Buchanan in Botetourt County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mount Joy
Industrial Connections
— Hunter's Raid —
Photographed By Don Morfe, August 1, 2013
1. Mount Joy Marker
Inscription.
Mount Joy. Industrial Connections. On May 26, 1864, Union Gen, David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy transportation facilities at Lynchburg. His raid was part of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s strategy to attack Confederates simultaneously throughout Virginia. After defeating Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones at Piedmont on June 5, Hunter marched to Lexington, burned Virginia Military Institute, and headed to Lynchburg. There, on June 17-18, Gen. Jubal A. Early repulsed Hunter and pursued him to West Virginia. Early then turned north in July to threaten Washington., One of Gen. David Hunter’s objectives was to destroy iron furnaces near Buchanan, Eagle Rock, Fincastle, and Cloverdale. These sites produced pig iron and iron bars that were transported down the James River and Kanawha Canal to Richmond and Joseph R. Anderson’s Tredegar Iron Works, which transformed the raw materials into cannons and munitions., Because Anderson’s brother, Confederate congressman Col. John T. Anderson, owned Mount Joy, Hunter ordered it destroyed on June 15, but an officer burned only the barn and outbuildings. Looking back from the foot of the mountain, Hunter realized that the house had been spared and dispatched a troop of cavalrymen to carry out his orders. The Andersons were allowed one hour to remove their belongings before the mansion was burned. They may have hidden livestock behind the house on Staple Hill. In 1906, the present house here was built on part of the foundation., Ellen Glasgow, Pulitzer Prize-winning Virginia novelist, later featured Mount Joy in The Battle Ground. During the war, her mother, sent to Buchanan for safety, stayed with the Andersons during Hunter’s raid. She observed the seemingly endless blue line of cavalry, infantry, artillery, and wagons passing by here.
On May 26, 1864, Union Gen, David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy transportation facilities at Lynchburg. His raid was part of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s strategy to attack Confederates simultaneously throughout Virginia. After defeating Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones at Piedmont on June 5, Hunter marched to Lexington, burned Virginia Military Institute, and headed to Lynchburg. There, on June 17-18, Gen. Jubal A. Early repulsed Hunter and pursued him to West Virginia. Early then turned north in July to threaten Washington.
One of Gen. David Hunter’s objectives was to destroy iron furnaces near Buchanan, Eagle Rock, Fincastle, and Cloverdale. These sites produced pig iron and iron bars that were transported down the James River and Kanawha Canal to Richmond and Joseph R. Anderson’s Tredegar Iron Works, which transformed the raw materials into cannons and munitions.
Because Anderson’s brother, Confederate congressman Col. John T. Anderson, owned Mount Joy, Hunter ordered it destroyed on June 15, but an officer burned only the barn and outbuildings. Looking back from the foot of the mountain, Hunter realized that the house had been spared and dispatched a troop of cavalrymen to carry out his orders. The
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Andersons were allowed one hour to remove their belongings before the mansion was burned. They may have hidden livestock behind the house on Staple Hill. In 1906, the present house here was built on part of the foundation.
Ellen Glasgow, Pulitzer Prize-winning Virginia novelist, later featured Mount Joy in The Battle Ground. During the war, her mother, sent to Buchanan for safety, stayed with the Andersons during Hunter’s raid. She observed the seemingly endless blue line of cavalry, infantry, artillery, and wagons passing by here.
Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1812.
Location. 37° 30.772′ N, 79° 42.565′ W. Marker is in Buchanan, Virginia, in Botetourt County. Marker is on US 11 just west of Mt. Joy Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Buchanan VA 24066, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Note the log marker which states-Mount Joy cir 1804
Photographed By Don Morfe, August 1, 2013
5. Mount Joy Marker
Close up photo of the house
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,173 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 3, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.