Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches | |
Location | Fort Mill Ridge Rd., Romney, West Virginia |
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Coordinates | 39°19′28″N78°47′37″W / 39.32444°N 78.79361°W |
Area | 201 acres (81 ha) |
Built | c. 1861 | -1862
NRHP reference No. | 13001121 [1] |
Added to NRHP | January 22, 2014 |
The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are battle trenches in West Virginia that were originally dug between 1861 and 1862 to be later used in 1863 for the civil war. [2] These trenches lined with chestnut logs by the Confederate artillery during the American Civil War to defend the approaches to Romney on the Northwestern Turnpike and the South Branch Potomac River. The trenches were then refurbished between March and June 1863 by the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 1st West Virginia Infantry. When Colonel Jacob M. Campbell (54th PVI) garrisoned Union forces at Romney, camps were set up at nearby at Mechanicsburg Gap. [3] The Confederates might have created these trenches but all throughout the war the Union had control of these trenches. [2]
The Fort Mill Ridge trenches are believed to be the best preserved battle trenches dating from the Civil War in existence. The trenches are located three miles southwest of Romney adjacent to the Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area off of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50/West Virginia Route 28).
This place is significant not only because of the battle that took place but also for the military engineering. The engineering style the Confederates used is an excellent example of a "rammed earth fortification" which protected transportation routes as well. [4] Also, this brought a new era to warfare and a new style of fighting in trenches rather than on an open field. It provided more protection and defense than the offensive strategy of fighting. The defensive method was used so the transports can pass by safely.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. [1]
Hampshire County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,093. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town (1762). The county was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1754, from parts of Frederick and Augusta Counties (Virginia) and is the state's oldest county. The county lies in both West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions.
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The Sloan–Parker House, also known as the Stone House, Parker Family Residence, or Richard Sloan House, is a late-18th-century stone residence near Junction, Hampshire County, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It was built on land vacated by the Shawnee after the Native American nation had been violently forced to move west to Kansas following their defeat at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1975, becoming Hampshire County's first property to be listed on the register. The Sloan–Parker House has been in the Parker family since 1854. The house and its adjacent farm are located along the Northwestern Turnpike in the rural Mill Creek valley.
The town of Romney, Virginia, traded hands between the Union Army and Confederate States Army no fewer than 10 times during the American Civil War, assuming the occupying force spent at least one night in the town. The story of the small town is emblematic of the many military campaigns that swept through western Virginia and, later, the new state of West Virginia.
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Indian Mound Cemetery is a cemetery located along the Northwestern Turnpike on a promontory of the "Yellow Banks" overlooking the South Branch Potomac River and Mill Creek Mountain in Romney, West Virginia, United States. The cemetery is centered on a Hopewellian mound, known as the Romney Indian Mound. Indian Mound Cemetery is also the site of Fort Pearsall, the Confederate Memorial, Parsons Bell Tower, and reinterments from Romney's Old Presbyterian Cemetery. The cemetery is currently owned and maintained by the Indian Mound Cemetery Association, Inc.
Mill Creek is a 14.0-mile-long (22.5 km) tributary stream of the South Branch Potomac River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The stream is located in Hampshire County in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. Mill Creek flows into the South Branch west of Romney Bridge near Vanderlip along the Northwestern Turnpike.
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The city of Winchester, Virginia, and the surrounding area, were the site of numerous battles during the American Civil War, as contending armies strove to control the lower Shenandoah Valley. Winchester changed hands more often than any other Confederate city.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the United States Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The Battle of Bulltown was a small skirmish fought during the American Civil War near Bulltown in Braxton County, West Virginia on October 13, 1863.
Built by Confederate Lieutenant Collier and Virginia militia with the aid of Federal prisoners, the Fort Collier redoubt guarded the north entrance of Winchester, Virginia on the east side of the Martinsburg Pike. During later Federal occupations, it was known as Battery No. 10. The fort was set on low ground, and generally offered little military advantage, except as a guard post for the pike. Lieutenant General Jubal Early used it as part of his defensive works in the Third Battle of Winchester.
Sycamore Dale is a 19th-century Greek Revival plantation house overlooking the South Branch Potomac River southwest of Romney, West Virginia. Sycamore Dale is one of several historic estates along South Branch River Road. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1980.
Hook's Tavern or Hook Tavern was a late 18th-century tavern along the Northwestern Turnpike east of Capon Bridge in Hampshire County, West Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 29, 2011. It burned in an alleged arson on October 14, 2022.
Weston and Gauley Bridge Turnpike is a segment of a historic turnpike and hiking trail located at Burnsville, Braxton County, West Virginia. It is a 10 mile long section of trail, approximately 20 feet in width, with an unpaved surface. It is administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. The route was built starting in 1847 to provide access to Sutton for transport of product to grist mills and sawmills, access to the Bulltown sawmills and salt works, and farmland in Lewis, Braxton, and Nicholas counties. During the American Civil War, the turnpike was used in 1861 by Union troops to move to take control of western Virginia. It was also critical in the movement of troops during the Battle of Bulltown on October 13, 1863.
The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, formerly known as South Branch Bridge or Romney Bridge, is a historic Whipple truss bridge in Capon Lake, West Virginia. It is located off Carpers Pike and crosses the Cacapon River. The bridge formerly carried Capon Springs Road over the river, connecting Capon Springs and Capon Lake.
The Battle of Lewisburg occurred in Greenbrier County, Virginia, on May 23, 1862, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Colonel George Crook soundly defeated a larger Confederate force commanded by Brigadier General Henry Heth. Panicked Confederate forces escaped by crossing and burning a bridge across the Greenbrier River.
Media related to Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches (Romney, West Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons