Battle of Philippi

Battle of Philippi. The Covered Bridge. (preface) , In the spring of 1861, Union forces rushed into northwestern Virginia to secure the vital Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, protect important turnpikes, and support Unionists against Confederates. The two sides fought numerous engagements between June and December. They included Philippi (the war's first land battle), Rich Mountain, Corricks Ford, Cheat Summit Fort, Carnifex Ferry, and Camp Allegheny. The many Union victories made Gen. George B. McClellan's reputation and damaged that of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a situation reversed in 1862. Despite later Confederate raids, today's West Virginia remained largely under Federal control for the rest of the war., (main text) , On the morning of June 3, 1861, Union troops charged down the hill to your left and crossed over this covered bridge into Philippi in the first land battle of the Civil War., In the month before the battle, as Union forces attempted to secure the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at several points, the Confederates moved quickly to post their own regiments along the line. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered Col. George A. Porterfield to raise troops in western Virginia. He reached Philippi on May 30, 1861, where Capt. Albert G. Reger had formed a company. On the same day, Union forces under Col. Benjamin F. Kelley arrived in Grafton, fifteen miles north. On June 2-3, the Federals advanced on Philippi in two columns one under Kelley and one under Col. Ebenezer Dumont, marching at night in a driving rain., Dumont attacked before Kelley's column arrived, opening fire with two cannons on the hill. Col. Frederick W. Lander led Dumont's infantry down the slope and across the bridge into town. Some fighting occurred on Main Street as Porterfield and his men fled in such haste that the battle was referred to as the Philippi Races. Only a few men on either side were wounded, and none were killed. Kelley was struck in the chest; he later named his horse Philippi. Ahead of you on Main Street, Confederate Pvt. James E. Hanger became the war's first amputee when a solid shot fired from Talbott Hill struck his leg. He later became an inventor and manufacturer of artificial limbs., (sidebars) , Pvt. James E. Hanger, the war's first amputee, returned home to Churchville, Virginia, and began developing an articulated prosthetic leg. The firm he founded became the largest manufacturer of artificial limbs in the country. Today, Hanger Orthopedic Group is the nation's foremost provider of prosthetic devices and services., Turnpike engineer Lemuel Chenoweth designed the Philippi covered bridge, which was constructed here on the Beverly and Fairmont Turnpike in 1852. Built of yellow poplar, the bridge is 26 feet wide and 285 feet long. A tollgate stood at the eastern end to collect fares from users, Chenoweth designed covered bridges for the antebellum turnpike system in western Virginia. Today the bridge carries local traffic and is the only covered bridge on a federal highway.