An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Portrait of John C. Higginbotham of Buchkannon. West Virginia & Regional History Center, Morgantown, WV Soon after Virginia voted to secede, John Carleton Higginbotham (1842-1864), an 18-year-old student at Lynchburg College, returned home to fight for the Confederacy. His father, William Thomas Higginbotham (1821-1892), was a prominent landowner in Upshur County and owned nearly 10…
Continue reading ➞ “No Meat Hurt”: Letter from John C. Higginbotham
Based on a careful analysis, it’s reasonable to conclude that the Confederates had approximately 1,670 men on the field that day. Though some minor skirmishes occurred in Virginia prior to June 10, 1861, the Battle of Big Bethel on the Virginia Peninsula was unequivocally the first pitched battle of any magnitude. Approximately 6,000 Union and…
The Battle of Big Bethel (or Great Bethel) was fought on Monday, June 10, 1861 between Union forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Peirce and Confederate forces commanded by Col. John B. Magruder and Col. Daniel Harvey Hill in what is today Hampton, Virginia. It was among the American Civil War’s first pitched battles. Until…
Continue reading ➞ Topographical Sketch of the Battle of Bethel, June 10th 1861
The Richmond Light Infantry Blues was Virginia's oldest and most prestigious military company. At the outbreak of the Civil War, it elected Obadiah Jennings Wise (1831-1862), eldest son of former Virginia governor Henry A. Wise, as its captain. Among its other captains during that war was Ezekiel "Zeke" J. Levy, who enlisted as a fourth…
Continue reading ➞ Jewish Virginians in the Richmond Light Infantry Blues
It's said "a photo is worth a thousand words", which is why this encyclopedia has made every effort to include photographs of places and things relating to early Civil War Virginia. It's one thing to read about a battle, another to actually see the terrain where it took place. Statues and grave markers remind us…
The Doyle brothers see the elephant in 1861 Guest Post by Steve Litteral, featured in Issue 2 of the Brass Bugle. If you have traveled through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, then you know it is one of the most beautiful places in the country. The surrounding ancient rolling hills have seen men fighting men…
James Humbles, a freeman of mixed ancestry, served with distinction in the 1st Virginia Cavalry in 1861. Spared & Shared has an extensive collection of transcribed Civil War Era letters across multiple websites. While searching for letters from 1861, I came across this one from Philip Henry Powers, 1st Virginia Cavalry, to his wife shortly…
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 April 1861. According to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Paymaster General’s Office tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861, fifteen artillery companies were enrolled in April. Precisely determining which…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia Artillery Units Enrolled in April 1861
Recently, we posted Statement Showing the Number, by Companies, of the Virginia Volunteers who Entered Service Prior to July 1, 1861, highlighting the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Paymaster General’s Office tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861. It contains valuable information that, when compared to other sources, can help piece together the…
Continue reading ➞ Virginia Cavalry Units Enrolled in April 1861
In January 1862, the Commonwealth of Virginia's Paymaster General’s Office published a tally of all Virginia volunteer companies prior to July 1, 1861. It tabulated 402 infantry companies, 78 cavalry companies, and 55 artillery batteries. This did not include the Wise Legion and Floyd’s Brigade, which were commissioned by the Confederate government. The purpose of…
Spirit of '61 