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The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil War. On July 11, Garnett learned of the Union flanking maneuver at Rich Mountain and decided to withdraw from Laurel Mountain. The 44th Virginia Infantry was ordered to hold the Beverly Road by engaging Federals to give the appearance of an attack. With Gen. William Rosecrans’ Union brigade approaching from the South, Garnett abandoned the Beverly Road and withdrew toward Corrick’s Ford on the Cheat River, where he was killed.

Rich Mountain

Union forces under the direct command of General McClellan greatly outnumbered Pegram’s Confederates on Rich Mountain. Nevertheless, the Confederates held a strong position and inexperienced soldiers in his own command convinced McClellan to precede any action with an artillery duel. McClellan agreed to let Hart lead Rosecrans’ brigade of 1,900 men through the woods. The route took roughly 10 hours through wet, rough terrain which forced Rosecrans to leave his artillery behind. Captain Julius A. De Lagnel, Garnett’s chief of artillery, assumed command of this force around David Hart’s family farm. At 2:30pm Rosecrans’ force appeared at the pass on Rich Mountain and attacked. Half the Confederates escaped to Beverly and on over the Shawnee Trail. Pegram and the others (including the "Sydney Boys", a regiment formed from the students of Hampden-Sydney College) attempted to make their way north to link up with Garnett. Pegram’s force was too exhausted to make it and 555 men surrendered on July 12. On July 22, McClellan was ordered to Washington, and Rosecrans assumed command of Union forces in western Virginia. The Union victory at Rich Mountain was met with great celebration in the north, and was instrumental in propelling McClellan to command of the Army of the Potomac.

Preservation

The battlefield and Camp Garnett today are owned and protected by the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation. The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners, including the foundation, have acquired and preserved of the battlefield. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

See also

  • West Virginia in the American Civil War

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File:The soldier in our Civil War - a pictorial history of the conflict, 1861-1865, illustrating the valor of the soldier as displayed on the battle-field, from sketches drawn by Forbes, Waud, Taylor, (14576128308).jpg|Battle at Laurel Mountain (several kilometers away from Rich Mountain) fought concurrently. Confederates on Laurel Mountain retreated in great disorder after hearing of the defeat of Confederate forces on Rich Mountain.

File:"Battle of Rich Mountain.".jpg

File:Frank Leslie's scenes and portraits of the Civil War (1894) (14576458077).jpg|Frank Leslie's scenes and portraits of the Civil War

File:Sketch of the Site of the O(pe)rations of the 10th, 11th, & 12th, July 1861, at Rich Mountain near Beverly... - NARA - 305586.tif|Sketch of the Site of the Operations of the 10th, 11th, & 12th, July 1861, at Rich Mountain near Beverly.

File:Sketch of the battle of Rich Mountain, July 11-12, 1861. LOC 2003629669.tif

File:Rough sketch of the battle of Rich Mountain, July 11-12, 1861. LOC 2003629677.jpg

File:Area of the battle of Rich Mountain, July 11-12, 1861. LOC 2003629670.jpg

File:Battle of Rich Mountain-Camp Garnett.jpg|Camp Garnett

File:Battle of Rich Mountain-Hart House.jpg|Marker on site of Hart House

File:Battle of Rich Mountain-Historical Marker.jpg|Historical Marker on Rich Mountain

File:Battle of Rich Mountain-Uphill.jpg|Looking at summit of Rich Mountain

File:Battle of Rich Mountain-Downhill.jpg|Looking westward (downhill) from Rich Mountain summit

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Notes

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References

  • Fout, Frederick W., The Dark Days of the Civil War, 1861 to 1865, The West Virginia Campaign of 1861, The Antietam and Harper's Ferry Campaign of 1862, The East Tennessee Campaign of 1863, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, F.A. Wagenfuehr, 1904.
  • Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield Guide. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. .
  • Taylor, Paul. Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2009. .
  • Zinn, Jack. The Battle of Rich Mountain. Parsons, WV: McClain Printing Company, 1971. .
  • CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles
  • National Park Service Battle Summary
  • Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation
  • The West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University houses a brief account of the battle written by L. Johnson and includes drawings of the Union camp
  • Rich Mountain Revisited Dallas B. Shaffer, October 1966