Civil War History

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Historian and journalist Jim Comstock battled ceaselessly to keep alive the memory of the West Virginia “mountaineer”— the independent, Union-loyal resident of the state’s mountain regions. Comstock pointed out that misconceptions about them have developed over the years. They didn’t wear beards. They opposed slavery. And they were no friends to the … Read more

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — The National Park Service is hosting special events in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle to commemorate abolitionist John Brown’s attempt to launch a nationwide anti-slavery uprising. In October 1859, Brown and 21 co-conspirators attacked the armory in Harpers Ferry, then part of Virginia, which was then the largest slaveholding state in the … Read more

MERCER SALT WORKS, W.Va. — The legend of the lost Mercer Saltworks near the New River in West Virginia may be remembered now by only a few locals and adventurers, and its ruins may be known to even fewer. Accessible by a rough trail, it was once among the most important landmarks in the valley … Read more

BULLTOWN, W.Va. — During the first years of the U.S. Civil War, marauding bands of guerillas roamed the hills in what’s now central West Virginia. Most were loyal to the Confederacy, though they often acted in their own interests, raiding towns and farms at will. To counter their activities, the Union established a fort on … Read more

CAMP CREEK, W.Va. — Only a few local historians may remember the obscure and chilling tale of Charles Anderson Mills, more infamously known in the neighborhood of Nubbins Ridge in Mercer County as “Likker Charlie.” A ruthless moonshiner who, on his deathbed, confessed to the violent murders of dozens of victims, Mills and two of … Read more

SCARY, W.Va. — Though nothing remains on the battlefield along the Kanawha River today, the Battle of Scary Creek was one of the most significant engagements in what’s now West Virginia during the Civil War. Fought in 1861 near Saint Albans, West Virginia, it was also one of the first battles in the war and … Read more

WHEELING, W.Va. — Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in West Virginia before being celebrated nationally, thanks to a politician who hoped to provide some potential for peace during the U.S. Civil War. The anniversary of the first Thanksgiving was not nationally celebrated until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared a day of “thanksgiving and praise” to … Read more