Missed this article the other day. Oops! In case you haven’t read it already, here it is. – Sarah
Civil War Heritage
West Virginia prepares for influx of tourists as 150th anniversary of the war between the states nears.Story by Paul Darst
Fighting a battle in the rugged mountains of West Virginia is no easy task.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee found out just how daunting a job it could be Sept. 12, 1861. It was on that day 147 years ago that Lee launched the Confederates’ first offensive operation of the Civil War at Cheat Summit Fort in Randolph County. It ended as an unmitigated failure for the South.
“Robert E. Lee came to Cheat Mountain to see if he could drive the Union out of the area,” said C. Stuart McGehee, professor of history at West Virginia State University. “He went home in defeat. … He said northwestern Virginia is lost.”
From 2011 to 2015, the United States will observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. West Virginia in particular will mark the occasion in numerous ways, and state officials are expecting an increase in tourists, said Justin Gaull, a marketing specialist with the state’s Division of Tourism.
Read the rest of the story in The State Journal
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