An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Following the rout at Philippi on June 3, Confederate President Jefferson Davis promoted Robert S. Garnett, adjutant to Robert E. Lee, to brigadier general and placed him in command of the army in the northwest. Garnett, 41, was a former U.S. Army officer and assistant instructor of infantry tactics at West Point. He joined Col.…
Continue reading ➞ What Confederate Units were at the Battle of Belington / Laurel Hill?
As one of the earliest engagements in the American Civil War, the Action at Philippi on June 3, 1861 is clouded in faulty and incomplete information. We owe it to history (and the ancestors of the men involved) to get an accurate picture of who was present on that day, for either side. Today we…
Continue reading ➞ Secessionist Forces Involved in the Action at Philippi
In the spring of 1861, Virginia was in an ambiguous position. Although its Secession Convention had voted to secede, the state had not yet officially joined the Confederacy. During this period, volunteers rushed to form armed companies, regiments, and batteries, sometimes clashing with federal troops and naval ships. What, then, should we call these state…
Continue reading ➞ What’s in a Name? Secessionist, Southern, or Confederate?
Another eyewitness account of the Engagement at Sewell’s Point appeared in the book The History of Norfolk, Virginia by Harrison W. Burton (1840-1902), a journalist who served in the 1st Virginia Infantry and Otey's Battery during the Civil War. It was simply identified as being written by "a Georgia gentleman" shortly after the fight concluded, dated…
The following eyewitness account of the Engagement at Sewell’s Point appeared in the book The History of Norfolk, Virginia by Harrison W. Burton (1840-1902), a journalist who served in the 1st Virginia Infantry and Otey's Battery during the Civil War. It was written anonymously by a member of the Norfolk Light-Artillery Blues. There is no date…
It was the first time Virginia militia opened fire on federal forces during the American Civil War, weeks before the state’s secession referendum. One private left behind a detailed recollection of this fateful moment, but there is reason to question its accuracy. It serves as a cautionary tale about why all sources should be carefully…
Like many ex-Confederates, Thomas W. Colley wrote a memoir years after the war. And, like John Singleton Mosby, Colley enlisted in the Washington Mounted Rifles, a storied unit initially led by Capt. William E. “Grumble” Jones. He served with the company for the duration of the war and was wounded several times, ultimately losing a…
Continue reading ➞ Thomas W. Colley Recollects the Skirmish at Bunker Hill
During the American Civil War, John Singleton Mosby became a famous (or infamous) partisan leader in northern Virginia. The "Gray Ghost" vexed Union commanders and wreaked havoc behind the lines. But in the spring and summer of 1861, he was a private in the Washington Mounted Rifles, a cavalry company in J.E.B. Stuart's 1st Virginia…
Continue reading ➞ Mosby Sheds Light on What Happened Outside of Martinsburg on July 11, 1861
In mid-July 1861, just weeks after Virginia’s formal entry into the Confederate States of America, Governor John Letcher issued a sweeping proclamation calling for the mobilization of militia forces in response to a troop requisition from Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The proclamation, dated July 13, targeted specific regions of the Commonwealth: counties north of the…
Continue reading ➞ Organizing for War: Governor John Letcher’s July 13, 1861 Militia Proclamation
Union forces captured several flags at Philippi on June 3, 1861, but accounts vary regarding how many were taken, who they belonged to, what they looked like, and where they are now. One often-overlooked flag belonged to the Bath Cavalry, also known as the Bath Grays, a company raised in the mountainous region of Bath…
Spirit of '61 