The Battle of Philippi formed part of the

Western Virginia Campaign The western Virginia campaign, also known as operations in western Virginia or the Rich Mountain campaign, occurred from May to December 1861 during the American Civil War. Union forces under Major General George B. McClellan invaded the western ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was fought in and around

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

(now

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

), on June 3, 1861. A Union Army victory, it was the first organized land action of the war, though generally viewed as a skirmish rather than a battle. The Northern press, however, celebrated it as an epic triumph and this encouraged Congress to call for the drive on Richmond that ended with the Union defeat at

First Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by

Maj. Gen.

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

and was notable for the first battlefield amputations. As the first of a series of victories that pushed Confederate forces out of northwest Virginia, it strengthened the Union government in exile that would soon create the new state of West Virginia. As the largely untrained Confederates had fled the battlefield with barely any resistance, the Union jokingly referred to the engagement as the Philippi Races.

Background

After the commencement of hostilities at

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

in April 1861, Maj. Gen.

returned to the Army and on May 13 assumed command of the

Department of the Ohio The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River. 1st Department 1861–1862 Gene ...

, headquartered in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. McClellan planned an offensive into what is now the State of West Virginia (at the time the northwestern counties of the Commonwealth of Virginia) which he hoped would lead to a campaign against the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

capital of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. His immediate objectives were to occupy the territory to protect the largely pro-

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

populace in the counties along the Ohio River, and to keep open the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

line, a critical supply line for the Union. On May 26, McClellan, in response to the burning of bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad near

Farmington, West Virginia Farmington is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 389 at the 2020 census. The small town is situated on Buffalo Creek and the Allegheny Mountains about 6 miles west of Fairmont, Marion County's county seat ...

, ordered Col.

Benjamin Franklin Kelley Benjamin Franklin Kelley (April 10, 1807 – July 16, 1891) was an American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in several military campaigns in West Virginia a ...

of the (Union) 1st West Virginia Infantry with his regiment and Company A of the

2nd West Virginia Infantry The 2nd West Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Many of its soldiers were actually from Pennsylvania. The regiment fought in Virginia and West Virginia. On May 23, 18 ...

, to advance from Wheeling to the area and safeguard the important bridge over the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...

at Fairmont, a distance of about southeast of Wheeling. Kelley's men were supported by the

16th Ohio Infantry The 16th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment The 16th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Columbus, Ohio, in response to President Lincoln's call ...

under Col. James Irvine. After securing Fairmont, the 1st West Virginia advanced again and seized the important railroad junction of Grafton, about southeast of Fairmont, on May 30. McClellan confided to Winfield Scott on June 4 that he had used the western Virginia regiments to avoid claims of interference in Virginia affairs, but told Scott that "comparatively few of the Virginia troops thus far raised," such as those in Kelley's command, were really Virginians but "mostly from Penna and Ohio." Meanwhile, the

14th Ohio Infantry The 14th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment The 14th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Toledo, Ohio, on April 25, 1861, under Colonel James Blai ...

Regiment, under Col.

James B. Steedman James Blair Steedman (July 29, 1817 – October 18, 1883) was an American printer, contractor and lawyer who rose to the rank of general in the Union Army during the Civil War. A printer by trade, as well as a soldier during the Texas War of ...

, was ordered to occupy

Parkersburg Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-most populous city and the center of the Parkersburg–Vienna me ...

and then proceed to Grafton, about to the east. By May 28, McClellan had ordered a total of about 3,000 troops into Western Virginia and placed them under the overall command of Brig. Gen.

Thomas A. Morris Thomas Armstrong Morris (December 26, 1811 – March 22, 1904) was an American railroad executive and civil engineer from Kentucky and a soldier, serving as a brigadier general of the Indiana Militia in service to the Union during the early ...

