Radford, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Home Guards

The Whartons' Civil War Letters

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 22, 2022

1. Home Guards Marker

Inscription.

Home Guards. The Whartons' Civil War Letters. Nannie Radford Wharton was eight months pregnant, and nervous. Her eyes kept glancing at the nearby Now River Bridge. “The home guards are called out and all sorts of rumors are current regarding the coming of the Enemy, none of wh[ich] I believe. I have looked for them so often at this Bridge that I shall never believe again they are coming,” she wrote to her husband Confederate Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton., Three days later she fled her home as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of the bridge on May 10, 1864. The Confederates were desperate to save it, but after three hours of cannonading, Union troops finally set the bridge ablaze., The struggle for the New River Bridge was one of dozens of subjects the Whartons discussed in their wartime letters. General Wharton asked Nannie to bind their letters together into one book. Upon completing this she wrote, “I have just finished the peculiar task of arranging our letters in a volume. They make a very ponderous one.”, Following the Civil War, the Whartons built Glencoe Mansion overlooking the reconstructed New River Bridge. The home stayed in family hands for over a century and held a treasure trove of historic letters, journals, and documents. When the family sold the home, descendant Sally Wharton van Solkema and her husband Frits maintained this collection.,

The more than 500 unique Civil War-era letters between Nannie and Gen. Wharton are an invaluable historical resource that show there is still to learn and discover about slavery, life, and history in Southwest Virginia.

, Captions (left to right) , . The New Bridge was the longest span and most vulnerable point along the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad and carried invaluable Confederate mineral resources out of Southwest Virginia. The original line followed the bridge at right. General Wharton once wrote Nannie, “We could not carry on the war without the lead, iron and salt of So. W. Va. ” , . Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton Courtesy Sue Heth Bell and Beth Shedd Photography , . Nannie Radford Wharton Courtesy Radford Heritage Foundation

Nannie Radford Wharton was eight months pregnant, and nervous. Her eyes kept glancing at the nearby Now River Bridge. “The home guards are called out & all sorts of rumors are current regarding the coming of the Enemy, none of wh[ich] I believe. I have looked for them so often at this Bridge that I shall never believe again they are coming,” she wrote to her husband Confederate Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton.

Three days later she fled her home as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of the bridge on May 10, 1864. The Confederates were desperate to save it, but after three hours of cannonading, Union troops finally set the bridge ablaze.

The struggle for the New River Bridge was one of dozens of subjects the Whartons discussed in their wartime letters. General Wharton asked Nannie to bind their letters together into one book. Upon completing this she wrote, “I have just finished the peculiar task of arranging our letters in a volume. They make a very ponderous one.”

Following the Civil War, the Whartons built Glencoe Mansion overlooking the reconstructed New River Bridge. The home stayed in family hands for over a century and held a treasure trove of historic letters, journals, and documents. When the family sold the home, descendant Sally Wharton van Solkema and her husband Frits maintained this collection.

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more than 500 unique Civil War-era letters between Nannie and Gen. Wharton are an invaluable historical resource that show there is still to learn and discover about slavery, life, and history in Southwest Virginia.

Captions (left to right)
• The New Bridge was the longest span and most vulnerable point along the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad and carried invaluable Confederate mineral resources out of Southwest Virginia. The original line followed the bridge at right. General Wharton once wrote Nannie, “We could not carry on the war without the lead, iron & salt of So. W. Va. ”
• Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton Courtesy Sue Heth Bell and Beth Shedd Photography
• Nannie Radford Wharton Courtesy Radford Heritage Foundation

Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 10, 1864.

Location. 37° 7.942′ N, 80° 34.843′ W. Marker is in Radford, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Robertson Street and Unruh Drive, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in the parking lot at

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 22, 2022

2. Home Guards Marker

Glencoe Mansion in the background.

Glencoe Mansion Museum & Gallery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Unruh Dr, Radford VA 24141, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Glencoe Mansion (a few steps from this marker); Radford People in History (within shouting distance of this marker); The Railroad Arrives (within shouting distance of this marker); Mary Draper Ingles (within shouting distance of this marker); Westward Migration (within shouting distance of this marker); The City by the River (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); New River Bridge (about 700 feet away); Montgomery County / Pulaski County (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Radford.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 350 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.