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.