Battle of Philippi Races
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Philippi—also known mockingly as "The Philippi Races"—was fought on June 3, 1861, in and around Philippi
, Virginia
(now West Virginia
) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War
. It was the first organized land action in the war (the impromptu Battle of Fairfax Court House
took place two days earlier), but is often treated dismissively as a skirmish rather than a significant battle.
in April 1861, Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan
returned to the Army and, on May 13, assumed command of the Department of the Ohio
, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio
. McClellan planned an offensive into what is now the State of West Virginia (at that time the northwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia) that he optimistically hoped would eventuate in a campaign against the Confederate
capital of Richmond, Virginia
. His immediate objectives, however, were to occupy the territory to protect the predominantly pro-Union
populace of the area, and to keep open the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line, which was a critical supply line for the Union.
On May 26, McClellan, in response to the burning of bridges on the Baltimore & Ohio near the town of Farmington
, ordered Col.
Benjamin Franklin Kelley
of the (Union) 1st Virginia Infantry
with his regiment and Company A of the 2nd Virginia Infantry
, to advance from Wheeling
to the area of the sabotage and secure the important bridge over the Monongahela River
at Fairmont
, a distance of about 70 miles (112.7 km) southeast of Wheeling. In this Kelley's men were supported by the 16th Ohio Infantry
under Col. James Irvine. After securing Fairmont, the 1st Virginia advanced again and seized the important railroad junction of Grafton
, about 15 miles (24.1 km) southeast of Fairmont, on May 30.
Meanwhile, the 14th Ohio Infantry
Regiment, under Col. James B. Steedman
, was ordered to occupy Parkersburg
and then also proceed to Grafton, about 90 miles (144.8 km) to the east. By May 28, McClellan had ordered a total of about 3,000 troops into Western Virginia and placed them under the overall command of Brig. Gen.
Thomas A. Morris
, commander of Indiana Volunteers.
Confederate Col. George A. Porterfield
had been assigned to command of state forces in northwestern Virginia on May 4 and ordered to Grafton to take charge of enlistments in that area. As the Union columns advanced, Porterfield's poorly armed 800 recruits retreated to Philippi, about 17 miles (27.4 km) south of Grafton. At Philippi, a covered bridge
spanned the Tygart Valley River
and was an important segment of the vital Beverly-Fairmont Turnpike.
under Col. Robert H. Milroy
, and six of the 16th Ohio Infantry. In order to deceive the enemy into believing their objective was Harpers Ferry
, they departed by train to the east. They de-trained at the small village of Thornton
and marched south on a back road (on the same side of the river as Philippi) intending to arrive at the rear of the town.
Meanwhile, the 7th Indiana
under Col. Ebenezer Dumont
were sent to Webster
, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Grafton. There they would combine with the 6th Indiana
under Col. Thomas T. Crittenden and the 14th Ohio under Col. Steedman. The column, with a total of 1,400 men under the command of Col. Dumont (with the assistance of Col. Frederick W. Lander
, volunteer aide-de-camp to Gen. McClellan), would march directly south from Webster on the Turnpike. In this way, the Union force would execute a double envelopment
of the Confederates.
On June 2, the two Union columns set off to converge on Philippi. After an overnight march in rainy weather, both columns arrived at Philippi before dawn on June 3. Morris had planned a predawn assault that would be signaled by a pistol shot. The untrained Confederate troops had failed to establish picket lines to provide perimeter security, choosing instead to escape the cold rain that fell at morning and stay inside their tents. A Confederate sympathizer, Mrs. Thomas Humphreys, saw the approaching Union troops and sent her young son on horseback to warn the Confederates. While Mrs. Humphreys watched, Union pickets captured the boy and she fired her pistol at the Union soldiers. Although she missed, her shots started the attack prematurely.
