The Tower on Droop Mountain

Near Hillsboro, West Virginia

This scenic lookout on Droop Mountain provides a beautiful view of the valley below. The mountain was the scene of a Civil War battle on November 6, 1863. The sign on the left summarizes the action:

Nearly five months after West Virginia was admitted into the Union, the Confederate army of Brigadier General John Echols still occupied the prosperous Greenbrier Valley region of the new state. From its headquarters in Lewisburg, his army was the foremost defense of the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad, an important Confederate supply line in southwest Virginia.

On August 26 and 27, 1863, the Confederate army had successfully repulsed an attack at White Sulphur Springs by the Federal Army of Brigadier General William W. Averell. In early November, Echols learned that General Averell had left his headquarters in Beverly, West Virginia, and was again moving south toward the railroad. Confederate outposts in Pocahontas County tried to slow the advance. General Echols marched his army north, all through the night, to Droop Mountain to reinforce them.

The reinforcements arrived just in time, for General Averell began his attack early. Throughout the morning, Echols’ outnumbered Confederate army held the high ground and blocked the highway with artillery, but in the afternoon was overwhelmed by the crushing advance of Federal infantry on his left flank. Following the collapse of his lines, General Echols retreated south with the remnants of his command. Federal troops occupied Lewisburg on November 7, 1863, but being burdened by prisoners and captured livestock, General Averell elected to return to his headquarters in Beverly, waiting until early December to lead a third, and ultimately successful, attack on the railroad. Operations in the Shenandoah Valley in the spring in 1864 drew remaining Confederate troops out of West Virginia, thus leaving the new state securely under the control of the Federal government for the remainder of the war.

With more than 400 casualties, (140 Union and approximately 275 Confederate) the Battle at Droop Mountain was one of the last significant Civil War battles in West Virginia.

I climbed the tower steps and found a sign at the top that tells the same story.

You don't need to be a history buff, though, to enjoy Droop Mountain State Park. There are magnificent views, picnic areas, and a play area for children. The lookout tower and some other park buildings were built by the CCC during the Great Depression.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday

and Look Up, Look Down and Scenic Weekends

Exploring History at Droop Mountain

The 1863 Battle of Droop Mountain is interpreted in several ways at the state park. This monument to the men who died as a result of the battle is fairly new, erected for the 150th anniversary of the struggle. It stands near the park office and museum. 

The park is in the beautiful hills of West Virginia, near the appropriately-named town of Hillsboro. There is a spectacular scenic overlook which you reach by driving through the forested battlefield, which features a series of interpretive signs telling how Federal forces dislodged the Confederates who had fortified the mountain. Like many of the battles fought in West Virginia, the main reason for the battle was controlling important supply routes, such as railroad lines and highways.

(Click on image to open larger version.)

This sign tells of the "3rd West Virginia Mounted Infantry" (USA) under Lt. Col. Francis W. Thompson:

The men of the 3rd WV fought their way up this ravine extending their line of battle along the mountainside until they joined with the 28th Ohio. Upon reaching the top, they helped break the Confederate line and pursued the defeated army south towards Lewisburg.

You can see other interpretive signs for Droop Mountain on the Historical Marker Database.

Confederate Graves

Behind the Superintendent's Office is a barely-marked cemetery and a museum, located in a charming log building which appears to be a CCC-built cabin.  (For those who don't know, the CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps, a jobs-creating program under Franklin Roosevelt's administration.

See all my Droop Mountain posts.

Reproduction of Parrott Rifle

Lookout Tower in Sepia

The observation tower on Droop Mountain was built of logs the size of telephone poles. They are grayish-brown so a sepia tint looks natural. I'm sharing this with Sepia Saturday.

I visited this part of West Virginia as a child and later as a young adult. On this recent visit I delved into the Civil War history, having studied it over the past 20-plus years. (See my Civil War Field Trips site.)  When I was younger I knew very little about the Civil War in West Virginia, for Virginia history treats the war as pretty much a Virginia affair.

Civil War Trails, Hillsboro, WV

There are two Civil War interpretive signs near the Pearl S. Buck birthplace in Hillsboro, WV.  Both tell about the Union Army Camp that was here in November 1863. I believe the first one is older so I'll provide the text. You can read the other one on Historical Marker Database. 

Yankee Army Camp

John D. Sutton, 10th West Virginia Infantry, wrote, "The army went into camp in the levels between Mill Point and Hillsboro." These fields were later owned by 2nd Lt. Matthew John McNeel, Company F, 19th Virginia Cavalry, and the Capt. Edgar estate. In plain view of his camp was the large, brick home of Col. Paul McNeel, a member for Pocahontas County in the convention at Richmond that declared secession. Col. McNeel's son was a Confederate captain in McNeil's Rangers. Averell reportedly spent the night either in the home of Col. Paul McNeel or in the Presbyterian Manse.

Eight-year-old C.L. Stulting lived on the farm with Hermannus and Johannah Staulting (ancestors of Pearl S. Buck). Staulting wrote "around 6 o'clock, we were all sitting around the breakfast table unaware of there being any soldiers in our neighborhood, when we heard the firing of army guns just outside of the house."

While camped here, Union General William W. Averell developed a plan of attack on Confederate forces at nearby Droop Mountain.

Sharing with Signs, Signs

and Good Fences

A Random Roadside Attraction

We spent the weekend in West Virginia and I've got many images to share once I edit them down to a manageable number. For this post I'm showing a number of pictures from one single and unexpected stop along the road.

We were heading north from Marlinton on WV 39. Another car was behind us and we wanted to travel at a leisurely pace so I suggested to Frank that he pull off at a church so the other driver could pass us. It turned out that the church I spotted was abandoned with no apparent parking space so he drove a little ways down a side road until we found a small parking lot where we could turn around.

But what was this? We were seeing a facsimile of a western town, with miniature buildings and cut-out silhouettes of horses and cows and cowboys! A sign invited us to browse and another one said "Mustard Seed Ranch." So we got out and looked around! No one was there except the wooden cut-outs people.

Who built this place and why? I did not find out. There's a mention of it on an old news page as the location for some festival event but that's all I found.

I'm sharing this with Good, Random and Fun because it was all that. Also I'm linking to The Backroads Traveler and showing a better view of the (real) barn behind the "ranch" for his Barn Collective.

Here's the front door of the Huntersville Presbyterian Church, established in 1854 but now in disrepair. And below is a photo I took of the dashboard display showing the location of the little ranch so that if you find yourself the area you can stop and see it for yourself. Even though Huntersville is a small town, it's not far from Watoga State Park, Droop Mountain Battlefield, and the Greenbrier River.

Daylilies (On Droop Mountain)

Flowers remind me I am lucky,

For I am not color blind.

The hues and tints and tones,

The contrasts of color on color,

Color, how much I love you!

Sharing with Six Word Friday (Color Challenge)

and Orange You Glad It's Friday

Civil War Mural in Marlinton

I was moved by this mural in West Virginia. Completed earlier this year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, it is about "the hometown strife of wartime, more than it is about the more famed losses and victories," according to artist Molly Must. (See article in Pocahontas Times.)

"Born of wartime conflict, West Virginia became a state on June 20th, 1863. Pocahontas County was torn between party lines. Neighbors and kin fought on opposite sides in The Battle of Droop Mountain (Nov. 6th 1863) where Union victory caused the collapse of Confederate resistance in the state."

Last week I shared a different mural by the same artist. You can see her experience as a collage artist in the composition of both murals.

Sharing with Monday Murals