An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
In July 1861, Union troops pushed south from Cumberland into Virginia to secure the vital B&O Railroad corridor around New Creek and Piedmont. Their advance erupted into a deadly clash at New Creek Station, where Confederate cavalry charged a fortified stone house before retreating into the mountains, setting off a pursuit that carried the fighting…
On Wednesday, June 26, 1861, Richard Ashby, captain of the Fauquier Mountain Rangers, found himself in a desperate hand-to-hand fight with mounted scouts from the 11th Indiana Infantry Regiment near where Dan’s Run empties into the Potomac River in northern Hampshire County, Virginia. Richard was the younger brother of Turner Ashby, who would later win…
Continue reading ➞ Letter from Turner Ashby to His Sister, on the Event of Their Brother’s Death
Earlier this month, I finally had the opportunity to visit Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park in Berkeley County, West Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and other local historic preservation groups developed this 10-acre park near the site of the July 2, 1861 Battle of Hoke’s Run, also known as Falling Waters, and erected interpretive signs…
Continue reading ➞ Exploring the New Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park
In the summer of 1861, Hampshire County, Virginia, became a battleground in the struggle to control the vital Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Confederate cavalry raided bridges and rail lines from Romney to New Creek while Union troops fought to keep open this critical transportation link between Washington, DC, and the West. On the eve of…
Continue reading ➞ Cutting the B&O: Confederate Raids in Hampshire County, 1861
In early July 1861, following Lewis “Lew” Wallace’s departure from Cumberland, Maryland, the 13th and 5th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiments and Battery A, 1st Pennsylvania Artillery, advanced to protect this vital transportation hub on the Potomac River. On July 12, Confederate cavalry destroyed railroad cars and two trestle bridges over George’s Creek on the Maryland side…
Throughout 1861, Union and Confederate forces struggled for control of the Kanawha Valley, an important east-west corridor through what was then western Virginia. I recently had the opportunity to visit several Civil War sites in the region, including locations along the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers. Although much has changed in the past 165 years, I…
A few months ago, YouTuber Jeffrey the Librarian released an informative video on the American Civil War, focusing on the events of July 1861. He takes a broad view of the conflict, covering developments not only in Virginia but also in Missouri. It is one of the best videos I have seen on the subject.…
In a previous post examining which Federal forces were involved in the July 13, 1861 Battle of Corrick’s Ford, I noted that, given the ferocity and duration of the fighting, it is difficult to explain how Union losses remained so light, with just two killed and roughly six or seven wounded. This figure comes directly…
A wealth of primary sources exists concerning the Battle of Corrick's Ford, fought on July 13, 1861, in Tucker County, West Virginia, and its aftermath. Official reports from several Union commanders involved in the action, however, are conspicuously absent. It was customary for each colonel engaged in an action like this to submit a report…
Continue reading ➞ Colonel Ebenezer Dumont’s Report from Corrick’s Ford
After McClellan’s victory at Rich Mountain, Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett’s army fled Laurel Hill in a rain-soaked retreat through the mountains of western Virginia. At Corrick’s Ford, along Shavers Fork of the Cheat River, the pursuit caught up with them, ending in the collapse of Garnett’s command and the death of the first general…
Continue reading ➞ The Fight at Corrick’s Ford: Union Pursuit and the Death of Robert S. Garnett
Spirit of '61 