The Union forces began firing their artillery, which awakened the sleeping Confederates. After firing a few shots at the advancing Union troops, the Southerners broke lines and began running frantically to the south, some still in their bed clothes, which caused journalists to refer to the battle as the "Races at Philippi". Dumont's troops entered the town from the bridge (Col. Lander's ride down the steep hillside through heavy underbrush was considered such a feat of horsemanship that Leslie's Weekly gave an illustrated account of it shortly afterward), but Kelley's column had arrived from the north on the wrong road and were unable to block the Confederate escape. Col. Kelley himself was shot while chasing some of the retreating Confederates, but Col. Lander personally chased down and captured the soldier who shot Kelley. The remaining Confederate troops retreated to Huttonsville
, about 45 miles (72.4 km) to the south.
against secession
. A few days later in Wheeling
, the Wheeling Convention
nullified
the Virginia ordinance of secession and named Francis H. Pierpont governor
.
There were two significant Confederate casualties. Both were treated with battlefield amputation
s, believed to be the first such operations of the war. One of the soldiers was a Virginia Military Institute
cadet, Fauntleroy Daingerfield. The other young Confederate was James E. Hanger
, an 18-year old college student. After recovering, Hanger returned to his hometown in Virginia. He made an artificial leg for himself from barrel staves with a hinge at the knee. His design worked so well, the Virginia State Legislature commissioned him to manufacture the “Hanger Limb” for other wounded Civil War veterans. Mr. Hanger patented his prosthetic device and founded what is now the Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. As of 2007, Hanger Orthopedic Group is the United States market leader in the manufacture of artificial limbs.
After the battle, Col. Porterfield was replaced in command of Confederate forces in western Virginia by Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett
. The companies of Confederate recruits present at Philippi became part of various regiments, including the 9th Virginia Infantry Battalion, 25th Virginia Infantry
, 31st Virginia Infantry
, 11th Virginia Cavalry
, and the 14th Virginia Cavalry
. The Barbour Lighthorse Cavalry, commanded by Capt. William Jenkins, disbanded after the retreat from Philippi.
The celebrated short-story writer and satirist Ambrose Bierce
was a raw recruit present at the Battle of Philippi. Twenty years later, he wrote, in an autobiographical fragment he called On a Mountain:
The quotation marks indicate the wryness with which Bierce and his fellow veterans, who were to undergo far more harrowing experiences, must have regarded the designation of "first battle".
Philippi, West Virginia
Philippi is a city in — and the county seat of — Barbour County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 2,870 at the 2000 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as "The Philippi Races"...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It was the first organized land action in the war (the impromptu Battle of Fairfax Court House
Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
The Battle of Fairfax Court House was a skirmish between a small Union Regular Army cavalry force and a Virginia militia infantry company in the village of Fairfax Court House in Fairfax County, Virginia on June 1, 1861, during the early days of the American Civil War...
took place two days earlier), but is often treated dismissively as a skirmish rather than a significant battle.
Background
After the commencement of hostilities at Fort SumterBattle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
in April 1861, Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
returned to the Army and, on May 13, assumed command of the Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. McClellan planned an offensive into what is now the State of West Virginia (at that time the northwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia) that he optimistically hoped would eventuate in a campaign against the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
capital of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. His immediate objectives, however, were to occupy the territory to protect the predominantly pro-Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
populace of the area, and to keep open the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line, which was a critical supply line for the Union.
On May 26, McClellan, in response to the burning of bridges on the Baltimore & Ohio near the town of Farmington
Farmington, West Virginia
Farmington is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. It is best known for being the site of the 1968 Farmington Mine disaster.-Geography:...
, ordered Col.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Benjamin Franklin Kelley
Benjamin Franklin Kelley
Benjamin Franklin Kelley was an American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in several military campaigns in West Virginia and Maryland....
of the (Union) 1st Virginia Infantry
1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Month)
The 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During its period of service, the regiment was known as the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment.-Service:...
with his regiment and Company A of the 2nd Virginia Infantry
2nd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 2nd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Mustering:...
, to advance from Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the area of the sabotage and secure the important bridge over the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
at Fairmont
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
, a distance of about 70 miles (112.7 km) southeast of Wheeling. In this Kelley's men were supported by the 16th Ohio Infantry
16th Ohio Infantry
The 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Three-months regiment:...
under Col. James Irvine. After securing Fairmont, the 1st Virginia advanced again and seized the important railroad junction of Grafton
Grafton, West Virginia
Grafton is a city in, and county seat of, Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,489 at the 2000 census. The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton. Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's...
, about 15 miles (24.1 km) southeast of Fairmont, on May 30.
Meanwhile, the 14th Ohio Infantry
14th Ohio Infantry
The 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Three-months regiment:...
Regiment, under Col. James B. Steedman
James B. Steedman
James Blair Steedman was an American soldier, printer, and politician. He also served during the American Civil War as a general in the Union Army, most noted for his performances at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 and the Battle of Nashville in 1864.-Early life and career:Steedman was born in...
, was ordered to occupy Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
and then also proceed to Grafton, about 90 miles (144.8 km) to the east. By May 28, McClellan had ordered a total of about 3,000 troops into Western Virginia and placed them under the overall command of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Thomas A. Morris
Thomas A. Morris
Thomas Armstrong Morris was an American railroad executive and civil engineer from Indiana and a soldier, serving as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, commander of Indiana Volunteers.
Confederate Col. George A. Porterfield
George A. Porterfield
George Alexander Porterfield was a junior officer of United States forces in the Mexican-American War, colonel in the Confederate States Army during the first year of the American Civil War and longtime banker in Charles Town, West Virginia after the war...
had been assigned to command of state forces in northwestern Virginia on May 4 and ordered to Grafton to take charge of enlistments in that area. As the Union columns advanced, Porterfield's poorly armed 800 recruits retreated to Philippi, about 17 miles (27.4 km) south of Grafton. At Philippi, a covered bridge
Philippi Covered Bridge
The Philippi Covered Bridge, on the Tygart River, is the main local landmark and historical icon of Philippi, West Virginia, USA.The celebrated bridge was commissioned by the General Assembly of Virginia and constructed in 1852 by Lemuel Chenoweth, a well-known Appalachian bridge builder, to...
spanned the Tygart Valley River
Tygart Valley River
The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long, in east-central West Virginia, USA...
and was an important segment of the vital Beverly-Fairmont Turnpike.
Battle
Col. Kelley devised a two-prong attack against the Confederate forces in Philippi, approved by Gen. Morris on his arrival in Grafton on June 1. The principal advance would be 1,600 men led by Kelley himself, and would include six companies of his own regiment, nine of the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment9th Indiana Infantry Regiment
The 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized on April 22, 1861, for three-months' service in Indianapolis...
under Col. Robert H. Milroy
Robert H. Milroy
Robert Huston Milroy was a lawyer, judge, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War, most noted for his defeat at the Second Battle of Winchester in 1863.-Early life:...
, and six of the 16th Ohio Infantry. In order to deceive the enemy into believing their objective was Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
, they departed by train to the east. They de-trained at the small village of Thornton
Thornton, West Virginia
Thornton is an unincorporated town in Taylor County, West Virginia. Thornton is located on Three Fork Creek along the Northwestern Turnpike at its junction with County Route 7. Thornton also hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival...
and marched south on a back road (on the same side of the river as Philippi) intending to arrive at the rear of the town.
Meanwhile, the 7th Indiana
7th Regiment Indiana Infantry (3 months)
The 7th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from the State of Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
under Col. Ebenezer Dumont
Ebenezer Dumont
Ebenezer Dumont was a U.S. Representative from Indiana, as well as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
were sent to Webster
Webster, West Virginia
Webster is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States. It lies four miles south of Grafton. Its elevation is 1,019 feet above sea level.- History :...
, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Grafton. There they would combine with the 6th Indiana
6th Regiment Indiana Infantry (3 months)
The 6th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from the State of Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
under Col. Thomas T. Crittenden and the 14th Ohio under Col. Steedman. The column, with a total of 1,400 men under the command of Col. Dumont (with the assistance of Col. Frederick W. Lander
Frederick W. Lander
Frederick West Lander was a transcontinental United States explorer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a prolific poet.-Birth and early years:...
, volunteer aide-de-camp to Gen. McClellan), would march directly south from Webster on the Turnpike. In this way, the Union force would execute a double envelopment
Pincer movement
The pincer movement or double envelopment is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it...
of the Confederates.
On June 2, the two Union columns set off to converge on Philippi. After an overnight march in rainy weather, both columns arrived at Philippi before dawn on June 3. Morris had planned a predawn assault that would be signaled by a pistol shot. The untrained Confederate troops had failed to establish picket lines to provide perimeter security, choosing instead to escape the cold rain that fell at morning and stay inside their tents. A Confederate sympathizer, Mrs. Thomas Humphreys, saw the approaching Union troops and sent her young son on horseback to warn the Confederates. While Mrs. Humphreys watched, Union pickets captured the boy and she fired her pistol at the Union soldiers. Although she missed, her shots started the attack prematurely.
The Union forces began firing their artillery, which awakened the sleeping Confederates. After firing a few shots at the advancing Union troops, the Southerners broke lines and began running frantically to the south, some still in their bed clothes, which caused journalists to refer to the battle as the "Races at Philippi". Dumont's troops entered the town from the bridge (Col. Lander's ride down the steep hillside through heavy underbrush was considered such a feat of horsemanship that Leslie's Weekly gave an illustrated account of it shortly afterward), but Kelley's column had arrived from the north on the wrong road and were unable to block the Confederate escape. Col. Kelley himself was shot while chasing some of the retreating Confederates, but Col. Lander personally chased down and captured the soldier who shot Kelley. The remaining Confederate troops retreated to Huttonsville
Huttonsville, West Virginia
Huttonsville is a town in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States, along the Tygart Valley River. The population was 217 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, about 45 miles (72.4 km) to the south.
Aftermath
The Union victory in a relatively bloodless battle propelled the young General McClellan into the national spotlight, and he was soon given command of all Union armies. The battle also inspired more vocal protests in the Western part of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
against secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
. A few days later in Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the Wheeling Convention
Wheeling Convention
The 1861 Wheeling Convention was a series of two meetings that ultimately repealed the Ordinance of Secession passed by Virginia, thus establishing the Restored government of Virginia, which ultimately authorized the counties that organized the convention to become West Virginia. The convention was...
nullified
Nullification (U.S. Constitution)
Nullification is a legal theory that a State has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal law which that state has deemed unconstitutional...
the Virginia ordinance of secession and named Francis H. Pierpont governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
.
There were two significant Confederate casualties. Both were treated with battlefield amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
s, believed to be the first such operations of the war. One of the soldiers was a Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
cadet, Fauntleroy Daingerfield. The other young Confederate was James E. Hanger
James Edward Hanger
James Edward Hanger was a Confederate States Army veteran of the American Civil War, a prosthetist and a businessman. It is reported that he became the first amputee of the war after being struck in the leg by a cannonball...
, an 18-year old college student. After recovering, Hanger returned to his hometown in Virginia. He made an artificial leg for himself from barrel staves with a hinge at the knee. His design worked so well, the Virginia State Legislature commissioned him to manufacture the “Hanger Limb” for other wounded Civil War veterans. Mr. Hanger patented his prosthetic device and founded what is now the Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. As of 2007, Hanger Orthopedic Group is the United States market leader in the manufacture of artificial limbs.
After the battle, Col. Porterfield was replaced in command of Confederate forces in western Virginia by Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett
Robert S. Garnett
Robert Selden Garnett was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army until the American Civil War, when he became a Confederate States Army brigadier general. He was the first general officer killed in the Civil War.-Early life and career:Garnett was born at the family plantation...
. The companies of Confederate recruits present at Philippi became part of various regiments, including the 9th Virginia Infantry Battalion, 25th Virginia Infantry
25th Virginia Infantry
The 25th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of the Northwest and Army of Northern Virginia...
, 31st Virginia Infantry
31st Virginia Infantry
The 31st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
, 11th Virginia Cavalry
11th Virginia Cavalry
The 11th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
, and the 14th Virginia Cavalry
14th Virginia Cavalry
The 14th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia....
. The Barbour Lighthorse Cavalry, commanded by Capt. William Jenkins, disbanded after the retreat from Philippi.
The celebrated short-story writer and satirist Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
was a raw recruit present at the Battle of Philippi. Twenty years later, he wrote, in an autobiographical fragment he called On a Mountain:
The quotation marks indicate the wryness with which Bierce and his fellow veterans, who were to undergo far more harrowing experiences, must have regarded the designation of "first battle".