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The Civil War Discovery Trail in WV
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The Civil War Discovery Trail 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. Civil War Discovery Trail sites are especially selected for their historic significance and educational opportunities. The Trail is an initiative of The Civil War Trust, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, state agencies and local communities.
The slavery question, which between 1830 and 1860 tore at the fabric of the nation, left the Commonwealth of Virginia equally as divided. Perhaps the most incendiary of 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 and inciting a general uprising, together with the secrecy with which his plan was carried out, threw the South into a panic.
The future of the newly-proposed state of West Virginia depended upon control of western Virginia by the Union. From the outset of the war, both the Union and Confederate governments endeavored to hold West 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 West Virginia.
Most of the decisive fighting in West Virginia took place before the end of 1861. In the Eastern Panhandle, positions sometimes changed hands with bewildering rapidity. 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, West 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. Other than some daring Confederate raids in central West Virginia, there were few important battles in the state after 1862. With the engagements at White Sulphur Springs, or Rocky Gap, and Droop Mountain in the autumn of 1863, the Confederates had been forced out of most of West Virginia.
The sites in West Virginia that are currently part of The Civil War Discovery Trail are listed below. All sites are open to the public and more information may be obtained by contacting the group tour department of the West Virginia Division of Tourism at 1-800-225-5982.
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Civil War Discovery Trail Sites
These sites in West Virginia are currently part of The Civil War Discovery Trail. Select a numbered site from the map to view a description of the site. All sites are open to the public and more information may be obtained by contacting the group tour department of the West Virginia Division of Tourism at 1-800-225-5982.
Routes on map are approximate and are not the only highways in the area. For exact routes and locations, refer to a West Virginia highway map.
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1. CAMP ALLEGHENY, Bartow, WV — Established by Confederate forces in the summer of 1861 to control the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, this camp, at 4,400 feet above sea level was one of the highest of the Civil War. Although Confederate General E. Johnson’s troops won the battle against Union forces under the command of General R H. Milroy, the loss of men due to the harsh winter climate and the logistical nightmare of keeping the camp supplied contributed to the decision to abandon it in April 1862.
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2. RICH MOUNTAIN BATTLEFIELD CIVIL WAR SITE, Beverly, WV — Rich Mountain Battlefield Civil War Site includes the battle site, Confederate Camp Garnett, and connecting section of the old Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. On July 11, 1861, Union troops under General McClellan routed Confederates holding the pass over Rich Mountain. This victory led to General McClellan’s appointment to command the Army of the Potomac. It also gave the Union control of northwestern Virginia, allowing the formation of the state of West Virginia two years later.
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3. BULLTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT, Burnsville, WV — Bulltown is the site of fortifications on a knoll overlooking a covered bridge over the Little Kanawha River. Supplies and news from Washington, DC came down the Weston-Gauley Bridge Turnpike. Had Confederate Commander "Mudwall" Jackson ("Stonewall’s" cousin) been successful in his assault on Bulltown, his troops would have pushed on to Wheeling, cutting off communications between the North and troops stationed at Gauley Bridge and the Kanawha Valley.
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4. CHEAT SUMMIT FORT, Durbin, WV — General George B. McClellan ordered this pit and parapet fort to be built in 1861 to secure the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Confederate failure to take the fort in September 1861 was central in the failure of Robert E. Lee’s western Virginia campaign.
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5. GRAFTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Grafton, WV — Grafton was established 1867 by Congressional legislation to offer a final resting place for men who died during the Civil War. Burials 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.
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6. HARPERS FERRY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, Harpers Ferry, WV — Site of abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid on the First Federal Arsenal. Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times during the war. It became the base of operations for Union invasions into the Shenandoah Valley. "Stonewall" Jackson achieved his most brilliant victory here in September, 1862, when he captured 12,500 Union soldiers.>
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7. DROOP MOUNTAIN BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK, Hillsboro, WV — Droop Mountain Battlefield is the site of one of West Virginia’s largest and last important Civil War battles. The battle was fought on November 6, 1863, between the Union army of General William Averell and the Confederate army of General John Echols. Echols’ army was pushed south into Virginia and never regained control of southeastern West Virginia.
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8. LEWISBURG NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT, Lewisburg, WV — Lewisburg was the site of a Civil War battle on May 23, 1862, when Union forces attempted to sever railroad communications between Virginia and Tennessee. In town, there is a Confederate cemetery, a library used as a hospital with Confederate graffiti on the walls, a church with cannon ball holes, another church which served as a Confederate morgue, and a monument to the Confederate dead.
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9. BELLE BOYD HOUSE, Martinsburg, WV — Belle Boyd, West Virginia’s best known Civil War spy, lived in this house. Belle endorsed the Confederate cause, even shooting a Yankee soldier. She supplied information to "Stonewall" Jackson about enemy activities and was imprisoned twice.
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10. PHILIPPI COVERED BRIDGE, Philippi, WV — Witnessed 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.
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11. PHILIPPI HISTORIC DISTRICT, Philippi, WV — The City of Philippi was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War on June 3, 1861. The war’s first amputation, on James Hanger, was performed here. Philippi is home to many historic sites, as well as a historical museum containing Civil War-era artifacts.
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12. SHEPHERDSTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT, Shepherdstown, WV — In the wake of the battle of Antietam, the town became one vast confederate hospital with public and private buildings in town serving as military hospitals for the wounded. On September 20, 1862, the last significant battle of the Maryland Campaign occurred at Boteler’s Ford, about a mile down the Potomac River from Shepherdstown.
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13. CARNIFEX FERRY BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK, Summersville, WV — Site of a Civil War battle on September 10, 1861. This Union victory halted any further attempt to take the Kanawha Valley.
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14. JACKSON’S MILL HISTORIC AREA, Weston, WV — The Jackson’s Mill Museum is the mid-point of an 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 building and working in this mill.
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15. WEST VIRGINIA INDEPENDENCE HALL, Wheeling, WV — 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.
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