On March 16, 1863, Col. Campbell ordered his command to move their encampment from Romney to the fields adjacent to Mill Creek immediately west of Mill Ridge. Sheltered between the mountain to the west and the ridge, the camp was less vulnerable to surprise attack, which could come from any direction at any time. The fort atop Mill Ridge was constructed by Campbell's troops between March and June, 1863 to protect the encampment and dominate the Valley and the Gap.

Fort Mill Ridge consists of an outer ring of entrenchments and a small, central redoubt, with infantry in the surrounding entrenchments. You are standing just within the outer entrenchments at the north end of the fort. The fort is oriented in part to defend against a surprise attack down the ridgeline from the south.

Mon 16. clear, the ground is white with snow. we moved our camp today three miles from Romney on the New Crick rode at the end of MacCanickvill Gap. Tues. 17: beautifull day. I washed mi clothes tody.
Diary of Joshua Winters,
March 1863.

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Show me all markers in:  Romney, WV  |  Hampshire County  |  26757  |  West Virginia  |  United States of America

The Civil War in the South Branch Valley
Fort Mill Ridge
The Central Redoubt
Interior of the Central Redoubt
Control of the Mechanicsburg Gap
The Ditch as a Second Line of Defense
Engagement with McNeill's Rangers
An Outpost in Enemy Territory
Abandonment of Fort Mill Ridge
The Great Raid

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