An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Eventually, I intend to include profiles of the personalities central to the early Civil War in Virginia in this encyclopedia. Unfortunately, more than a handful didn't go on to win much fame, so finding quality contemporary photos or illustrations of them is difficult. I decided to hire an artist to create illustrations of these individuals…
Continue reading ➞ Illustration of Col. George A. Porterfield
I'm continuing my effort to add all the papers and telegrams of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who organized the first expedition into Virginia after the outbreak of hostilities, from May to July 1861. Most these new sources pertain to the skirmish at Philippi and the events over the following month. Unfortunately, the primary sources…
Continue reading ➞ More Primary Sources Added from GB McClellan
Robert E. Lee's General Orders Number 24, issued at the Headquarters of Virginia Forces in Richmond on June 1, 1861, sought to clarify Virginia's militia organization as it continued to mobilize throughout the state. A Civil War Era regiment consisted of smaller units called companies raised from the same general geographic area (sometimes several adjacent…
Continue reading ➞ Organization of Virginia Militia Units in June 1861
It's impossible to tell the complete story of the opening months of the Civil War in Virginia without citing the papers and telegrams of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who organized the first expedition into Virginia after the outbreak of hostilities. Most of this correspondence can be found in the venerable tomes of The War…
I started experimenting with adding unit and casualty tables to the battle pages. Here is an example from the Battle of Philippi page: Opposing Forces Virginia (Confederate) Col. George A. PorterfieldUnionBrig. Gen. Thomas A. Morris9th VA Infantry BN1st VA Infantry (Union)25th VA Infantry Regt2nd VA Infantry (Union)31st VA Infantry Regt6th IN Infantry Regt11th VA Cavalry7th…
Welcome to Spirit of '61, an encyclopedia of early Civil War Virginia! This website is a work in progress, and I'll be adding new articles and updating old articles regularly with new information and multimedia. I've created the first few pages based on my previous writing: First Battle of Fairfax Court HouseBattle of PhilippiBattle of…
Spirit of '61 