The American Civil War - Chronologically

July 17, 1861 The Battle of Scary Creek (AKA Battle of Scary) Saint Albans (Putnam County) West Virginia; opposite Nitro   Gen George B. McClellan: Jacob D. Cox (with the 1st and 2nd KY and the 13th and 14th OH); Lieutenant Colonel Carr White with a detachment of the 12th OH  >  Col. John W. Lowe - 12th Ohio Infantry vs. Gen. Henry A. Wise > Col. George S. Patton >  Capt. Albert Gallatin Jenkins's Rangers * "First Confederate Victory in the Kanawha Valley"; a small victory and shortlived: Wise then immediately abandoned the Kanawha Valley * Henry Wise is a former VA Governor. And, yes: that is the grandfather of Gen. George S. Patton of WWII fame * "A group of Federal officers across the Kanawha River saw the buildings burning and thought it a sign of a Union victory. They crossed and rushed to the front to congratulate their comrades only to be captured. The five officers Colonel Charles DeVilliers, Colonel William Woodruff, Lieutenant Colonel George N...

July 14, 1861 Barboursville Engagement  Barboursville, West Virginia, in Cabell County Union Gen. George B. McClellan: Gen. Jacob D. Cox >  Union Lt. Col George Neff, leading the column from Guyandotte with four companies of Col. William E. Woodruff’s 2nd Kentucky Infantry Vs. Gen. Henry A. Wise: c ounty militiamen and two other units - the Sandy Rangers, under Capt. James Corns, and the Border Rangers, under Capt. James Ferguson. * Start of the Kanawha Valley Campaign of 1861: Federals win and push on to Scary Creek   *  Albert G. Jenkins, subsequently the commander of the 8th Virginia Infantry and later a general, had recruited the Border Rangers, who fought here. I passed by Jenkins ' home ("Greenbottom") on the way into town.  Barboursville  Barboursville Engagement Fighting for the Kanawha Valley Confederate Gen. Henry A. Wise’s army occupied the Lower Kanawha Valley in June 1861. Union Gen. George B. McClellan assigned the task of driving them out ...

July 13, 1861 Corrick's Ford Tucker County, WV Union Gen. George B. McClellan (Capt. Henry W. Benham,  Gen. T.A. Morris) vs. Confederate Gen. Robert S. Garnett * Garnett is the first general to die in the Civil War (" Federal skirmishers splashed across the ford and found the general's body among the wildflowers.") * This follow-up to Rich Mountain builds McClellan's reputation, and secures the state for the Union I spent the night in Parsons, WV. It allowed me to engage in some pre-dawn historical tourism...but it still wasn't early enough to escape WV safely before the snow hit... "They have not given me an adequate force. I can do nothing. They have sent me to my death." Gen. Robert S. Garnet CSA "I have made a very clean sweep of it." Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan USA " Confederate Gen. Robert S. Garnett took command of the Army of the Northwest in this region after the "Philippi Races," first land battle of the Civil Wa...

July 12, 1861 Skirmish at Cedar Lane Newport News, Virginia (Warwick) Gen. Benjamin Butler:  7th New York Volunteer Infantry vs. Gen. John Magruder:  Maj. John Bell Hood's cavalry * the Confederates like this one better than the previous, embarrassing skirmish a week ago here * I am now VERY close to having collected every historical marker related to Civil War action in 1861.*           * Eastern Theatre   https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=203558 Skirmish at Cedar Lane “A brilliant little affair” Near here, two ambush attempts failed within a week of each other. The first, on July 5, 1861 resulted in the death of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles D. Dreux , 1st Louisiana Battalion, who had set an ill-considered ambush without orders. The second occurred on July 12, when Confederate Maj. John Bell Hood's cavalry turned the tables on the 7th New York Volunteer Infantry. That morning, the German-born New Yorkers, known as the "Steuben Guard" advance...