THE BATTLE OF
Philippi Bridge

"The people of Philippi were living like kings, and might have been yet, if they had behaved themselves."
-- unknown western Virginia resident, 1861.

"Soldiers! I have heard there was danger here. I have come to place myself at your head and share it with you. I fear now but one thing - that you will not find foeman worthy of your steel. I know that I can rely upon you"
-- Major General George B. McClellan, following the Battle of Philippi Bridge, 1861.

Principal Commanders

Union: Brigadier General Thomas A. Morris Colonel Ebenezer Dumont Colonel Benjamin F. Kelley		Confederate: Colonel George A. Porterfield
Kelley

Physical Features

The Philippi Covered Bridge dates back to 1852, when the General Assembly of Virginia authorized the construction of the Beverly to Fairmont Tumpike. The turnpike required construction of two bridges, one across the Tygart River at Philippi and the other across the West Fork River at Hunsakers Ferry. In Philippi, the western section of the village abuts sharply against steep slopes. The eastern section of town is in a flat, surrounded by high hills. The watercolor above shows the covered bridge from the east side of the village, toward the bluffs that bristled with Union troops the morning of 3 June 1861.

Description of the Battle

Brigadier General Thomas A. Morris desired a two-pronged attack on the town. He planned to send Colonel Ebenezer Dumont of the 7th Indiana Volunteers with about 1,500 troops and two fieldpieces down from Webster to attack on a direct route from the northwest. Meanwhile Colonel Benjamin F. Kelley of the 1st (West) Virginia volunteers would march along back roads from near Grafton south to the Turnpike and then southeast of Philippi, to surprise the Confederates in their rear with 1,900 men. Morris planed to mask these movements by encouraging the impression he was going to attack Harpers Ferry. On 2 June his forces were moving on Phillipi. Dumont had little trouble, but Kelley had to move over tortuous mountain roads. The plan was frustrated by drenching rain and unfamiliar terrain, and Kelley's forces ended up on the road north of Phillippi.

Colonel George A. Porterfield held the town with approximately 1,000 men. However, his officers were so ignorant of reporting procedures that no one knew precisely what his numbers were. They awoke at dawn on 3 June to find Union troops on the hillside overlooking the village. Dumont had reached Philippi and established his cannons on the hill overlooking the covered bridge. He opened fire, which not only caught the confederates by surprise, but his own fellow commander as well. Kelley had barely reached the outskirts of the village when he heard the sounds of attack. He rushed to join in, but his troops were approaching from the north and east, leaving the turnpike clear to the southwest. Porterfield had set out very few pickets, but even those failed. Badly outnumbered and without artillery, experienced officers, or reliable munitions, Porterfield was forced to call for an immediate retreat. The green Confederate troops offered no resistance, and fled en mass toward Mansfield and then turned south under cover of Rich Mountain into Randolf County. Kelley suffered a severe wound during the battle, but recovered. Without cavalry the Union was unable to capture the Confederate troops, but were satisfied to hold the bridge and to capture a quantity of supplies and munitions.

Results

• Union victory.
   
• A joint report called the Confederate rout disgraceful. The battle, while it was the first land battle of the Civil War, was only a minor action. However, it was blown up in the press until it became know as the Philipi Races, which most likely set the tone for battles yet to come in western Virginia. It was an inauspicious start for the Confederacy after the glory of Fort Sumter.
   
• As the confederates were being driven from the town a number of local families fled with them, to the obvious delight of pro-union inhabitants. Such evidence of class resentment by Unionists against well-to-do secessionists would continue throughout the war in what would eventually become West Virginia, admitted to the Union in 1863.

Notable (Mis)Fortunes of the Principals

• Kelley was promoted to Brigadier General after his recovery, probably not so much because of his abilities as a commander but his successful pro-union efforts in western Virginia. He continued to guard the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which fell victim to constant raids throughout the war.
   
• Porterfield was immediately relieved of his command. He later demanded an inquiry and in it was praised for his coolness under fire, but criticized for his failure to take precautions against a surprise attack.

1. Catton, Bruce. Mr. Lincoln's Army. 1984.
2. Faust, Patricia, L., ed. Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War. 1986.
3. Long, E.B., and Long, Barabara, eds. The Civil War Day by Day. 1971.
4. McPherson, James M., ed. The Atlas of the Civil War. 1994.
5. Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation.

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