An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
In mid-April 1861, as federal troops evacuated and set fire to Harpers Ferry Arsenal, 60 men assembled in Brownsburg, Virginia to form the Second Rockbridge Dragoons. They were led by 42-year-old Captain John Rice McNutt and 1st Lieutenant Robert McChesney. Though a small company, they would go on to play a role in one of…
The Old Dominion played a principal role in America's independence from England and had a reputation as the "birthplace of presidents." As 1861 dawned, however, would it turn its back on the country it helped create? At the dawn of 1861, war clouds gathered over the United States. Before president-elect Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on…
Was Stephen Roberts the first Confederate officer killed during the Civil War? By the time Virginia voters ratified the decision of its secession convention on May 23, 1861, Richmond was named the Confederate capital and militia units were mobilizing. As commander of all Virginia forces, Robert E. Lee directed Col. George A. Porterfield to proceed…
Largely forgotten today, Thornsbury Bailey Brown was among the first Union casualties of the Civil War.
This unit's colorful commander was known for giving bellicose speeches, but his courage was of the liquid variety. The Pocahontas Rescues was a Confederate company raised in May 1861 in what is today Pocahontas County, West Virginia. “Count” Daniel A. Stofer (1821-1891), a boisterous attorney, organized the unit. Fifty-seven men mustered in at Huntersville, a…
The Letcher Guard was a Confederate company raised in May 1861 in what is today Taylor County, West Virginia. It was involved in the Action at Philippi on June 3, 1861 and then became Company A, 9th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Hansbrough’s) in the Army of the Northwest.
Spirit of '61 