An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
In July 1861, George B. McClellan launched a coordinated offensive in western Virginia, using a diversion at Laurel Hill and a daring flank march over Rich Mountain to break Robert S. Garnett’s defensive line. The resulting Union victory not only shattered Confederate control of the region but propelled McClellan into national prominence at a critical…
Over the years, Emerging Civil War has published a range of engaging articles on events in northwestern Virginia during the spring and summer of 1861. Contributors include not only our friend Jon-Erik Gilot, but also Edward Alexander, Kevin Pawlak, David T. Dixon, and Gordy Morgan. The topics run from campaign overviews to forgotten Confederate drink…
Continue reading ➞ The Tygart Valley / Cheat River Campaign at Emerging Civil War
In late June 1861, Union troops guarding the B&O Railroad clashed with Confederate cavalry near Bowman’s Place in Tucker County as they attempted to disrupt elections for Virginia’s Restored Government. The brief but deadly skirmish, tied to control of the Cheat River corridor, revealed how quickly political conflict in northwestern Virginia could turn violent. More…
Continue reading ➞ Powder and Politics: The Skirmish at Bowman’s Place
On June 27, 1861, a Confederate foraging expedition descended on the unionist town of Buckhannon, scattering civilians and briefly seizing vital supplies along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Though a small clash, the raid and the rumors it sparked pushed George B. McClellan to launch his campaign against Robert S. Garnett, setting the stage for the fight…
Continue reading ➞ Divided Ground: Buckhannon’s Unionists Face a Confederate Incursion
In a rain-soaked dawn attack at Philippi, Union columns under Benjamin Kelley and Ebenezer Dumont scattered Col. George A. Porterfield’s inexperienced command, sending it fleeing in what became known as the “Philippi Races.” The brief fight secured the B&O lifeline and shattered secessionist momentum in northwestern Virginia at the very outset of the war. Events…
Continue reading ➞ The Philippi Races: How a Rain-Soaked Surprise Secured Northwestern Virginia
In the tense weeks following Virginia’s secession vote, rival unionist and secessionist forces in northwestern Virginia maneuvered for control of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Skirmishes at Fetterman and Glover’s Gap produced some of the war’s earliest casualties and set the stage for the opening of McClellan's campaign in the region. On April 17, 1861,…
In 1861, Trans-Allegheny Virginia was a landscape of hills and mountains cut by rivers like the Kanawha, Little Kanawha, Tygart, Cheat, and Greenbrier. The region consisted largely of small towns and subsistence farms, with limited industry beyond coal mining, salt works, and a nascent iron trade. The first oil wells were drilled on the eve…
Continue reading ➞ Revised Map and Overview of the Ohio Front
Appearing in the Spring 2025 issue of Ohio Valley History, "'A Kind of Dreamland': Upshur County, WV at the Dawn of Civil War" by M.A. Kleen is the first academic article to emerge from our work here at Spirit of '61. This website strives to be a hub for research and scholarship of this interesting…
For 36 days following adoption of a secession ordinance in Richmond, the federal government had respected Virginia's sovereignty, despite the seizing of federal property and facilities by secessionists and hostile exchanges of fire between U.S. Navy ships and Virginia shore batteries. That changed on May 23, 1861, when Virginia voters ratified secession by a large…
Continue reading ➞ 160 Years Ago Today: Grafton Occupied by Union Troops
Yesterday, I posted about a mystery skirmish mentioned in Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's July 5, 1861 report to Assistant Adjutant-General E. D. Townsend that supposedly took place around present-day Ravenswood, West Virginia along the Ohio River in early July 1861. The engagement is not listed in any source that I am aware of.…
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