An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
On a hot July morning in 1861, a forage run five miles from Martinsburg turned into a brief, deadly clash that left one Union soldier dead and two in Confederate hands. Acting under pressure from the War Department in Washington, DC, after one false start and with 90-day enlistments about to expire, scant artillery, and…
On July 11, 1861, somewhere south of Martinsburg, (West) Virginia, a Union foraging party encountered Confederate cavalry. A sharp fight erupted and one Union soldier was killed. The details of this nearly forgotten incident are hazy at best. Join us as we dig into the sources and piece together what happened over 164 years ago.…
When a quiet morning along the Potomac suddenly broke into a sharp, unexpected fight near Falling Waters, the resulting engagement helped determine the opening moves of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah Valley lies between the Appalachians and Blue Ridge Mountains, its fertile soil shaped by the twin branches of the Shenandoah…
Continue reading ➞ Holding the Line at Hoke’s Run: Jackson’s First Test in the Shenandoah Valley
Events in Virginia's Lower Senandoah Valley* during the spring and summer of 1861 were confusing at best, with marches and counter-marches as Maj. Gen. Robert Patterson's Department of Pennsylvania army sought to confront Confederate Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah and prevent him from reinforcing P.G.T. Beauregard at Manassas Junction. Only one…
Two previously unexplored skirmishes conducted during Robert Patterson's short-lived campaign in the lower Shenandoah Valley have recently come to my attention. One, near Martinsburg on July 11, 1861, resulted in the death of private Isaac Sly of the 28th New York Infantry Regiment. The other occurred near Bunker Hill on July 15, 1861. Unfortunately, information…
Spirit of '61 