May 25, 2006

Signs Seen on Our Trip


Here are some signs from our Kanawha Campaign Field Trip. Some of these are historical and some (like the first) are more indicative of today's culture.

On the left, Hooters, Karma Salon, Dirtbusters, and a martial arts school were among the businesses next to the site of the Battle of Mud River, also known as the Battle of Barboursville.

marker

Battle of Barboursville, July 13, 1861
Site of early Civil War battle fought July 23, 1861. Border Rangers and local citizens met on "Fortifications Hill" to repel an advance by five companies of the 2nd Kentucky Inf...


For this battle lecture, we parked next to Scary Creek Paintball Games.

Battle of Scary Creek, July 17, 1861
First Confederate victory in Kanawha Valley fought here July 17, 1861. Charge of the Rangers under Captain (later General) Jenkins won the day. Whitelaw Reid described the event as a war correspondent with Gen. Cox's Union forces.

Between Hawk's Nest and Carnefix Ferry we passed this billboard warning of the "World's Largest Speed Trap."





Carnefix Ferry
The Civil War battle fought here on September 10, 1861 was named by the Union army after a nearby river ferry. Even though it was over a mile downstream, the ferry was the closest well-known landmark. Constructed by William Carnefix in the early 1800's, the ferry provided an important link between the James River & Kanawha Turnpike, now Rt. 60, and the Gauley & Weston Turnpike, now part of Rts. 39 & 19. The spelling of the name Carnifex has varied over the years. The heading above is the spelling found on the gravestone of Mr. Carnefix who died in 1856.
Book on Amazon.com: The Battle of Scary Creek

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