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…
Tag: Laurel Hill
Map of Laurel Hill Battle
The Battle of Belington (Laurel Hill) was fought from Sunday, July 7 to Thursday, July 11, 1861 between Union forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Morris and Confederate forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett in what is today Barbour County, West Virginia. It involved around 8,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. I created…
Laurel Hill Camp Map
The Battle of Belington (Laurel Hill) was fought from Sunday, July 7 to Thursday, July 11, 1861 between Union forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Morris and Confederate forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett. It was a small skirmish but played a role in the more consequential Battle of Rich Mountain. Laurel…
Non-Combat Casualties at Laurel Hill
From around June 16 to July 11, 1861, several regiments under the overall command of Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett fortified a camp at Laurel Hill southeast of Belington in what is today Barbour County, West Virginia. Life in a military camp could be dangerous. Even without an enemy nearby, accidents and disease were ever-present…
160 Years Ago Today: The Battle of Belington or Laurel Hill
Following an ignominious Confederate defeat at the Battle of Philippi in early June, Robert E. Lee’s adjutant general, Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett, took command of Confederate forces in western Virginia and fortified two key mountain passes: one at Laurel Mountain leading to Leadsville and the other at Rich Mountain to Beverly. Lt. Col. John…
Continue reading ➞ 160 Years Ago Today: The Battle of Belington or Laurel Hill
Spirit of '61 