An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
The Richmond Light Infantry Blues was Virginia's oldest and most prestigious military company. At the outbreak of the Civil War, it elected Obadiah Jennings Wise (1831-1862), eldest son of former Virginia governor Henry A. Wise, as its captain. Among its other captains during that war was Ezekiel "Zeke" J. Levy, who enlisted as a fourth…
Continue reading ➞ Jewish Virginians in the Richmond Light Infantry Blues
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?
Daily Commercial (Cincinnati) 18 July 1861 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…
It's said "a photo is worth a thousand words", which is why this encyclopedia has made every effort to include photographs of places and things relating to early Civil War Virginia. It's one thing to read about a battle, another to actually see the terrain where it took place. Statues and grave markers remind us…
If you search for any mention of a Civil War skirmish in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1861 in the usual sources, you won't find it. In fact, any information about Buckhannon prior to George McClellan's occupation on June 30-July 1st is in short supply. There are a few references to a brief Confederate expedition to…
The Doyle brothers see the elephant in 1861 Guest Post by Steve Litteral, featured in Issue 2 of the Brass Bugle. If you have traveled through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, then you know it is one of the most beautiful places in the country. The surrounding ancient rolling hills have seen men fighting men…
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…
Following the Union occupation of Philippi, Virginia in early June 1861, a black soldier was accused of shooting down an elderly man in cold blood. Who was he, and how did he end up in the Union army so early in the war? A few days ago, we wrote about James Humbles, a freeman of…
In mid-April 1861, as federal troops evacuated and set fire to Harpers Ferry Arsenal, 60 men assembled in Brownsburg, Virginia to form the Second Rockbridge Dragoons. They were led by 42-year-old Captain John Rice McNutt and 1st Lieutenant Robert McChesney. Though a small company, they would go on to play a role in one of…
Was Stephen Roberts the first Confederate officer killed during the Civil War? By the time Virginia voters ratified the decision of its secession convention on May 23, 1861, Richmond was named the Confederate capital and militia units were mobilizing. As commander of all Virginia forces, Robert E. Lee directed Col. George A. Porterfield to proceed…
Spirit of '61 