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Historic America

A Trip to Hampshire County, West Virginia and Vicinity

History abounds in the mountainous region where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland meet.

Earlier this month, I took a trip up to the Romney, West Virginia area to visit some Civil War sites and take pictures for Spirit of ’61, an encyclopedia of early Civil War Virginia. It was a beautiful, warm day, but it was clear I would spend most of it in the car. My goal was to hit the Romney, Keyser, Cumberland triangle and parts in between. This area was well-trod over by Civil War armies and changed hands dozens of times. Most of the skirmish sites are unmarked, but a few Civil War Trail signs have been erected in the past several years.

My first stop was Winchester, Virginia, to visit Turner and Richard Ashby’s and George and Waller Patton’s graves in the Confederate portion of Mount Hebron Cemetery. Lt. Col. Waller T. Patton was in the 7th Virginia Regiment and mortally wounded during Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. If you pay close attention, you can see Ted Turner portraying him in the movie Gettysburg.

I also stopped by the Kernstown Battlefield, since I missed it on a previous trip to Winchester. Driving from Winchester to Romney along U.S. Route 50 is a distance of only 42 miles, but it’s easy to see how challenging it would be for an army to make that journey. U.S. Route 50 roughly follows the old Northwestern Turnpike through the Appalachian Mountain’s Valley and Ridge Zone.

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Appearances

Conversation with Erick Szilagyi on the uNcomfortable Podcast

Recently I had the pleasure of appearing on Episode 114 of Erick Szilagyi’s podcast uNcomfortable. Erick and I had a great conversation about how I got started writing about folklore and ghost stories and my experience appearing on an episode of Ghost Adventures. We discuss Ashmore Estates, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, and my work on Secret Virginia. Check it out on Spotify and iTunes, or where ever you get your podcasts!

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Appearances Saudade

Carman Hall: Left in the Past

Matt Williamson, a student at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, put together this short video on Carman Hall for a class project. He read my reminisces, and interviewed me. The final result was a pretty interesting short video about what happened to the building since it closed and how it may be used in the future. Seeing the inside of that old building for the first time in, oh, 22 years brought back a lot of memories. Check it out!

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Announcements

Photo of Sullivan’s Monument Featured on Gold Star Memorial

Not exactly ‘breaking news’, but last summer the Woody Williams Foundation included one of my photos of Sullivan’s Monument at Newtown Battlefield State Park in Elmira, New York in their Gold Star Families Memorial. The memorial was dedicated last summer at Pulaski Park, 311 West Center Street, in Elmira. My photo appears in far left hand panel. Original below. I didn’t receive any compensation for the contribution, but I’m more than happy to help commemorate families of fallen soldiers.

Categories
Announcements

10,000 Sold!

HUGE thank you to everyone who bought a copy of my book Witchcraft in Illinois: A Cultural History, which has now surpassed 10,000 sold since its release in 2017! I never thought this would be so popular, let alone my most successful book. 86% 4 or 5-star ratings on Amazon. For some reason it keeps chugging along year after year and I have you to thank!

Categories
Historic America

Corbit’s Charge, Westminster, Maryland

In this small but dramatic Civil War action, a cavalry officer foolheartedly delayed J.E.B. Stuart at great personal risk.

The Skirmish at Westminster, Maryland (aka Corbit’s Charge) was fought on June 29, 1863 between elements of the 1st Delaware Cavalry Regiment commanded by Maj. Napoleon B. Knight and Cpt. Charles Corbit and Confederate cavalry commanded by Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland during the American Civil War. Though a Union defeat, the skirmish prompted Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart to bivouac his cavalry in Westminster for a night, delaying his reunion with the rest of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army in their invasion of Pennsylvania.

On June 29, 1863, Lee issued his fateful order to concentrate the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania. His cavalry commander, Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, was still trying to link up with his army somewhere south of Harrisburg. Stuart’s goal was to disrupt Federal logistics behind the lines, so he sent Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s brigade to the important railhead at Westminster, Maryland, ten miles from the Pennsylvania border.

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Historic America

Action at Aquia Creek, Stafford, Virginia

Beachgoers enjoying the summer at this Virginia park are seldom aware of the Civil War drama that unfolded there.

The Engagement at Aquia Creek was fought from Wednesday, May 29 to Saturday, June 1, 1861 between Union forces commanded by Commander James H. Ward and Virginian forces commanded by Brig. Gen. Daniel Ruggles and Capt. William F. Lynch in Stafford County, Virginia during the American Civil War.

Several small fleets of U.S. Navy ships and converted civilian vessels had been enforcing an economic and military blockade on Virginia ports since April 27th, 1861. Their mission was to close the Chesapeake Bay to maritime traffic, and open up the Potomac River to Union ships, which was vital to securing Washington, DC.

By the end of May 1861, there was no longer any doubt as to which side Virginia would take in the American Civil War. On May 23rd, Virginia voters ratified secession by a large majority, and the next day, Union troops crossed the Potomac River and seized Arlington Heights and Alexandria, Virginia. Armed conflict on Virginia soil was inevitable, but no one quite knew where it would ignite.

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