Rich Mountain
Civil War West Virginia

American Civil War
July 11, 1861

Major General George B. McClellan assumed command of Union forces in western Virginia in June 1861. On June 27, he moved his divisions from Clarksburg south against Lieutenant Col. John Pegram's Confederates, reaching the vicinity of Rich Mountain on July 9.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General T.A. Morris's Union brigade marched from Philippi to confront Brigadier General R.S. Garnett's command at Laurel Hill.

On July 11, Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans led a reinforced brigade by a mountain path to seize the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in Pegram's rear. A sharp two-hour fight ensued in which the Confederates were split in two. Half escaped to Beverly, but Pegram and the others surrendered on July 13. 

Hearing of Pegram's defeat, Garnett abandoned Laurel Hill. The Federals pursued, and, during fighting at Corrick's Ford on July 13, Garnett was killed. On July 22, McClellan was ordered to Washington, and Rosecrans assumed command of Union forces in western Virginia.

Union victory at Rich Mountain was instrumental in propelling McClellan to command of the Army of the Potomac.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Randolph County

Campaign: Operations in Western Virginia (June-December 1861) next battle in campaign    previous battle in campaign

Date(s): July 11, 1861

Principal Commanders: Major General George B. McClellan and Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans [US]; Lieutenant Col. John Pegram and
Brigadier General Robert  S. Garnett [CS]

Forces Engaged: Brigades

Estimated Casualties: 346 total (US 46; CS 300)


Lee Vs. McClellan: The First Campaign
An interesting account of the struggle for western Virginia in 1861. It follows that year's rolls of Generals McClellan and Lee; the former using the successes of the campaign to further his reputation and career, and the latter struggling to straighten out a quagmire and failing to do so.



Battlefields Of The Civil War Map 1961
Battlefields Of The Civil War Map
24 in. x 18 in.
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"We Shall Meet Again": The First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), July 18-21, 1861
The First Battle of Manassas claimed the lives of approximately 878 soldiers and wounded another 2,489. With a battlefield stretching nearly five miles, 15,000 Union and 14,000 Confederate soldiers clashed for four fateful days, many of them young and terrified and receiving their first taste of a long and bitter war
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Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War
The battle, was unique in the Civil War in that no general on either side had ever exercised high command in combat. July 21, 1861 would demonstrate that careers devoted to theoretical studies of warfare provided poor indicators of success in combat.
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Clash of Loyalties: A Border County in the Civil War West Virginia and Appalachia
The story of one county in the mountainous Northwest of Virginia, is a telling microcosm of the deep divisions which both caused the war and were caused by it. With a meticulous examination of census and military records this is a compelling account of the passion and violence which tore apart Barbour County and the Nation


Rebels At The Gate
The dramatic story of the first Union victories of the Civil War and the events that caused Virginians to divide their state. In a defiant act to sustain President Lincoln's war effort, Virginia Unionists created their own state government in 1861-destined to become the new state of West Virginia. Their actions blocked what should have been Confederate control of the territory and closed one of their key gateways to the Union states

George B. Mcclellan: The Young Napoleon
By age 35, General George B. McClellan (1826–1885), designated the "Young Napoleon," was the commander of all the Northern armies. He forged the Army of the Potomac into a formidable battlefield foe, and fought the longest and largest campaign of the time as well as the single bloodiest battle in the nation's history

Images of the Civil War in West Virginia
Iimages of West Virginia made during the time of the Civil War. Includes photographs, sketches, hand-drawn maps of battle fields and camps, and drawings fromn newspapers of the day. The book arranges material by type of image

Meteor of War: The John Brown Story
Students have already been taught that John Brown was at best a well-meaning madman. This book shows the various John Browns of history and myth, so that, whether you agree with the actions of Brown, you will at least understand them better and see him as a complex and human individual

The Perfect Steel Trap: Harpers Ferry 1859
Eye-witness accounts of the John Brown insurrection from people like Lee, Brown's family, and ordinary citizens. The information has been gathered by two of the raiders who escaped and live to tell about it Owen Brown and Osborne Anderson. The preparations, the raid, the trials, the executions and the aftermath of the event

The Divided Family in Civil War America
In hundreds of border state households, brothers--and sisters--really did fight one another, while fathers and sons argued over secession and husbands and wives struggled with opposing national loyalties. Even enslaved men and women found themselves divided over how to respond to the war

Lee's Endangered Left: The Civil War In Western Virginia, Spring Of 1864
Grant devised a plan of concerted action to bring down the Confederacy. He aimed to destroy General Lee's supply source for his Army in Western Virginia and to use military activity there as an extended turning movement to threaten Lee from the west


Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.

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