Union College "Hurrah for the Southern Confederacy" - Union WV
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Don.Morfe
N 37° 35.382 W 080° 32.508
17S E 540451 N 4160391
The white building in front of you and the red brick house behind you are the former Union College, a Presbyterian school founded in 1820 as Union Academy and the earliest private school still standing in West Virginia.
Waymark Code: WM132FE
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/01/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member jhuoni
Views: 0

Union College-"Hurrah for the Southern Confederacy"-- The white building in front of you and the red brick house behind you are the former Union College, a Presbyterian school founded in 1820 as Union Academy and the earliest private school still standing in West Virginia. The white dormitory-dining hall has 24 rooms; classes were held in the brick building.

On May 22, 1862, Confederate Gen. Henry Heth marched through Union toward Lewisburg, where he lost a battle the next morning. Between 30 and 40 “sick and exhausted” soldiers were left here, and the townspeople cared for them at the Academy, the courthouse and a church.

Two years later, troops again visited Union: Federal infantry and cavalry under Gens. George Crook and WilliamW. Averell. Susan Waddell, the wife of Academy president James A. Waddell, wrote in her diary about Union soldiers raiding her house for supplies to feed the 10,000 troops now occupying Union: “After much consultation they took half a barrel {of flour}, pretending to do so with great reluctance. I must do them justice to say they robbed us in the politest manner imaginable.”

Soldiers covered the academy’s interior walls with graffiti (later painted over) depicting Confederate troops, cannons, and other scenes. One figure on horseback was identified as Lt. Col. George M. Edgar, who raised the 26th Battalion Virginia Infantry in Monroe County and also taught here at the academy. The words “Hurrah for the Southern Confederacy” were also found.
Type of site: Transportation Route or Facility

Address:
intersection of South Street and Pump Street
Union, WV USA
24983


Admission Charged: No Charge

Website: [Web Link]

Phone Number: Not listed

Driving Directions: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Don.Morfe visited Union College "Hurrah for the Southern Confederacy" - Union WV 10/04/2021 Don.Morfe visited it