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Grant County Press 2012 Press County Grant Front cover photo courtesy of Albert Mach Fine Art Fine Mach Albert of courtesy photo cover Front Courtesy of the Grant County Press County Grant the of Courtesy markerhunter.wordpress.com near the battle site battle the near always “at the front.” the “at always “breadbasket of the Confederacy.” the of “breadbasket February 14, 2010 14, February Willow Wall, Old Fields Fields Old Wall, Willow during the war, but when troops were in the South Branch, they were were they Branch, South the in were troops when but war, the during of the Shenandoah Valley, the the Valley, Shenandoah the of Courtesy of Craig Swain Craig of Courtesy during the war. The tide of war ebbed and waned across the South South the across waned and ebbed war of tide The war. the during campaign ended with the loss loss the with ended campaign Pennsylvania. thousands of Americans who marched, dug, fought, froze and died here here died and froze fought, dug, marched, who Americans of thousands morale and horses. That That horses. and morale Cumberland, Maryland in support of the Confederate invasion of of invasion Confederate the of support in Maryland Cumberland, The rugged earthworks bear silent witness to the sacrifices of the the of sacrifices the to witness silent bear earthworks rugged The campaign” in terms of both both of terms in campaign” General John Imboden’s command, who occupied Romney then later later then Romney occupied who command, Imboden’s John General out the backbreaking labor. backbreaking the out cavalry for the rest of the the of rest the for cavalry Campbell fell back to the west. This opened the South Branch for for Branch South the opened This west. the to back fell Campbell artillery from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Illinois carried carried Illinois and Maryland Pennsylvania, Virginia, West from artillery damaging effect upon my my upon effect damaging and with the defeat of Federal forces at Winchester and Martinsburg, Martinsburg, and Winchester at forces Federal of defeat the with and Infantry, cavalry and and cavalry Infantry, “this affair had a very very a had affair “this entered the Shenandoah Valley in June 1863, exposing Campbell’s fort fort Campbell’s exposing 1863, June in Valley Shenandoah the entered from Chicago, Illinois. Illinois. Chicago, from soliders. Early claimed that that claimed Early soliders. raiders. However when elements of the Army of Northern Virginia Virginia Northern of Army the of elements when However raiders. James A. Mulligan, Mulligan, A. James as difficult to replace as the the as replace to difficult as activities included brushes with Captain John H. McNeill’s Confederate Confederate McNeill’s H. John Captain with brushes included activities command of Colonel Colonel of command number of horses, which were were which horses, of number Operationally speaking, the highlights of the garrison’s limited limited garrison’s the of highlights the speaking, Operationally troops under the the under troops weapons, and about the same same the about and weapons, December 1863, by by 1863, December turnpike and the gap to the west of the fort. the of west the to gap the and turnpike Averell captured four cannons, more than 400 men with their their with men 400 than more cannons, four captured Averell constructed August- constructed from the bullets. the from Rifles of Captain Alexander Moore’s Battery E easily commanded the the commanded easily E Battery Moore’s Alexander Captain of Rifles exists today, was was today, exists the hills. In the Meadows, the McNeill family took shelter in their cellar cellar their in shelter took family McNeill the Meadows, the In hills. the Campbell’s men erected a near textbook fortification. The 3-inch 3-inch The fortification. textbook near a erected men Campbell’s The Fort as it it as Fort The charged three times across the river and made the Confederates run for for run Confederates the made and river the across times three charged Campbell’s men were safe under the guns on the ridge. the on guns the under safe were men Campbell’s south. south. they were outflanked and outgunned. The 3rd West Virginia Cavalry Cavalry Virginia West 3rd The outgunned. and outflanked were they of surprise Confederate raids. With a camp along Mill Creek, Creek, Mill along camp a With raids. Confederate surprise of O to the north, and as a “jumping-off” point for their own raids further further raids own their for point “jumping-off” a as and north, the to O river and attemped to form a defense with McCausland’s brigade, but but brigade, McCausland’s with defense a form to attemped and river The location also provided some protection from the ever-present threat threat ever-present the from protection some provided also location The tried to use this strategic