In the tense weeks following the April 17, 1861 secession vote, communities across northwestern Virginia divided sharply as unionists and secessionists began organizing. The killing of Thornsbury Bailey Brown at Fetterman Bridge in May, often considered the first Union soldier killed in combat during the Civil War, showed how quickly the political crisis was spiraling…

Continue reading ➞ First Blood in Western Virginia: Secession, Divided Loyalties, and the Death of Thornsbury Bailey Brown