Tag: McNeill’s Rangers

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.

July 16, 1891: General Benjamin Kelley Dies

Civil War General Benjamin Kelley died in Maryland on July 16, 1891, at age 84. The New Hampshire native had moved to Wheeling in 1836, working as a merchant there for more than two decades. In 1851, he became freight agent for the newly arrived Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

When the Civil War began, Kelley formed and became colonel of the pro-Union 1st Virginia Infantry. Leading his troops into battle on June 3, 1861, he was severely wounded at Philippi and then promoted to brigadier general. Kelley’s principal duty throughout the war was to guard the vital B&O line in Maryland and West Virginia, particularly from Confederate raiding parties, such as those led by the famed McNeill’s Rangers from the Moorefield area.

In August 1863, federal authorities, acting on Kelley’s orders, arrested the wife and four-year-old son of Captain McNeill. Seeking revenge a year and a half later, McNeill’s Rangers kidnapped Kelley and his superior, General George Crook, in Cumberland, Maryland—one of the most embarrassing Union incidents of the war.

After the war, Benjamin Kelley served in numerous government posts. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

October 3, 1864: Confederate Raider McNeill Wounded in Va.

In the predawn hours of October 3, 1864, Confederate guerilla John “Hanse” McNeill led a raid near Mount Jackson, Virginia. After a quick exchange of fire with Union cavalry, McNeill collapsed from a gunshot wound. He would die five weeks later.

McNeill had formed his guerrilla force two years earlier—in September 1862. Operating out of the Moorefield area, McNeill’s Rangers launched raids on Union troops and camps. But, most significantly, they destroyed property belonging to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Like most guerillas during the Civil War, McNeill’s Rangers were largely independent of the Confederate command.

Many similar groups, such as Quantrill’s Raiders, were often erratic and unlawful—so much so that the Confederate government banned them in early 1864. But, an exception was made for the guerrillas from Hardy County who had proven so effective. 

After McNeill’s death, his son Jesse led the rangers until the end of the war. Their most famous exploit occurred just two months before Appomattox. The rangers snuck into the town of Cumberland, Maryland, and kidnapped Union generals Benjamin Kelley and George Crook from their hotels—the crowning achievement of McNeill’s Rangers.

Confederate Raider McNeill Wounded in Va.: October 3, 1864

In the predawn hours of October 3, 1864, Confederate guerilla John “Hanse” McNeill led a raid near Mount Jackson, Virginia. After a quick exchange of fire with Union cavalry, McNeill collapsed from a gunshot wound. He would die five weeks later.

McNeill had formed his guerrilla force two years earlier—in September 1862. Operating out of the Moorefield area, McNeill’s Rangers launched raids on Union troops and camps. But, most significantly, they destroyed property belonging to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Like most guerillas during the Civil War, McNeill’s Rangers were largely independent of the Confederate command.

Many similar groups, such as Quantrill’s Raiders, were often erratic and unlawful—so much so that the Confederate government banned them in early 1864. But, an exception was made for the guerrillas from Hardy County who had proven so effective. 

After McNeill’s death, his son Jesse led the rangers until the end of the war. Their most famous exploit occurred just two months before Appomattox. The rangers snuck into the town of Cumberland, Maryland, and kidnapped Union generals Benjamin Kelley and George Crook from their hotels—the crowning achievement of McNeill’s Rangers.

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