February 1, 1865
We learn that the last of the 23rd Army Corps passed East yesterday. This has been one of the most successful movements ever made in the annals of troop transportation. It has been made under the immediate direction of Col. L. D. Parsons, chief of the river and railroad transportation. Although the weather has been excessively cold, he has succeeded in having the troops promptly transferred from the far Southwest, over the mountains, without injury to the men. His labors merit the highest praise from the soldiers and the Government. The little Miami, Central Ohio, and Baltimore and Ohio railroads devoted themselves to the work with such efficiency as to give entire satisfaction to the government agent. The departure of the troops from the Ohio river, over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, took place immediately upon the arrival of the western trains, night or day, the cars being ready to send them off immediately to the East. There was despatched [sic] from Benwood in one day ten trains, the troops being made comfortable by stoves and hay in the cars. The officers and men, horses and all were looking in a condition for the most effective service. We noticed in the movement of trains that the master of transportation, W.P. Smith, was supported by Mr. Joseph brown, who has no superior in the management of trains, and whose reputation as a thorough and efficient railroad man is extended and enviable.
Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: January 1865