Commanding a brigade, he played a prominent role in the defense of the important saltworks during the Battle of Saltville.
In September 1864, his 800-man force blocked the vital Virginia and Tennessee Railroad at Bull's Gap, Tennessee, during Stephen G. Burbridge's Saltville raid.
He received a formal resolution of thanks from the Second Confederate Congress in the fall of 1864 for his actions at the Battle of Saltville.
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The number of wounded men and prisoners his guerrillas killed after the Battle of Saltville is a matter of dispute.
While continuing in charge of Kentucky, in October 1864, Burbridge led Union assaults against the salt works near the town of Saltville, Virginia as part of the Battle of Saltville.