On January 7, 1861, with South Carolina declaring itself out of the Union and Abraham Lincoln not yet in office, Virginia Governor John Letcher addressed the General Assembly on the growing sectional crisis. He blamed Northern hostility to slavery for undermining constitutional obligations and destroying trust between the sections. “For the present condition of public…
On November 15, 1860, Virginia Governor John Letcher called a special session of the state’s general assembly to convene at the capitol in Richmond on Monday, January 7, 1861. When senators and delegates took their seats, President-elect Abraham Lincoln had not yet assumed office, and only South Carolina had declared its secession. Mississippi, Florida, and…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia’s Anti-Coercion Resolution, January 7, 1861
Though seldom remembered today, former Virginia governor Henry A. Wise played a key role in aligning Virginia with the Confederacy. He served as a Confederate general throughout the war, lost his eldest son, and surrendered with Lee at Appomattox Court House. A (sometimes reluctant) secessionist, he was nevertheless not an enthusiastic supporter of slavery, despite…
Continue reading ➞ When and How Did Henry A. Wise Enter the Fight?
On Wednesday, June 26, 1861, Richard Ashby, captain of the Fauquier Mountain Rangers, found himself in a desperate hand-to-hand fight with mounted scouts from the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment near where Dan’s Run empties into the Potomac River in northern Hampshire County, Virginia. Richard was the younger brother of Turner Ashby, who would later win…
Continue reading ➞ Letter from Turner Ashby to His Sister, on the Event of Their Brother’s Death
The “Battle” of Romney, fought on Wednesday, June 12, 1861, received attention at the time and in later accounts that far outstripped its actual significance. Early in the Civil War, before anyone could imagine the bloody battles to come, a virtually bloodless victory like Romney seemed like a major triumph for the Union war effort.…
Continue reading ➞ Illustrations of the 1861 “Battle” of Romney
Earlier this month, I finally had the opportunity to visit Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park in Berkeley County, West Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and other local historic preservation groups developed this 10-acre park near the site of the July 2, 1861 Battle of Hoke’s Run, also known as Falling Waters, and erected interpretive signs…
Continue reading ➞ Exploring the New Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park
In the spring and summer of 1861, the nation tore itself apart. Maryland and Virginia stood on the front lines, with the Potomac River between them threatening to become an international border. In Washington, military planners quickly recognized the importance of securing the Potomac west of the nation's capital and protecting the vital Baltimore &…
Continue reading ➞ Detailed Timeline of Events Along the Upper Potomac, May 23 – July 27, 1861
In early July 1861, following Lewis “Lew” Wallace’s departure from Cumberland, Maryland, the 13th and 5th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiments and Battery A, 1st Pennsylvania Artillery, advanced to protect this vital transportation hub on the Potomac River. On July 12, Confederate cavalry destroyed railroad cars and two trestle bridges over George’s Creek on the Maryland side…
Continuing our exploration of Virginia militia raised in the early months of the American Civil War, today we’re examining Artillery companies (batteries) enrolled in May 1861. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Paymaster General’s Office tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861, twenty-five artillery companies were enrolled in May. Precisely determining…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia Artillery Units Enrolled in May 1861
Throughout 1861, Union and Confederate forces struggled for control of the Kanawha Valley, an important east-west corridor through what was then western Virginia. I recently had the opportunity to visit several Civil War sites in the region, including locations along the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers. Although much has changed in the past 165 years, I…
