Meigs continued to participate in military action as part of Averell's command. Averell determined to break the supply line from Virginia to Tennessee, which kept General James Longstreet's Army of Tennessee supplied. From December 8 to December 25, Meigs traveled with Averell's troops through bitter cold and snow over the mountains of West Virginia to strike at the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad line at Salem, Virginia. The "Salem Raid" culminated with a daylight dash into Salem on December 16. Reconnoitering with a small unit of engineers, Meigs ordered the first shots fired in the raid. Averell's troops destroyed of track before rushing back to their base. Although the raid itself did little to disrupt Longstreet's supply lines, several cavalry corps of the Army of Northern Virginia fruitlessly searched for Averell's command for three months.