was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He joined the Virginia Military Institute in 1840 ...

- October 16, 1862 - November 19, 1862 *

John Stuart Williams John Stuart Williams (July 10, 1818July 17, 1898) was an American politician and Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Kentucky during the Reconstruction era. Early life and ...

- November 19, 1862 - November 21, 1862

Trans-Allegheny Department

Renamed on November 25, 1862 and extended to the border of eastern

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. On September 25, extended to include the areas of southwestern Virginia formerly encompassed by the

Department of East Tennessee Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

and forces east of Knoxville. On March 19, 1864, the area around

Saltville, Virginia Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,824 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a co ...

was added to the department and, briefly from April 23 to May 2, the entirety of the Department of East Tennessee was added to the department. Commanding generals: * John Stuart Williams (temp.) - November 21, 1862 - December 10, 1862 * Samuel Jones - December 10, 1862 - February 25, 1864 *

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

- February 25, 1864 - May 23, 1864 * William "Grumble" Jones - May 23, 1864 - May 31, 1864 * George B. Crittenden (temp.) - May 31, 1864 - June 22, 1864 * John H. Morgan (temp.) - June 22, 1864 - August 22, 1864 * John Echols (temp.) - August 22, 1864 - September 17, 1864 * John C. Breckinridge - September 17, 1864 - September 27, 1864

Department of East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia

Organized September 27, 1864. The

Valley District The Valley District was an organization of the Confederate States Army and subsection of the Department of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War, responsible for operations between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Allegheny Mountains of Vir ...

was added on April 9, 1865 from the

Department of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

. Commanders: * John C. Breckinridge - September 27, 1864 - February 20, 1865 *

Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, ...

- February 20, 1865 - March 29, 1865 * John Echols - March 29, 1865 - April 19, 1865

Department of Tennessee and Georgia

Merged with the Department of Tennessee and Georgia on April 19, 1865.

Sources

*Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, {{ISBN, 0-8047-3641-3.
East Tennessee and West Virginia