Skirmish at Frankfort and Patterson’s Creek

Wednesday, June 26, 1861

In June 1861, Col. Lew Wallace and his 11th Indiana clashed with Confederate forces in a series of tense skirmishes around Romney, Virginia, as both sides vied for control of key railroads. A dramatic confrontation between Union scouts and Confederate cavalry left Richard Ashby mortally wounded and his brother, Turner Ashby, burning for revenge.

Narrative

The Skirmish at Frankfort and Patterson’s Creek (aka Kelley’s Island) was fought on Wednesday, June 26, 1861 between Union forces commanded by Col. Lewis “Lew” Wallace and Confederate forces commanded by Lt. Col. Turner Ashby in Mineral County, West Virginia.

In mid-June, Col. Lewis “Lew” Wallace, commanding the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment, arrived in Cumberland, Maryland across the Potomac River from Virginia with a mission to guard the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. His 11th Indiana routed a Confederate force out of Romney, Virginia on June 11, then withdrew.

Confederate reinforcements under Col. Ambrose Powell Hill arrived in Romney on June 15, then proceeded to burn the railroad bridge at New Creek. On June 19, two companies of Confederate cavalry arrived in Romney commanded by Col. Angus W. McDonald, Sr. to relieve them. Hill’s infantry left on the 21st.

These troop movements alarmed Wallace and his men, who were outnumbered and far from reinforcements. His nearest support were Pennsylvania Reserve units who had orders not to leave their state. To gather intelligence about what he was up against, Wallace instructed his men to commandeer horses, but they only found thirteen in “fair” condition.

Meanwhile, McDonald’s cavalry was busying itself around Romney. Lt. Col. Turner Ashby led a company called the “Mountain Rangers” from Fauquier County. On the morning of Wednesday, June 26, 1861, Lt. Col. Ashby and his younger brother, Capt. Richard Ashby, set off on two different missions. The elder Ashby took nine men on a scouting mission toward Patterson’s Creek Depot, while the younger Ashby set off with 19 men to arrest a local Unionist. Not finding him at home, Richard Ashby split his force and took the smaller squad toward Patterson’s Depot.

Lew Wallace’s scouts, led by Cpl. David B. Hay, were also on the move that day. His troop of thirteen mounted infantrymen headed from Cumberland east to Frankfort’s Ford along the Potomac River to ascertain if any enemy cavalry were there. They ran into Richard Ashby and his squad near the mouth of Dan’s Run, approximately three miles southeast of Patterson’s Creek. A sharp fight erupted. Most of the younger Ashby’s men managed to get away, but Richard was mortally wounded and left for dead. Cpl. Hay was also wounded.

The Hoosiers rode back toward Cumberland and stopped to rest on a small island (called Kelley’s Island or Kelly’s Island) in the Potomac River at the mouth of Patterson’s Creek. Lt. Col. Turner Ashby, joined by two scouts who heard the firing earlier, located the federals and charged headlong through the shallow water. It was a fatal mistake. Ashby’s horse was shot out from under him, two of his men were killed, and several wounded (Lew Wallace greatly exaggerated the number of Confederate cavalry and their casualties).

Wallace sent two companies to help, and the Confederates withdrew. Later, Turner Ashby found his younger brother’s body and became a changed man–sullen with a burning desire for revenge. He would also die in battle, on June 6, 1862.

This was the last skirmish for the 11th Indiana in Virginia. In July, the regiment joined Maj. Gen. Robert Patterson’s army north of Winchester, Virginia, returned to Romney July 11-13th, then proceeded home to Indianapolis to be mustered out and re-organized as a three-year regiment in early August.

Opposing Forces

Confederate

Col. Angus W. McDonald, Sr., Commanding

Unit	Commander(s)	Strength	Killed	Wounded	Captured
7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A Fauquier Mountain Rangers	Lt. Col. Turner Ashby Cpt. Richard Ashby	28	3	6	0

Union

Col. Lewis Wallace, Commanding

Unit	Commander(s)	Strength	Killed	Wounded	Captured
11th Indiana Inf. Regiment	Cpl. David B. Hay	13	1	2	1

Casualties

Name	Unit	Killed	Mortally Wounded	Wounded
Cpt. Richard Ashby	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A		X
Pvt. O’Fanton / O’Forton	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A		X
Pvt. Oswald (Osbourn) Foley	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A	X
Pvt. John A. Ladd	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X
Pvt. Albert N. “Tip” Garrison	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X
Col. Turner Ashby	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X
Pvt. Bob Rector	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X
Pvt. Nathaniel “Nat” Grigsby	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X
Pvt. Thomas Hickerson McArthur	7th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A			X

Name	Unit	Killed	Mortally Wounded	Wounded
Cpl. David B. Hay	11th Indiana Infantry, Co. A			X
Pvt. John C. Hollenback	11th Indiana Infantry, Co. B		X
Pvt. Edward P. Thomas	11th Indiana Infantry, Co. K			X

Timeline

• June 13, 1861: Col. Lewis “Lew” Wallace and the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment drive Confederate forces away from Romney, Virginia.

• June 17-19, 1861: Colonel Angus W. McDonald, Sr. forms the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment and establishes his headquarters in Romney, Virginia.

• June 19, 1861: Troops from the 3rd Tennessee and 13th Virginia Infantry Regiments burn the railroad bridge over the Potomac River at New Creek.

• June 26, 1861: Lt. Col. Turner Ashby and his brother, Capt. Richard Ashby, depart from Romney on a scouting mission towards the Potomac River.

Location

GPS Coordinates — 39.56411, -78.72447

Primary Sources

News Articles

Reports and Letters

• June 27th Report of Colonel Lew. Wallace, Eleventh Indiana Infantry (1st)
• June 27th Report of Colonel Lew. Wallace, Eleventh Indiana Infantry (2nd)

Durham, Thomas Wise. Three Years with Wallace’s Zouaves: The Civil War Memoirs of Thomas Wise Durham. Jeffrey L. Patrick, Ed. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2003.

Wallace, Lewis. Lew Wallace: An Autobiography, Vol. I. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1906.

Sources

Armstrong, Richard L. 7th Virginia Cavalry. The Virginia Regimental History Series. Lynchburg: H.E. Howard, Inc., 1992.

Avirett, James B. The Memoirs of General Turner Ashby and His Compeers. Baltimore: Selby & Dulany, 1867.

McDonald, William N. A History of the Laurel Brigade. Baltimore: Kate S. McDonald, 1907.

Merrill, Catharine. The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union. Indianapolis: Merrill and Company, 1866.

Stephens, Gail. Shadow of Shiloh: Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press, 2010.

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Updated: 5 March 2025
Created: 23 March 2021