Astride the Road from Nowhere

Astride the Road from Nowhere. . "Our tents were pitched on a rocky point with a fine forest on every side and a magnificent view of the Alleghenies on front of us, a beautiful romantic, though desolate spot." - William Houghton, 14th Indiana Infantry, July 16, 186 Indiana Historical Society, The primeval wilds of Cheat Mountain greeted Union soldiers. The land was dominated by tall red spruce and impenetrable rhododendron thickets. Federal troops built the fort on the appropriated farm of Southern sympathizer Mathias White. Awe of their surroundings was soon replaced by the drudgery and monotony of camp life., Heavy rains regularly reduced roads and campgrounds to deep mud. The constant dampness destroyed soldier’s clothes and tents, and provisions were often in short supply. Disease and body lice were rampant throughout the camp; those patrolling outside the walls risked attack from guerrillas. An instance of mutiny arose among some men. The winter of 1861-1862 brought deadly cold and heavy snow, isolating the fort.