5/7/2023 0 Comments Civil war hospital grafton wv![]() ![]() ![]() Only the ecstatic yells of whitewater rafters in the fall interrupt Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park’s tranquility as it sits quietly above the stunning Gauley River. CARNIFEX FERRY BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK Nicholas County Learn more about it at the nearby Barbour County Historical Museum. The battle site is one of West Virginia’s few preserved covered bridges- a beautiful span of 280 feet across the Tygart Valley River. It was also a critical step toward forming West Virginia. On June 1, 1861, this tiny community and covered bridge were the site of what historians consider the first organized land battle of the Civil War.Īlthough it was more of a “skirmish” compared to the massive battles that came later (the Union forces simply chased away a much smaller Southern militia), it convinced the North to keep pushing toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, until they were eventually defeated at the First Battle of Bull Run in July. It’s also the headquarters and midpoint for the famous Appalachian Trail.ĭrop by Harpers Ferry for plenty of visitor-friendly scenic hikes, living history exhibits and preserved historic buildings. Today, historic Harpers Ferry is a charming small town and National Park, just 40 miles from Washington D.C. His violence, though, convinced many Southerners that Northerners had extreme goals to abolish slavery, and relations between the 2 sides continued to deteriorate. Many critical events led to the secession of the South, but one of the most dramatic was John Brown’s raidon a federal arms depot at Harpers Ferry in 1859.Ī radical abolitionist, Brown hoped to arm slaves with guns from the arsenal and incite an uprising instead, he was captured and executed. HARPER’S FERRY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Harpers Ferry Stop in to watch the historic crafters, or shop at the old-time general store. West Virginia University’s Extension Service has restored Jackson’s Mill as a historic site, and it is open to the public. While Stonewall went on to fight for the Confederacy, Laura converted her house in the nearby town of Beverley into a hospital for Union troops. Less well-known is Jackson’s sister, Laura. Thomas grew up at Jackson’s Mill, and lived there until he left for West Point in 1842. Thomas Jackson, nicknamed “Stonewall” was perhaps the greatest general of the Confederacy– some historians believe that his 1863 death by friendly fire was a critical step toward the eventual defeat of the South. JACKSON’S MILL FARMSTEAD WestonĪlthough Jackson’s Mill farmstead never figured directly into the Civil War, 2 of its residents did. Here are 7 of the most interesting (in chronological order): 1. One of the best ways to learn “hands-on” about this history is to travel across our beautiful landscape and visit stops along the “ Civil War Discovery Trail,” a national network of more than 300 historical sites about the conflict. For this reason, our history truly shows both sides of the Civil War. Its rugged mountains made it a very different environment than the rest of the South, but as anyone can tell, West Virginia remains culturally “Southern” in many ways. Originally a part of Virginia’s Old Dominion, West Virginia was literally birthed in the Civil War when it seceded from the Confederacy. The story of West Virginia tells us much about our nation’s most definitive war. ![]()
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