Summerville in Nicholas County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Nancy Hart
Legendary Spy
Photographed By Don Morfe, August 3, 2012
1. Nancy Hart Marker
Inscription.
Nancy Hart. Legendary Spy. The story of Nancy Hart is a blur of fact and legend. Born in Virginia in 1843, she settled with her family first in southwestern Virginia and then in Roane County by the mid-1850s. There, she grew to young adulthood and learned to ride and shoot as well as a man. When the Civil War began, her sympathies lay with the South, and she allegedly served as a guide and spy for the local Confederate guerrilla group, Capt. Perry Conley’s Moccasin Rangers. Conley was killed early in 1862 in a Federal ambush., Hart moved to Nicholas County and spied for Confederate authorities as she peddled eggs and vegetables in Union camps, where she noted troop dispositions. Here in Summersville, she observed two companies of Lt. Col. William C. Starr’s 9th West Virginia Infantry. Starr soon caught on to Hart’s activities and had her arrested and confined here. She is said to have escaped, however, by tricking a young guard into letting her examine his pistol, shooting him dead, and then mounting Starr’s favorite horse and galloping away., Hart allegedly returned to Summerville a week later on July 25, 1862, guiding Maj. Robert A. Bailey, 22nd Virginia Infantry, and 200 cavalrymen. The Confederates stormed the town at dawn, capturing Starr (who was exchanged the next month), three other officers, and an undetermined number of soldiers. Bailey’s men burned three houses and two wagons and took away eight mules and a dozen horses. After the raid, Hart became less active., Nancy Hart married Confederate veteran Joshua Douglas in 1864 and later lived in Webster County She died in 1902.
The story of Nancy Hart is a blur of fact and legend. Born in Virginia in 1843, she settled with her family first in southwestern Virginia and then in Roane County by the mid-1850s. There, she grew to young adulthood and learned to ride and shoot as well as a man. When the Civil War began, her sympathies lay with the South, and she allegedly served as a guide and spy for the local Confederate guerrilla group, Capt. Perry Conley’s Moccasin Rangers. Conley was killed early in 1862 in a Federal ambush.
Hart moved to Nicholas County and spied for Confederate authorities as she peddled eggs and vegetables in Union camps, where she noted troop dispositions. Here in Summersville, she observed two companies of Lt. Col. William C. Starr’s 9th West Virginia Infantry. Starr soon caught on to Hart’s activities and had her arrested and confined here. She is said to have escaped, however, by tricking a young guard into letting her examine his pistol, shooting him dead, and then mounting Starr’s favorite horse and galloping away.
Hart allegedly returned to Summerville a week later on July 25, 1862, guiding Maj. Robert A. Bailey, 22nd Virginia Infantry, and 200 cavalrymen. The Confederates stormed the town at dawn, capturing Starr (who was exchanged the next month), three other officers, and an undetermined number of soldiers. Bailey’s
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men burned three houses and two wagons and took away eight mules and a dozen horses. After the raid, Hart became less active.
Nancy Hart married Confederate veteran Joshua Douglas in 1864 and later lived in Webster County She died in 1902.
Erected by West Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Civil • Women. In addition, it is included in the West Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1861.
Location. 38° 16.866′ N, 80° 51.06′ W. Marker is in Summerville, West Virginia, in Nicholas County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (State Highway 41) and Church Street on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 Main Street, Summersville WV 26651, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Nancy Hart, photographed in 1862 while in confinement. Her hat supposedly is a Union soldier’s, decorated with feathers, and is said to account for her unsmiling expression.
from The Civil War Through the Camera, Review of Reviews, Henry William Elison & Mathew B. Brady, 1912.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,144 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on October 15, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 5, 2012, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 6. submitted on October 15, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.