Spirit of ’61 Roundup for August 2026
Welcome to the monthly recap of blog posts for Spirit of ’61, a digital encyclopedia of early Civil War Virginia. We explore the first half of 1861, from the Secession Winter to just before Bull Run. Before the first large battles were fought, Virginia was already living through a political, military, and social crisis that would shape the course of the war. Spirit of ’61 exists to document that story.
In August, we began our deep-dive into events along the Upper Potomac, particularly around Romney and Hampshire County, which included Lew Wallace’s brief occupation of Romney and several skirmishes involving the Pennsylvania Bucktails, and of course, the death of Richard Ashby. These were among the first entries I wrote back in 2021, so they are sorely in need of updating.
I also visited the brand new Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Check out some of the highlights and links to the blog posts below:
What Happened at Piedmont?
On Sunday, July 14, 1861, three companies of Pennsylvania Reserves occupied the town of Piedmont, Virginia. The following evening, an unseen enemy attacked their picket posts for several hours. The inconclusive skirmish ended as abruptly as it began, and history has nearly forgotten it. Who were the attackers, and why was this Appalachian railroad town in their crosshairs?
Cutting the B&O: Confederate Raids in Hampshire County, 1861
In the summer of 1861, Hampshire County, Virginia, became a battleground in the struggle to control the vital Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Confederate cavalry raided bridges and rail lines from Romney to New Creek while Union troops fought to keep open this critical transportation link between Washington, DC, and the West.
The Ashby Brothers Enter the Fight
Before rising to prominence as Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s cavalry commander during Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign, Turner Ashby and his brother, Richard, scouted the area around Romney, Virginia (today, West Virginia) at the head of the Fauquier Mountain Rangers. Richard would be mortally wounded in a brutal hand-to-hand fight along the B&O Railroad in the summer of 1861, leaving Turner devastated and burning for revenge.
Thomas L. Kane and his Bucktailed Wildcats
Thomas L. Kane organized the 13th Pennsylvania Reserve, nicknamed the “Bucktails” for the deer tails worn on their hats, during the spring and early summer of 1861. Kane recruited heavily among the woodsmen of northwestern Pennsylvania’s “wildcat district.” The regiment initially elected Kane as colonel and Charles J. Biddle as lieutenant colonel, but Kane voluntarily exchanged ranks with Biddle in recognition of his distinguished service during the Mexican-American War. In July, Kane led a scouting detachment that tussled with Confederate cavalry around New Creek Station on the B&O Railroad.
Exploring the New Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park
I finally had the opportunity to visit Hoke’s Run Battlefield Park in Berkeley County, West Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and other local historic preservation groups developed this 10-acre park near the site of the July 2, 1861 Battle of Hoke’s Run, also known as Falling Waters, and erected interpretive signs along the trail loop. I highly recommend paying it a visit.
In April 1991, I had the privilege of dedicating the grave marker of my 2x great-grandfather William B. Tharp, who had been a private in Co. F, 33rd Virginia Infantry. After his death in 1908, he was buried in Dayton Cemetery, under the shadow of Queen’s Point, a large hill on the Maryland side of the North Branch of the Potomac, overlooking Keyser, WV. During the time I was there, I purchased a book “A Pictorial Guide to West Virginia’s Civil Ware Sites” by Stan Cohen. On page 71, I saw a map of the “Burning of the 21st Bridge, June 19, 1861”. I realized with surprise that some of the Confederate troops apparently marched very close to the cemetery site on their way to attack the defenders of the bridge, the bridge we had to drive by to approach the cemetery. There was no source given for the map, so I could not track it down. It looked like it had been photocopied from another book.
Tharp’s wife, Susan Ruckman, my 2x great-grandmother was buried next to him in 1915. I learned much later that her brother, George W. Ruckman, joined Co. I, 13th Virginia Infantry as a private. Company I was one of two companies of the 13th that was involved in the attack and burning of the bridge on June 19th! Who knows if he might have marched over the same ground his sister would eventually be buried at. Sadly, George did not survive the war. He was KIA at Gaines Mill June 27, 1862.
Some very interesting family connections in this area! Thank you for the information about the June 19th, 1861, skirmish. I learned more about it than I had previously.
That’s great, I love these personal connections! The map probably came from Fritz and Mark Haselberger’s 1965 article in the West Virginia History journal. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen. You’ll definitely want to check back in because I’m working on a more detailed article about the burning of Bridge No. 21 right now.
Michael,
I have a few photos from the time I was at Dayton Cemetery in 1991. I went back in 2008 as well- I will have to check those photos out as well. I went ahead and looked you up on Facebook and made a “friend request”. That way I can send the photos through Messenger if you are interested. I’m very interested in the Haselberger article and have wondered where that map came from. I purchased a copy of Fritz’s book on “Yanks from the South” on Rich Mountain and the earlier engagements leading up to it- very good! One of my 2x great granduncles was at Rich Mountain, so I’ve been very interested in him and his service. His name was William R. Bosley from Old Fields, Hardy County.
Looking forward to your article about Bridge No. 21 as well!
Thanks,
Mark
thanks M.A., i enjoy your monthly deep dives into 1861 … good stuff about the first year of the war … I always find an especialy shiny little historical nugget in your monthly installment … in this one, i see a reference to Kane’s PA bucktails … i seem to recall they became a sharpshooter unit at some point.
Appreciate it very much! I find it endlessly fascinating how these units and people who became famous later in the war appear early on. I’m not sure the Bucktails became sharpshooters specifically but they were known for their marksmanship and switched to using rifles rather than the old muskets they were issued. A lot of them were tough Pennsylvania backwoodsmen.