, commander of Indiana Volunteers. PhilippiAdvance

On May 4 Confederate Col. George A. Porterfield had been assigned command of the state forces in northwestern Virginia and ordered to Grafton to take charge of enlistments in the area. As the Union columns advanced, Porterfield's poorly armed 800 recruits retreated to Philippi, about south of Grafton. Philippi was the county seat of Barbour County, which had voted in favor of Virginia's secession ordinance. A palmetto secession flag had been flying above the courthouse since January, 1861. At Philippi, a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

spanned the

Tygart Valley River The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed A ...

and was an important segment of the vital Beverly–Fairmont Turnpike. While Porterfield had a command of regimental strength it was composed of independent companies that had not yet been formally organized into regiments. Most were local recruits from

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

, Upshur,

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, ...

, Pendleton,

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

, Barbour,

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

and the

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

counties of Augusta,

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Rockbridge, and

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

. The companies were the Letcher Guards, Pocahontas Rescues, Upshur Grays, Franklin Guards, Hardy Blues, Marion Guards, Harrison Rifles, Highland County Highlanders, Barbour Grays, Potomac Guards, Bath Grays, Second Rockbridge Dragoons, Churchville Cavalry and the Barbour Lighthorse Cavalry. These companies were eventually organized into the

25th Virginia Infantry The 25th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of the Northwest and Army of Northern Virginia. Its soldiers ...

, the

31st Virginia Infantry The 31st Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly as part of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 31st Virginia was organized ...

, The

11th Virginia Cavalry The 11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The men were primarily recruited from Hard ...

and the 14th Virginia Cavalry, with the Barbour Lighthorse Cavalry disbanding after the battle.

Battle

Col. Kelley devised a two-prong attack against the Confederate force in Philippi, approved by Gen. Morris on his arrival in Grafton on June 1. The principal advance would be 1,600 men led by Kelley himself, and would include six companies of his own regiment, nine of the

9th Indiana Infantry Regiment The 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized on April 22, 1861, for three-months' service in Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis. After being reorg ...

under Col. Robert H. Milroy, and six of the 16th Ohio Infantry. In order to deceive the enemy into thinking the objective was

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

, they departed by train to the east. They disembarked at the small village of Thornton and marched south on a back road on the same side of the river as Philippi, intending to arrive at the rear of the town. Meanwhile, the 7th Indiana under Col. Ebenezer Dumont were sent to Webster, about southwest of Grafton. They would unite with the 6th Indiana under Col. Thomas T. Crittenden and the 14th Ohio under Col. Steedman. The column, with a total of 1,400 men under Col. Dumont (with the assistance of Col.

Frederick W. Lander Frederick William Lander (December 17, 1821 – March 2, 1862) was a transcontinental United States explorer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a prolific poet. Birth and early years Lander was born in Salem, Massachus ...

, volunteer aide-de-camp to Gen. McClellan), would march directly south from Webster on the Turnpike. In this way, the Union force would execute a

double envelopment The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. This classic maneuver has been important throughout the history of warfare. The pincer m ...

of the outnumbered Confederates. On June 2, the Union columns set off to converge on Philippi. After an overnight march in rainy weather, both arrived at Philippi before dawn the following morning. Morris had planned a predawn assault to be signaled by a pistol shot. The green Confederate volunteers had failed to establish picket lines for perimeter security, choosing instead to escape the cold rain and stay inside their tents. A Confederate sympathizer, Mrs. Thomas Humphreys, saw the approaching Union troops and sent her young son on horseback to warn the Confederates. As Mrs. Humphreys watched, she saw Union pickets capture her son and fired her pistol at them. She missed, but her shots began the attack prematurely. The Union attackers began firing their artillery, which awakened the Confederates from their slumber. Those who were armed fired a few shots at the advancing bluecoats, then Southerners broke and began running to the south, some still in their bed clothes. This caused Union journalists to refer to the battle as the "Races at Philippi". Dumont's soldiers entered the town from the bridge (Col. Lander's ride down the steep hillside through heavy underbrush was considered such a feat of horsemanship that ''Leslie's Weekly'' gave an illustrated account of it shortly afterward), but Kelley's column had arrived from the north on the wrong road and were unable to block the Confederate retreat. Kelley himself was shot while pursuing some of the retreating Confederates, but Col. Lander chased down and captured the man who shot Kelley. The Confederates retreated to Huttonsville, about to the south.

Aftermath

Philippi was the first organized land action in the war (the impromptu Battle of Fairfax Court House, two days earlier, could not be counted as such), and Union victory in this relatively bloodless battle propelled McClellan into the national spotlight. The Northern press, hungry for battle stories, presented it as an epic triumph, encouraging politicians to demand the big advance on Richmond, which became Bull Run. The civilian population of Philippi were the first in western Virginia to feel the devastation of the war. The town was primarily secessionist in sentiment, and many had fled south with as many of their valuables as they could carry in fear of the Federal advance. In July, a month after the battle, it was reported that "with the exception of our troop hilippiis almost deserted, only three families having as yet returned, among them is Mr. Wilson and family, one of the most influential families in Barbour county." A correspondent of the ''Cincinnati Times'' wrote "The village bears more than any other I have seen, the ruinous effect of the war. Many of the houses have been sacked and maliciously damaged. Not the half of them are now occupied, the inhabitants having fled. It was a rabid secession town, and the women yet lean strongly that way." A record book of soldier violations was found a few months after the battle containing the following entries: "Edward F. Grant enters a complaint against Colonel McCook's 9th Ohio Regiment for breaking into the houses of Haynes and Hovatter, June 25, 1 p.m." "Two privates in the guard house for stealing glassware and vegetables." "Four men in the guard house for theft. Discharged." "Ninety-six men in guard house for breaking into dwellings and houses." Many of the men of Philippi had left before or just after the battle, some not returning until after the war and leaving the women to care for families and property. There were two significant Confederate casualties. Both were treated with battlefield

amputation Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...

s, believed to be the first such operations of the war. One was a

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

cadet, Fauntleroy Daingerfield. The other Confederate was James E. Hanger, an 18-year-old college student. After recovering and being released, Hanger returned home to Virginia. He made an artificial leg from barrel staves with a hinge at the knee. His design worked so well that the

Virginia State Legislature The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

commissioned him to manufacture the “Hanger Limb” for other wounded soldiers. After the war, Hanger patented his prosthetic device and founded what is now the Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. As of 2007, Hanger Orthopedic Group is the United States market leader in the manufacture of artificial limbs. Following the battle, Col. Porterfield was replaced in command of Confederate forces in western Virginia by Brig. Gen.

Robert S. Garnett Robert Selden Garnett (December 16, 1819 – July 13, 1861) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army until the American Civil War, when he became a Confederate States Army Brigadier General (CSA), brigadier general. He w ...

. The short-story writer and satirist

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...

(1842–''ca.'' 1914) was a Union recruit at the Battle of Philippi. Twenty years later, he wrote, in an autobiographical fragment he called ''On a Mountain'': The quotation marks indicate the wryness with which Bierce and his fellow veterans, who were to undergo far more harrowing fights, must have regarded the designation of "first battle".

Notes

References

* Carnes, Eva Margaret. ''The Tygarts Valley Line, June–July 1861''. Parson, WV: McClain Printing Co, 2003. . * Dayton, Ruth Woods
"The Beginning – Philippi, 1861"
'' West Virginia History Journal'' 13/4 (July 1952), 254–266. * Eicher, David J. ''The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. . * Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. ''How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983. . * Mallinson, David. "Confused First Fight". ''America's Civil War'' Magazine (Jan 1992): 46–52. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
National Park Service battle description

CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles

External links

Official Records of the Battle of Philippi

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philippi (West Virginia), Battle of Western Virginia campaign Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War George B. McClellan Union victories of the American Civil War Barbour County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War 1861 in the American Civil War 1861 in Virginia Battles of the American Civil War in West Virginia June 1861