Bullets Over Middle Fork: How a Bridge Fight Opened the Path to Rich Mountain

In a tense twilight skirmish at the covered bridge over Middle Fork River, Union and Confederate forces traded deadly volleys, with bullets tearing through the darkness. This fierce encounter would prove to be the critical opening move that cleared the Union’s path to a decisive victory at Rich Mountain just days later. Following the Confederate…

Illustration of Robert L. McCook

Robert Latimer McCook (1827-1862) was a lawyer from Ohio, one of nine children of Daniel McCook. Robert, seven of his brothers, and his father all fought for the Union during the Civil War. Their family was known as the "Fighting McCooks". When the Civil War broke out, Robert recruited the 9th Ohio Infantry from among…