Marion in Smyth County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Battle of Marion

Photographed by Mike McKeown, May 21, 2026

1. Battle of Marion Marker

Inscription. Union Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, seeking to destroy crucial Confederate infrastructure, led more than 5,000 cavalrymen into Southwest Virginia in Dec. 1864. Here at Marion, Stoneman’s main column encountered about 1,000 Confederate cavalry and mounted infantry under Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge, a former vice president of the United States. On 17 and 18 Dec., the Confederates defended high ground against numerous charges by the Union forces, including two U.S. Colored Cavalry Regiments. Their ammunition nearly depleted, the Confederates withdrew after the second day. Advancing to Saltville, the Federals destroyed the salt works and carried off supplies.

Erected 2016 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-26.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1864.

Location. 36° 50.906′ N, 81° 29.38′ W. Marker is in Marion, Virginia, in Smyth County. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 11) and Medical

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Park Drive, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. Next to the parking lot of the Rivers Run Professional Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1614 N Main St, Marion VA 24354, 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 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sherwood Anderson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Royal Oak Presbyterian Church (approx. half a mile away); Site of Colonial Home (approx. ¾ mile away); Col. Arthur Campbell (approx. ¾ mile away); Birthplace of Modern Mountain Dew (approx. 1.6 miles away);

Photographed by Mike McKeown, May 21, 2026

2. Battle of Marion Marker

Governor David Campbell (approx. 1.8 miles away); Annabel Morris Buchanan (approx. 1.8 miles away); Marion & Rye Valley Railroad (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marion.

Other markers no longer nearby. Battle of Marion (has been replaced with this marker); Engagement at Marion (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); Col. William Elisha Peters (was approx. 1.6 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. Battle of Marion (Wikipedia). (Submitted on May 23, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland.)
2. Battle of Marion (Virginia Center for Civil War Studies). (Submitted on May 23, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland.)

Union Gen. George Stoneman image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike McKeown

3. Union Gen. George Stoneman

(Library of Congress)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 30 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 21, 2026, by Mike McKeown of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.