Droop Mountain

Droop Mountain State Battlefield Park is one of only two battlefield parks run by the State of West Virginia, the other being Carnifax Ferry. Droop Mountain Park is located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia overlooking the broad valley where the little town of Hillsboro is located. At any time of year it is a beautiful location, but in October, when the leaves are in full glory, it is breathtaking. On October 11th and 12th the biannual reenactment of this important battle will be held at the park.

By November 1863, the tide was beginning to turn against the Confederacy. July had seen Lee turned back at Gettysburg and Grant had taken Vicksburg. By the end of October, Grant had also lifted the Confederate siege of Chattanooga, Tennessee. By now, Rebel troops were hanging on to parts of the new state of West Virginia, but their hold was becoming tenuous. In early November, as part of a two-pronged raid into southeastern WV with Brig. General Alfred Duffie’, Brig. General William Averell led a force of around 5000 men into the Marlinton area with the intention of rooting out Confederate defenders. On November 5, Averell found and routed a smaller Confederate force at Mill Point and the Rebels then withdrew to the top of Droop Mountain, where they were reinforced by two brigades under Brig. General John Echols, giving them around 1200 men. There they built breastworks, which with the natural aspects of the terrain, gave them a strong position.

All of this was to no avail, as Averell attacked on the 6th, first turning the Confederate left with infantry, then carrying the works with a frontal assault by dismounted cavalry. The Union forces captured a large amount of military stores and a number of prisoners. Casualties consisted of 275 Confederates killed, wounded or missing and 119 Union troops killed, wounded or missing. The battle ended any effective Confederate presence in West Virginia. (Wikipedia)

Terry Lowry has written a thorough study of the battle, titled, LAST SLEEP The Battle of Droop Mountain. If you are interested in this battle, you will want to read it. Also if you are interested in seeing the reenactment of a battle, rest assured that you will find few locales more picturesque than this one.