General William Averell Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

November 6, 1863: Battle of Droop Mountain

The Battle of Droop Mountain opened with nearly six hours of artillery fire, musketry, and hand-to-hand combat. Averell’s infantry finally broke through the Confederate left. The Rebels retreated, and the battle turned into a Union rout.

At first glance, the battle might not have seemed that significant because Echols’s forces managed to escape. — The Battle of Droop Mountain opened with nearly six hours of artillery fire, musketry, and hand-to-hand combat. Averell’s infantry finally broke through the Confederate left. The Rebels retreated, and the battle turned into a Union rout.

On November 6, 1863, one of the most important Civil War battles in West Virginia occurred in Pocahontas County. In August of that year, Union General William W. Averell had launched a series of raids to disrupt the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad in southwestern Virginia.

During his second raid, Averell hatched a scheme to trap Confederate troops around Lewisburg. His overall plan failed. But, he was able to attack some 1,700 Confederates under General John Echols at Droop Mountain, just south of Hillsboro. The battle opened with nearly six hours of artillery fire, musketry, and hand-to-hand combat. Averell’s infantry finally broke through the Confederate left. The Rebels retreated, and the battle turned into a Union rout.

At first glance, the battle might not have seemed that significant because Echols’s forces managed to escape. Plus, Averell failed to achieve his ultimate objective. However, Droop Mountain marked the last large-scale battle of the war fought on West Virginia soil. It was also the last time the Confederacy made a push to control the new state. The site of the battle is now preserved as a state park.

August 19, 1863: Union Troops Destroy Saltpeter Works Near Franklin

On August 19, 1863, Union troops under General William Averell destroyed the saltpeter works near Franklin, the seat of Pendleton County. This was the first of Averell’s three cavalry raids in 1863, launched from West Virginia toward Confederate railroads, troops, and supplies in western Virginia. Averell had been more or less banished to the West Virginia theater due to his failures during the Chancellorsville campaign.

He set out from Moorefield a week before reaching Pendleton County. After destroying the saltpeter works near Franklin, his cavalry moved south and chased Confederate troops from Pocahontas County. His next objective was to capture the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals library at Lewisburg, but the Confederates took a stand at nearby White Sulphur Springs and ended Averell’s first raid.

Averell’s second raid resulted in a Union victory at Droop Mountain in Pocahontas County but still failed in its main objective: destroying the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Averell’s third try finally broke up the Virginia and Tennessee in places. The following year, Averell was removed from command again—this time, for his poor leadership during the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864.

August 7, 1864: Battle of Moorefield Fought in Hardy County

On August 7, 1864, the Battle of Moorefield was fought in Hardy County. The Civil War skirmish occurred shortly after Confederate General John McCausland’s cavalry had burned the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in retaliation for a similar Union raid on Lexington, Virginia. The evening before the clash at Moorefield, McCausland and General Bradley Johnson had camped at nearby Old Fields. They ignored warnings from McNeill’s Rangers—a local Confederate guerrilla group—that their position had been exposed.

At dawn on August 7, Union troops under General William Averell moved south from Keyser along the path of today’s Route 220. Averell’s forces overran the Confederates, capturing 500 men and 400 horses. Confederate General Jubal Early—the overall commander above McCausland and Johnson—wrote that the battle had a, quote, “very damaging effect upon my cavalry for the rest of the campaign.” Moorefield was part of a long summer of defeats that would push the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley and help ensure President Lincoln’s reelection.

Three months later, in November 1864, another minor skirmish occurred near Moorefield—this one going in the Confederates’ favor.

Nov. 6 1863 Battle of Droop Mountain

On November 6, 1863, one of the most important Civil War battles in West Virginia occurred in Pocahontas County. Union General William W. Averell launched a raid, to trap Confederate troops around Lewisburg. He was able to attack some 1,700 Confederates under General John Echols at Droop Mountain, just south of Hillsboro. The battle opened with nearly six hours of artillery fire, musketry, and hand-to-hand combat. Averell’s infantry finally broke through the Confederate left. The Rebels retreated, and the battle turned into a Union rout.