point as a choke hold against raids on the B& the on raids against hold choke a as point strategic this use to tried (Federal soldiers in Confederate uniforms). Johnson’s men forded the the forded men Johnson’s uniforms). Confederate in soldiers (Federal passed into Mechanicsburg Gap and southern approaches to Romney. Romney. to approaches southern and Gap Mechanicsburg into passed for at least part of every year of the war. Federal forces time and again again and time forces Federal war. the of year every of part least at for pursuit, surprised them at Old Fields by attacking with “Jesse Scouts” Scouts” “Jesse with attacking by Fields Old at them surprised pursuit, selected commanded the turnpike as it it as turnpike the commanded selected Col. Jacob M. Campbell M. Jacob Col. area beginning at least as early as August 1861, and were on the ground ground the on were and 1861, August as early as least at beginning area “atrocities.” Union Gen. Wm. W. Averell, whose command was in in was command whose Averell, W. Wm. Gen. Union “atrocities.” Northwest Turnpike. The place Campbell Campbell place The Turnpike. Northwest Federal or Confederate troops occupied this hill and its surrounding surrounding its and hill this occupied troops Confederate or Federal Valley, which had likewise been in retaliation for Confederate Confederate for retaliation in been likewise had which Valley, shielding the B&O Railroad and the the and Railroad B&O the shielding destruction of the railroad. the of destruction town fathers in retaliation for Federal “depredations” in the Shenandoah Shenandoah the in “depredations” Federal for retaliation in fathers town to control the South Branch, thus thus Branch, South the control to innumerable remote avenues of approach for a mobile force bent on the the on bent force mobile a for approach of avenues remote innumerable Chambersburg, Pa., after trying unsuccessfully to extort money from the the from money extort to unsuccessfully trying after Pa., Chambersburg, command blocked Confederate attempts attempts Confederate blocked command products to the South, it offered a mostly sympathetic populace and and populace sympathetic mostly a offered it South, the to products Washington, D.C. They had burned burned had They D.C. Washington, (all Pennsylvania) Cavalry. Campbell’s Campbell’s Cavalry. Pennsylvania) (all Valley and its adjacent drainages. In addition to offering agricultural agricultural offering to addition In drainages. adjacent its and Valley in Gen. Jubal A. Early’s raid on on raid Early’s A. Jubal Gen. in Ringgold, Washington, and Lafayette Lafayette and Washington, Ringgold, Cumberland, Md. The railroad itself cuts across the lower South Branch Branch South lower the across cuts itself railroad The Md. Cumberland, t t par taken had Johnson T. Bradley Gen. West Virginia Artillery and the the and Artillery Virginia West coal resources and the B&O Railroad infrastructure centered around around centered infrastructure Railroad B&O the and resources coal miles away. His brigade and that of of that and brigade His away. miles Infantry, along with Battery E, 1st 1st E, Battery with along Infantry, Middle Shenandoah Valley and the Upper Potomac region with its vital vital its with region Potomac Upper the and Valley Shenandoah Middle McMechen’s house in Moorefield, two two Moorefield, in house McMechen’s Infantry and 1st West Virginia Virginia West 1st and Infantry The Valley was a middle ground, situated beteen the all important important all the beteen situated ground, middle a was Valley The while he was sleeping in Samuel A. A. Samuel in sleeping was he while consisted of the 54th Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 54th the of consisted late as November 1864. November as late South Branch of the Potomac River, River, Potomac the of Branch South mile west of Romney. The brigade brigade The Romney. of west mile managed to supply stock to Confederate forces in Virginia at least as as least at Virginia in forces Confederate to stock supply to managed bivouacked close to Moorefield on the the on Moorefield to close bivouacked Branch of the Potomac River about a a about River Potomac the of Branch this bountiful region may well have been known as its stockyard, for it it for stockyard, its as known been have well may region bountiful this McCausland’s cavalry brigade was was brigade cavalry McCausland’s ridge on the west side of the South South the of side west the on ridge Indeed, if the Shenandoah was the granary of the Confederacy, then then Confederacy, the of granary the was Shenandoah the if Indeed, Confederate Gen. John John Gen. Confederate the 54th Pennsylvania, fortified a low low a fortified Pennsylvania, 54th the similar to that of the famed Shenandoah Valley, albeit on a smaller scale. scale. smaller a on albeit Valley, Shenandoah famed the of that to similar the hills.