An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
A few days ago, I shared a map of the Confederate camp at Laurel Hill in Barbour County, West Virginia drawn by a Union spy named William Fletcher. I found the map on an interpretive sign at the Laurel Hill Battlefield. Though flawed, the map is the only detailed representation of the Confederate camp I…
Continue reading ➞ Origin of the Laurel Hill Spy Map Revealed
Yesterday, I shared a re-created map of Laurel Hill Camp drawn by a Union spy named William Fletcher. The Confederate Army of Northwestern Virginia occupied this position from June 16 to July 11, 1861. The camp didn't leave much in the way of physical remnants except for a small cemetery, so identifying its boundaries is…
A few days ago, I posted an accounting of all Confederate soldiers involved in the Patterson's Creek / Kelley’s Island Skirmish. Having the names of all participants on the Confederate side only tells half the story, however, but I recently came across a contemporary newspaper article that sheds light on the Union troops involved. The…
Continue reading ➞ Union Troops in Patterson’s Creek Skirmish
I recently consulted the 7th Virginia Cavalry regimental history by Richard L. Armstrong to verify a list of Confederates who fought in the Skirmish at Frankfort and Patterson’s Creek and find out what happened to them, in order to have an accurate accounting of all casualties.
Earlier this month, I took a trip up to the Romney, West Virginia area to visit some Civil War sites and take pictures for this encyclopedia. It was a beautiful, warm day, but it was clear I would spend most of it in the car. My goal was to hit the Romney, Keyser, Cumberland triangle and parts in between.
On Wednesday, I posted an article I came across in the Richmond Dispatch, July 4, 1861, which described a previously unidentified skirmish near Alexandria, Virginia. The article is full of inaccuracies and partial information, which means I had to do a deep dive to figure out what happened. Information on the Confederate force is scarce.…
Continue reading ➞ New Facts Found in Skirmish Near Alexandria
I was searching through newspapers.com for casualty announcements in June and July 1861, and came across a previously unknown skirmish near Alexandria, Virginia that took place on or around June 30th. At first I thought it was referring to the Engagement at Arlington Mills, but that happened almost a month earlier. I haven't seen this…
From around June 16 to July 11, 1861, several regiments under the overall command of Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett fortified a camp at Laurel Hill southeast of Belington in what is today Barbour County, West Virginia. Life in a military camp could be dangerous. Even without an enemy nearby, accidents and disease were ever-present…
Back in 2021, I thought I had stumbled upon a skirmish along the Ohio River in Western Virginia fought between Confederate forces commanded by Capt. Obadiah Jennings Wise and Union forces commanded by Col. Jesse S. Norton. It took place somewhere around Ravenswood in what is today Jackson County, West Virginia. This was based on…
In late June, the small town of New Creek (today, Keyser, WV) along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was the scene of a brief skirmish between Maryland Home Guard and three Confederate companies, who ultimately burned the railroad bridge over the Potomac River. Accurate information on this skirmish is scarce, but while researching it, I…
Spirit of '61 