Confederate Christiansburg

Confederate Christiansburg. . Christiansburg, a town in turmoil during the war, supported the Confederacy. Its strategic location in the New River Valley made it a military objective, prompting President Abraham Lincoln to order Federal troops toward the area in 1861. Christiansburg men volunteered for Confederate service, many in the 4th and 54th Virginia Infantry regiments. The nearby Montgomery White Sulphur Springs resort was converted into military hospital. Christiansburg also supplied material to the Confederacy. The Crush and Wade Sword Company made edged weapons, a local coal mine provided fuel, and Lattimer's and Chrisman's mill made leather goods and grain., Despite Union raids in Salem and Wytheville in 1863, it was May 1864 before the fighting reached Christiansburg. Union attempts to destroy the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, Virginia's vital supply line, spawned the Battles of Cloyd's Mountain and New River Bridge. Retreating Confederates filled every house on Main Street with wounded, and pursuing Federal calvary frightened local residents. Soon, Union sympathizers (called the Heroes of America or Red Strings), as well as Confederate deserters, also plundered townspeople. Cols. Robert Trigg and R. T. Preston imprisoned 100 men alleged to be disloyal to the Confederacy in the local stockyards. Many were kinsmen and neighbors, creating I'll will on both sides., When news of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender arrived in May 1865, a sizable Federal force occupied the town. The large Confederate army in the area disbanded, and the townspeople could finally begin to return to normal life.