Camp Elkwater Gateway to the Tygart Valley - Huttonsville WV - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

Camp Elkwater-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.

Type of site: Battlefield Address: Seneca Trail (Route 219) Huttonsville , WV USA 26273 Admission Charged: No Charge Website: [Web Link] Phone Number: Not listed Driving Directions: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/04/2021 Don.Morfe visited it