War At The Front Door

War At The Front Door (HM1465)

Location: Charleston, WV 25387 Kanawha County
Buy West Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 22.446', W 81° 39.9'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 546 views
Inscription

Littlepage Mansion

In July 1861, this area swarmed with retreating Confederate troops and pursuing Federal forces. Union Gen. George B. McClellan had ordered Gen. Jacob Cox to march his 3,000 raw Ohio recruits into western Virginia from Gallipolis, Ohio, to drive Confederate Gen. Henry A. Wise and his equally raw troops from the Kanawha Valley. Wise marched downriver from Charleston to confront the Federals. By July 13, Wise's men had constructed fortifications on the Littlepage Farm to command the junction of the road to Ripley with the valley road leading to Charleston. They also established camp on the property that was named Camp Two Mile for Two Mile Creek.

During the war, Adam B.D. Littlepage and his wife Rebecca Littlepage owned the property. According to local tradition, Wise wanted to use the house as his headquarters, but Rebecca Littlepage refused. When the famously short-tempered Wise threatened to blow up the house, she stood staunchly on the front porch, surrounded by her six children. Nobody was willing to fire artillery at a woman and her children, and so the house was spared.

Although the house survived, the property suffered extensive damage during the war. Troops dismantled fences and outbuildings for firewood and consumed or confiscated the farm's livestock. To make matters worse, Adam Littlepage was killed while in Confederate service, leaving his young widow with seven children. She sold large sections of the farm to pay taxes and support her family.

(Sidebar): The Federal-style house was built in 1845 for Robert Thornton. In 1848, he sold it and the property to Adam B.D. Littlepage and his wife Rebecca Wood Littlepage.
Details
HM NumberHM1465
Series This marker is part of the West Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByWest Virginia Civil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 26th, 2014 at 2:02am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 441912 N 4247532
Decimal Degrees38.37410000, -81.66500000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 22.446', W 81° 39.9'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 22' 26.76" N, 81° 39' 54.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1809 Washington St W, Charleston WV 25387, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Baptism By Fire
0.71 miles
George W. Summers
1.01 miles
Battle of Charleston
1.37 miles
Indian Mound
1.8 miles
Fort Scammon
1.97 miles
Military Occupation
2.12 miles
Presidential Presence
2.12 miles
Ordnance Plant
2.15 miles
Temple Israel - 1873
2.19 miles
State Capitol
2.35 miles
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?