On August 26, 1861, Confederate Gen. John B. Floyd’s 3,000 men attacked the 7th Ohio Infantry at 5 A.M. while the men were eating breakfast in camp at Kessler's Cross Lanes. The battle grew out of Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox’s July drive that forced Confederates from the Kanawha Valley and his eastward advance on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike from Gauley Bridge to occupy more of the region. Knowing Floyd’s force was also advancing, Cox sent the 7th Ohio out alone to protect his flank, leaving it exposed to a surprise attack. After the pickets’ alarm, the regiment came under fire from at least 2,500 muskets, scattered, and then was reformed by Col. Erastus Tyler on a nearby hill. A fierce fight lasted just under an hour before the Confederates pushed the Federals into the mountains. The 7th Ohio suffered about 120 casualties, including nearly 100 captured, and Floyd’s men then withdrew to take up a defensive position at Carnifex Ferry.