Camp Elkwater

Camp Elkwater (HMMYR)

Location: Valley Head, WV 26294 Randolph County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 37.717', W 80° 1.639'

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Inscription

Gateway to the Tygart Valley

— The First Campaign —

Following success at Rich Mountain in July 1861, Federal troops under Gen Joseph Reynolds built Camp Elkwater to deter Confederates from returning. Fortifications here blocked the narrow valley floor and a turnpike leading to the Virginia Central Railroad. Erected in tandem with a fortress on Cheat Mountain, Camp Elkwater was the key to defense of the Tygart Valley.

Nearly 3,000 Federal troops were present when Confederates under Gen. Robert E. Lee threatened on September 12, 1861. A Confederate assault fizzled. Plagued by rain and cold weather, Lee left the area in humiliation. Federal troops remained at Camp Elkwater until spring, 1862.

"We are in a lovely little valley on a fine clear trout stream, with high mountains on all sides and large trees over us. A perfect camp, perfectly protected by entrenchments?Several regiments are in sight, and the enemy under Lee so near that our outposts have fights with his daily." - Major Rutherford B. Hayes, 23rd Ohio Infantry U.S.A. A future U.S. President, Hayes served here with other notables.

"When morning broke, I could see the enemy's tents on Valley River, at the point of the Huttonsville road just below me. It was a tempting sight." - Gen. Robert E. Lee

Lt. Col. John Augustine Washington, C.S.A. Great grandnephew of the first president, and the last Washington to own Mt. Vernon, he was killed on Sept. 13, 1861, while scouting near camp Elkwater.
Details
HM NumberHMMYR
Series This marker is part of the West Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Placed ByWest Virginia Civil War Trail
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 29th, 2014 at 2:51pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 584665 N 4276013
Decimal Degrees38.62861667, -80.02731667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 37.717', W 80° 1.639'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 37' 43.02" N, 80° 1' 38.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1020 Co Rte 219/16, Valley Head WV 26294, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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