An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
On a hot July morning in 1861, a forage run five miles from Martinsburg turned into a brief, deadly clash that left one Union soldier dead and two in Confederate hands. Acting under pressure from the War Department in Washington, DC, after one false start and with 90-day enlistments about to expire, scant artillery, and…
On July 11, 1861, somewhere south of Martinsburg, (West) Virginia, a Union foraging party encountered Confederate cavalry. A sharp fight erupted and one Union soldier was killed. The details of this nearly forgotten incident are hazy at best. Join us as we dig into the sources and piece together what happened over 164 years ago.…
When a quiet morning along the Potomac suddenly broke into a sharp, unexpected fight near Falling Waters, the resulting engagement helped determine the opening moves of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah Valley lies between the Appalachians and Blue Ridge Mountains, its fertile soil shaped by the twin branches of the Shenandoah…
Continue reading ➞ Holding the Line at Hoke’s Run: Jackson’s First Test in the Shenandoah Valley
Events in Virginia's Lower Senandoah Valley* during the spring and summer of 1861 were confusing at best, with marches and counter-marches as Maj. Gen. Robert Patterson's Department of Pennsylvania army sought to confront Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah and prevent him from reinforcing P.G.T. Beauregard at Manassas Junction. Only one…
Two previously unexplored skirmishes conducted during Robert Patterson's short-lived campaign in the lower Shenandoah Valley have recently come to my attention. One, near Martinsburg on July 11, 1861, resulted in the death of private Isaac Sly of the 28th New York Infantry Regiment. The other occurred near Bunker Hill on July 15, 1861. Unfortunately, information…
Kevin Donovan has posted an excellent and meticulously researched article over at the Emerging Civil War blog on Virginia's secession crisis and the "Spontaneous People’s Convention." In those heated days in April 1861 before voting to secede, fire-eaters plotted and nearly executed a violent coup to force Virginia out of the Union. Click the link…
Welcome to version 1.4 of the Spirit of ’61 Battlelog. Developed over several months, this release includes strategic overviews for all regions and sub-regions, a detailed bibliography, and a version-control page. It is now 68 pages and over 32,000 words. Here is a detailed list of all changes in this version: Updated Action at Carter’s…
In 1861, Trans-Allegheny Virginia was a landscape of hills and mountains cut by rivers like the Kanawha, Little Kanawha, Tygart, Cheat, and Greenbrier. The region consisted largely of small towns and subsistence farms, with limited industry beyond coal mining, salt works, and a nascent iron trade. The first oil wells were drilled on the eve…
Continue reading ➞ Revised Map and Overview of the Ohio Front
Just a quick note that over the past week I have been revising and updating our Timeline Page. The purpose of this page is not to go into detail about every event, but to give a comprensive summary of signifigant military and political events in Virginia during the first seven months of 1861. It is…
As the first general officer killed in the Civil War, the death of Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett at Corrick’s Ford on July 13, 1861 has remained a subject of discussion for over 160 years. As veterans of the conflict aged, a controversy emerged not only over who fired the fatal shot, but also regarding…
Spirit of '61 