Grafton in Taylor County, West Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The First Campaign
Civil War Begins in the Mountains of (West) Virginia
—The First Campaign —
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 new state of West Virginia in 1863. The arduous conflict in these mountains forged armies and leaders-notably McClellan,
"The history of that remarkable campaign would show, if truly portrayed, a degree of severity, of hardship, of toil, of exposure and suffering that finds no parallel."
Col. Samuel V. Fulkerson, C.S.A.
Erected by West Virginia Civil War Trails.
Location. 39° 20.482′ N, 80° 1.244′ W. Marker is in Grafton, West Virginia, in Taylor County. Marker is on West Main Street (U.S. 119) west of St. John Street, on the right when traveling west. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grafton WV 26354, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Grafton (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Catholic Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Federal Dam (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Grafton (approx. one mile away); Valley Falls (approx. 1.2 miles away); Dedicated to the Memory of Thornsbury Bailey Brown (approx. 1.5 miles away); John Barton Payne (approx. 3 miles away); Pruntytown (approx. 3 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Grafton.
More about this marker. On the right side of the marker is a map of West Virginia with sites related to
Categories. • War, US Civil •
Credits. This page originally submitted on , by J. J. Prats of Springfield, Virginia. This page has been viewed 229 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on , by J. J. Prats of Springfield, Virginia. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.