The First Campaign

The First Campaign (HMN3O)

Location: Wheeling, WV 26003 Ohio County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 3.842', W 80° 43.3'

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Civil War Begins in the Mountains of (West) Virginia

— The First Campaign —

West Virginia, born of a nation divided, was the setting for the first campaign of America's Civil War. Although still part of Virginia in1861, many citizens of the west remained loyal to the Union, rather than the Confederacy. By late May, Union General George B. McClellan, commanding the Department of the Ohio, launched the first campaign, ordering troops to cross the Ohio River and secure "Western" Virginia for the Union.

Here, during June-July 1861, McClellan's army won the inaugural Union victories of the Civil War. Hailed as the North's first battlefield hero, McClellan was summoned to Washington on July 22, following a stunning Union debacle at Manassas, Virginia. Federal troops now occupied Western Virginia, as loyal delegates met in Wheeling to form the "Restored Government of Virginia," a Union government to oppose the Confederate one in Richmond.

By August 1861, Southern forces again threatened. Confederate General Robert E. Lee attempted to reclaim Western Virginia, but failed miserably. Troops of both armies remained to guard the mountain passes during that terrible winter. By 1862, conflict shifted east. The first campaign proved to be decisive: the western counties under Union control became the state of West Virginia in 1863. The arduous conflict in these mountains forged armies and leaders-notably McClellan, Lee, and Stonewall Jackson-who shaped the course of the Civil War.

"The history of that remarkable campaign would show, if truly portrayed, a degree of severity, of hardship, of tail, of exposure and suffering that finds no parallel."
Col. Samuel V. Fulkerson, C.S.A.
Details
HM NumberHMN3O
Series This marker is part of the West Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByCivil War Trails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 22nd, 2014 at 6:40pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 523736 N 4434901
Decimal Degrees40.06403333, -80.72166667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 3.842', W 80° 43.3'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 3' 50.52" N, 80° 43' 18.00" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304, 740
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 35 16th St, Wheeling WV 26003, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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