Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Dayton in Rockingham County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Death of Lt. Meigs

The Heavy Hand of War

— 1864 Valley Campaigns —

 
 
Death Of Lt. Meigs image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 27, 2008
1. Death Of Lt. Meigs
Inscription.
The death of Union Lt. John R. Meigs, near the granite marker on the hill in front of you, unleashed a firestorm of retaliation. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, erroneously told that civilian “bushwhackers” had killed Meigs, reported to Gen. U.S. Grant four days later that “for this atrocious act all the houses within an area of five miles were burned.” The affected area initially was to include “Tunkerville, Bridgewater and Dayton.”

On October 4-5, the 5th New York Cavalry of Gen. George A. Custer’s division began displacing local families and burning their homes to the ground. Some residents went to live with more fortunate family members and friends. Others joined a 400-wagon-long train of refugees that left Harrisonburg on October 5 for the North. The Northern press noted that “the general devastation of the country has obliged the people to remove.”

Ironically, most of the refugees were pacifist and antislavery Mennonites and Brethren, commonly called Dunkards or Tunkers. Union soldiers here wrote of the inhabitants’ productive farms and of how well they treated the Federals. Quartermaster Sergeant Ezra Walker, of the 116th Ohio Infantry, bivouacked in Dayton, later wrote of returning to camp from one of the farms “with a bucketful of honey, one of apple butter,
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
bread, sweet potatoes, cabbage, chickens … a pretty good haul for one day.” He also wrote that he paid for what he took. Others were not as considerate, and a great deal of looting occurred. After the war, Mennonites and Brethren went from farm to farm, rebuilding barns, mills, and - in the case of this area - houses.

(Sidebar):
Thirty-year-old Samuel Coffman had just been called to be the bishop of the Middle District of the Mennonite Church when the war began. He adhered to the strict principles of his church: adult baptism, opposition to slavery, and pacifism. In front of Confederate enrolling officers, he told his men to hide or flee rather than be conscripted into military service. His life was later threatened because he was true to his conscience.
 
Erected 2007 by Virginia Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant, and the Virginia Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1878.
 
Location. 38° 25.441′ N, 78° 55.32′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Virginia, in Rockingham County. Marker is on Meigs Lane, 0.1 miles east of John Wayland Highway (Virginia Route 42), on the left when traveling east
Meigs Historic Site image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 27, 2008
2. Meigs Historic Site
. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dayton VA 22821, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named Death of Lt. Meigs (here, next to this marker); Site Where Lt. John Rodgers Meigs Was Killed (a few steps from this marker); Fort Harrison (approx. 0.9 miles away); Silver Lake Historic District (approx. one mile away); Shenandoah College and Shenandoah Conservatory of Music (approx. one mile away); Lt. Col. Thomas F. Wildes (approx. one mile away); Daniel Bowman Mill at Silver Lake (approx. one mile away); First Church in Rockingham County (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.
 
Regarding Death of Lt. Meigs. In the lower left is a sketch of “Sheridan Being Cheered”, courtesy Western Reserve Historical Society. In the upper center is a portrait of Gen. George A. Custer, Courtesy Library of Congress. In the lower center is a map of the “Burnt District”, courtesy John L Heatwole. In the sidebar is a photo of Bishop Samuel Coffman, courtesy John L Heatwole.
 
Map of "Burnt District" image. Click for full size.
Photographed By John L. Heatwole
3. Map of "Burnt District"
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,548 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on January 8, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=15123

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024