An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Uncover the dramatic July 4th skirmish at Harper’s Ferry, where Union soldiers attempted a bold mission to seize a Confederate flag, sparking a deadly clash along the Potomac River. Explore how this brief but pivotal encounter set the stage for Union control of the strategic town. Following the capture of Harper’s Ferry Arsenal by Virginia…
Continue reading ➞ A Town in the Crossfire: Independence Day Skirmish at Harper’s Ferry
As July 1861 dawned, lead elements of Col. Charles Pomeroy Stone's expedition along the Potomac River's Maryland shore reached Sandy Hook and Maryland Heights opposite of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had evacuated his troops from Harper's Ferry in mid-June, destroying the bridges across the Potomac in the process. The town…
In the wake of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles Dreux's death, a Union foraging party’s bold venture beyond their orders sparked a swift and decisive skirmish with Maj. John Bell Hood's Confederate cavalry, resulting in Union losses and Confederate triumph. On July 5, 1861, a failed ambush near the farm of Nelson Smith resulted in the…
A Confederate plot to surprise Union troops ended in chaos, confusion, and the tragic death of Lt. Col. Charles Dreux, the first field-grade Confederate officer killed in the Civil War. Following the Battle of Big Bethel, Union and Confederate forces on the Virginia Peninsula settled into a stalemate behind their fortifications. Both armies occasionally sent…
Continue reading ➞ Failed Ambush at Smith’s Farm: The Death of Lt. Col. Charles Dreux
Occurring on Friday, July 5, 1861, the Skirmish at Smith's Farm was significant because Louisianan Lt. Col. Charles Dreux became the first field grade Confederate officer killed during the Civil War. Yet few people, even Civil War historians, have ever heard of it. Sometimes inaccurately called Young's Mill, I refer to it as Smith's Farm…
Continue reading ➞ Illuminating the Skirmish at Smith’s Farm
William "Billy" Davis was born in 1838 on a farm in Franklin Township, Johnson County, Indiana. At the outbreak of the Civil War, on April 18, 1861 at the age of 23, he enlisted for three months in Company H, 7th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. He served in that unit throughout its entire campaign in northwestern…
Continue reading ➞ Where was Billy Davis on the Morning of July 8, 1861?
When sources are lacking, historians attempt to fill in the blanks, but we can use deduction to arrive at the most likely answer. The 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry, otherwise known as Hansbrough's Battalion, was a small unit consisting of four companies led by Lt. Col. George W. Hansbrough. It formed shortly after the Action at…
A few days ago, we looked at a variety of sources to help orient our map of the Battle of Belington/Laurel Hill. Since then, I learned that most of these sources repeat, by second or third hand, information from the diary of a soldier in the 7th Indiana Regiment named William "Billy" Davis. His diary…
The following descriptions, taken from a variety of sources, help identify major landmarks related to the Battle of Belington/Laurel Hill. Since there are few reliable maps of Camp Laurel Hill and none of unit positions, we have to rely on these written descriptions to tell us where the battle unfolded. The numbers correspond to areas…
Back in 2021, I thought I had stumbled upon a skirmish along the Ohio River in Western Virginia fought between Confederate forces commanded by Capt. Obadiah Jennings Wise and Union forces commanded by Col. Jesse S. Norton. It took place somewhere around Ravenswood in what is today Jackson County, West Virginia. This was based on…
Spirit of '61 