Battle of Camp Allegheny facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Camp Allegheny (Battle of Allegheny Mountain)
Part of the American Civil War
Battlefield along Allegheny Mountain
Date December 13, 1861 (1861-12-13) Location Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) 38°28′26″N 79°43′28″W / 38.47389°N 79.72444°W / 38.47389; -79.72444 (Camp Allegheny) Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Robert Milroy	Edward Johnson
Strength
Brigades	Brigades
Casualties and losses
137	146

The Battle of Camp Allegheny, also known as the Battle of Allegheny Mountain, happened on December 13, 1861. It took place in Pocahontas County, Virginia (which is now West Virginia). This battle was part of the larger American Civil War.

It was a small fight between groups of soldiers called brigades. Even though the Confederate side technically won because the Union soldiers left, the battle didn't really change much for either side in military terms. However, it was important for deciding the future border between Virginia and West Virginia. It helped make sure that Highland County stayed with the Confederate states and wasn't part of the new state of West Virginia.

Why the Battle Happened

In December 1861, Confederate soldiers, led by Colonel Edward Johnson, were camped on top of Allegheny Mountain. This mountain pass was about 4,400 feet high. They were there to protect an important road called the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike. This road was a way to get from the mountains of western Virginia into the important Shenandoah Valley. Their camp was called the "Monterey Line."

Life for the Southern troops was very hard during this time. It was a very cold winter, and many soldiers got sick. Earlier, the Union army had won some battles in what is now West Virginia. This made them confident enough to try and take the Staunton to Parkersburg Pike.

Thinking that the Confederate soldiers might be weak, a Union group of 2,000 men attacked. This group was led by Brigadier General Robert H. Milroy. They attacked Johnson's 1,200 Confederates at sunrise on December 13.

The Battle Begins

The day before the main battle, on December 12, Milroy's Union soldiers and a Confederate scouting group had a small fight. The next morning, Milroy split his troops into two groups. His plan was to attack the Confederate camp from two sides.

The first group of Union soldiers moved up the Staunton-Parkersburg Pike. They fought the Confederate soldiers on the right side of the camp for several hours. Then, they had to pull back. Because the mountain land was so rough, the second Union group arrived a bit later. This meant they couldn't help the first group as planned. Instead, they attacked the Confederate soldiers on the left side.

When the left Union group arrived, a Confederate officer thought they were his own soldiers coming back. He told his men not to shoot and rode out to meet them. But the Union soldiers shot and killed him. This started the second part of the battle, with very fierce fighting.

After the first Union group had left, Colonel Johnson ordered all his soldiers from that area to join the fight on the left side. The Confederates focused their fire, which broke up the Union attack on the left. Finally, all the Union troops left the battle.

Map of Camp Allegheny Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The fighting lasted for most of the morning in the freezing winter wind. Both sides tried to gain an advantage on the hillsides, fields, and in the woods. On the right side, Milroy's soldiers found a good spot in a clearing. It was full of fallen trees and brush, which made it hard for the Confederate soldiers to push them out.

A Confederate artillery battery (a group of cannons) started firing. They shot "round shot and canister" at the Union position. This made their hiding spot too dangerous to stay in. The fighting on the right side went back and forth, with the Union soldiers sometimes taking the spot, only to be forced out again. The Confederates tried to go around the Union soldiers, but they didn't have enough men, so it didn't work. The fighting was so close that the Confederate cannons inside their fort couldn't even be used.

After fighting for more than seven hours without taking the position, Milroy's troops left. They went back to their camps near Cheat Mountain. Colonel Johnson said the Confederates lost 20 men killed, 96 wounded, and 28 missing.

One Confederate soldier from the 52nd Virginia Infantry wrote about the battle:

I had a splendid position in this battle and could see the whole fight without having to take any part in it, and I remember how I thought Colonel Johnson must be the most wonderful hero in the world, as I saw him at one point, where his men were hard pressed, snatch a musket in one hand and, swinging a big club in the other, he led his line right up among the enemy, driving them headlong down the mountain, killing and wounding many with the bayonet and capturing a large number of prisoners...

The Confederate groups fighting under Johnson were the 12th Georgia Regiment, the 52nd Virginia, the 31st Virginia, a small group of Pittsylvania (Virginia) cavalry (who fought on foot), and the "Lee Battery" of Virginia light artillery, which had four cannons.

What Happened Next

This battle might seem small compared to later fights in the Civil War. But it was actually one of the bloodiest battles in the first year of the war (April to December 1861). The Union army had about 137 soldiers killed or wounded. The Confederate army had about 147 killed or wounded. Colonel Johnson later earned the nickname "Allegheny" Johnson because of his role in this battle and for holding this tough mountain post.

It's interesting to know that the Confederates had actually received orders to leave Camp Allegheny a few days before the battle. But the Union's failed attack convinced the Confederate leaders to send more soldiers to Johnson's camp. Five more groups of soldiers stayed there through the harsh winter of 1861–62. The weather was terrible, with deep snow. This was very hard for the Southern soldiers, who were mostly from Georgia and Virginia and not used to such cold.

By March 18, 1862, Johnson had been promoted to General. He had about 4,000 men at Camp Allegheny. However, only about 2,784 of them were healthy enough to fight. Nearly 1,200 men were sick or unable to serve.

After the Battle of Camp Allegheny, Johnson also realized that his camp could be easily attacked from the sides. He thought that Shenandoah Mountain, about 40 miles to the southeast, would be a better place to defend the Staunton to Parkersburg Pike and the way into the Shenandoah Valley. Because of the many sick soldiers and the difficulty of getting supplies to the remote mountain camp, General Robert E. Lee agreed. He let Johnson leave the post and move to Shenandoah Mountain on April 2, 1862.

By April 6, 1862, Johnson had built a new fort called Fort Edward Johnson on Shenandoah Mountain. This was just 26 miles west of Staunton. However, this new fort was soon left behind on April 19. Johnson left to meet up with the Confederate Army of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson before the Battle of McDowell.

The battles in the rough, mountainous part of western Virginia were small. But they had a lasting impact. The counties that were controlled by the Union became the start of the new state of West Virginia. Because of the Battle of Camp Allegheny (and later the Battle of McDowell), the future border between Virginia and West Virginia would follow the line between Pocahontas and Highland counties. Even though these counties shared the same mountains and culture, Pocahontas was included in the new state of West Virginia, while Highland stayed part of Virginia.

In 1903, a writer named Ambrose Bierce visited the battle site. He wrote about it in a newspaper column called "A Bivouac of the Dead." Bierce had been a Union soldier in the battle. He wrote sadly about the brave soldiers and their suffering in this forgotten battle in a faraway place. He also wrote about how little the battlefield had changed over the years.

Camp Allegheny Historic District

The Camp Allegheny Historic District is a special historic district. It includes one important building and four important sites. These are the earthworks (old dirt walls for defense), the place where huts and a camp once stood, a cemetery, the site of a church, and the site of the Yeager farmstead.

This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Images for kids

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  Camp Allegheny Battlefield