This past weekend, the West Virginia Reenactors Association and Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation held their reenactment of the 1861 Battle of Rich Mountain. For those who have not been to this battlefield, the area is scenic and rugged. The actual fighting occurred at the top of the mountain where the Hart family had a small mountain farm. The Confederates had established a strong position there to dominate the Staunton-Parkersburg turnpike. One of the Hart sons visited the Union camp and volunteered to lead the Federals to the Confederate rear via a little-known mountain trail. This allowed the Federal Army under General Rosencrans to rout the rebels.
The reenactment is held in the valley below the Hart farm for a number of reasons, not the least of which, being that the terrain is much more accessible for spectators and parking. The difficulty of getting around in these mountains, of course is no secret. That is why no major battles on the scale of Manassas or Antietam occurred here. The difficulty of moving huge armies was too great.
The reenactment itself is a pleasant little event, which has shrunk some in recent years, probably due to the general downturn that has affected Civil War reenacting nationwide, whatever those reasons may be.
A small band of Federals, consisting of members of the 1st West Virginia, the 9th Ohio, 15th Ohio and 7th Maryland served the Union on this weekend. The Confederates were represented by the 25th Va., 2nd Va. 31st Va. and some other folks, whose unit designations escape me.
Overall, there was a nice spectator turnout and the reenactors all seemed to enjoy themselves. The weather even cooperated by only raining on Saturday morning for a short time. There was an auction of Civil War artifacts and artwork on Saturday evening, followed by a dinner and a period dance (featuring the Rich Mountain String Band.) The chicken dinner was very tasty. A good weekend, in total.
I would recommend that anyone interested in the Civil War in West Virginia check out this battlefield. The Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation has done a great job in preserving this site. While small in size, this battle, given its role in propelling General George MacClellan to prominence, deserves notice.
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