Battle of White Sulphur Springs 1863
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 26 August 1863 – 27 August 1863 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1863 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.8025, -80.2858 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of White Sulphur Springs, also known as the Battle of Rocky Gap or the Battle of Dry Creek, occurred in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, on August 26 and 27, 1863, during the American Civil War. A Confederate Army force commanded by Colonel George S. Patton defeated a Union brigade commanded by Brigadier General William W. Averell. West Virginia had been a state for only a few months, and its citizens along the state's southern border were divided in loyalty to the Union and Confederate causes. Many of the fighters on both sides were West Virginians, and some were from the counties close to the site of the battle.
The battle was a turning point for the first of three mounted expeditions into Confederate-held territory led by Averell in the latter half of 1863. The expedition had multiple targets, including a saltpeter works, a Confederate cavalry force in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and the law books from the law library of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Confederate leaders feared Averell's mission was to destroy sections of a railroad—either the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad or the Virginia Central Railroad.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of White Sulphur Springs (revision 1373503376), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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- Battle of Aldie 1863
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All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
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