An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Just when I thought I'd found every early Civil War skirmish in Virginia and West Virginia, I came across several references to an engagement near what is today Ravenswood, West Virginia along the Ohio River in Jackson County. Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan mentions it in his July 5, 1861 report to Assistant Adjutant-General…
George Brinton McClellan was born in Philadelphia and graduated from West Point in 1846. He fought in the Mexican War, and his father was close friends with Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, who would become overall commander of U.S. forces at the outbreak of the Civil War. McClellan's services were highly sought after, but Ohio Governor…
When it comes to military operations in Virginia prior to the First Battle of Manassas, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan was most prolific in his writings. McClellan was commander of the military Department of the Ohio, which made him responsible for the first large scale operation in what was then western Virginia. So far, I've…
I'm continuing my effort to add all the papers and telegrams of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who organized the first expedition into Virginia after the outbreak of hostilities, from May to July 1861. Most these new sources pertain to the skirmish at Philippi and the events over the following month. Unfortunately, the primary sources…
Continue reading ➞ More Primary Sources Added from GB McClellan
It's impossible to tell the complete story of the opening months of the Civil War in Virginia without citing the papers and telegrams of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who organized the first expedition into Virginia after the outbreak of hostilities. Most of this correspondence can be found in the venerable tomes of The War…
Spirit of '61 