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Civil War Heritage Important to West Virginia
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CHARLESTON, W.VA. – The bitter divisiveness of the Civil War may have been epitomized most in West Virginia – a state born of the war – where family members where often pitted against each other as they decided which side to support.
One complex war issue was slavery. Perhaps the most incendiary of all events connected with the slavery issue took place on what is now West Virginia soil, with the seizure of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859 by the fiery abolitionist, John Brown. His plan for arming the slaves of northern Virginia to create a general uprising failed and he was hanged for treason and murder but the event heightened what was already a boiling issue throughout the country.
As war broke out, when the question of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s position came to a vote, the majority cast their ballots in favor of joining the newly formed Confederate States of America. However, 32 of 47 delegates from western Virginia voted against leaving the Union. The majority of people living in these western Virginia counties would first vote to create the Restored State of Virginia in 1861, which President Abraham Lincoln recognized as the legitimate government of Virginia. Later, from 1861 to 1862, representatives from these 39 western counties debated and voted to separate from Virginia altogether and form a new Union state. After considerable debate, the U.S. Congress passed the West Virginia statehood bill in the Senate by a vote of 23 to 15 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 96 to 55. Although he had misgivings about the statehood question, President Lincoln issued a proclamation under which West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
Throughout the Civil War, especially at the outset, both the Union and Confederate governments endeavored to hold western Virginia because of its valuable salt resources, its productive farms and the strategic section of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which traversed the eastern and northern sections of the state. Moreover, both sides were well aware of the psychological advantages in controlling western Virginia. For the Union, its possession would represent a serious inroad into the Old Dominion, the most prestigious state of the Confederacy. For the Confederacy, its retention as a part of Virginia would demonstrate strength and help preserve the high morale prevalent in much of the South at the beginning of the war.
Most of the decisive fighting in what is now West Virginia took place before the end of 1861. The first land battle of the Civil War occurred on June 3, 1861, when Federal troops surprised Confederates in the town of Philippi, forcing them to flee. In the Eastern Panhandle, positions sometimes changed hands with bewildering frequency, particularly the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, which is now a national historical park. Throughout the war, military action there revolved around efforts to gain or retain control of valuable segments of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In the campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley, western Virginia’s distinguished Confederate General, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, played a vital part. Farther south, the Confederates took the initiative and pushed Union troops out of Fayetteville and Charleston. With the engagements at White Sulphur Springs and Droop Mountain in the autumn of 1863 though, the Confederates had been forced out of most of West Virginia.
While many historians have traditionally placed the number of Union troops from West Virginia at a much higher figure than Confederates, more recent studies suggest there were almost as many southern troops as northern. Traditional sources have placed the number of Union soldiers from West Virginia as high as 36,000 compared to only 7,000 to 10,000 Confederates. Many of the Union soldiers in West Virginia regiments were from Ohio and Pennsylvania. At least one recent study has raised the southern number more than 20,000 and lowered the Union figure to about the same.
Civil War commemorations and re-enactments are plentiful throughout the year in West Virginia. In additions to battle reenactments, nearly all offer live cannon and artillery fire demonstrations, encampments, infantry demonstration and time period church services.
The Battle of Droop Mountain reenactment is held every other October on the original site of battle near Hillsboro (birthplace of Pearl Buck) and is sponsored by Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. The Battle of Dry Creek is held near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier State Forest each August and the Battle of Lewisburg is held each May in nearby Lewisburg.
There are 15 sites in West Virginia registered on the Civil War Discovery Trail, which links more than 300 sites in 16 states to inspire and teach the story of the Civil War and its haunting impact on America. The Trail includes battlefields, historic homes, railroad stations, cemeteries and parks. Some of the West Virginia sites include:
- The Martinsburg home of Belle Boyd, the state’s most noted spy who supplied crucial information to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. She was imprisoned twice during the war.
- The Grafton National Cemetery established in 1867 by Congressional legislation to offer a final resting place for men who died during the Civil War. Buried soldiers were removed from other cemeteries to make Grafton the final resting place for 2,133 soldiers, including 664 unknown soldiers. Grafton is notably the site of the grave of the first casualty of land engagement of the Civil War, Private T. Bailey Brown.
- The Philippi Covered Bridge was site of the first land battle of the Civil War on June 3, 1861. During this battle, Union troops took command of the bridge and used it as a barracks. The town of Philippi is home to many historic sites, as well as a historical museum containing Civil War-era artifacts. Local legend has it that President Abraham Lincoln met secretly with Jefferson Davis to discuss ending the war at the bridge, the largest covered bridge in the country at the time and only one today located on a federal highway.
- The Jackson’s Mill Historic Area in Weston is a historic area representing the life of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Greatly influenced by his Uncle Cummins who raised him after the death of his parents, young Tom developed much of his character while working in this mill.
- West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling is the site of statehood debates during the Civil War years of 1861 - 1863, which led to the new state of West Virginia, the only state to have acquired its sovereignty by proclamation of a United States President.
More information is available by calling Division of Tourism’s toll-free hotline, 1-800-CALL WVA. Callers also can request a free travel guide, calendar of events and other information through the number or the Division’s web site, www.callwva.com.
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