The Battle At Droop Mountain - Hillsboro WV
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 38° 06.718 W 080° 15.848
17S E 564509 N 4218493
General Echols marched his army north, all through the night, to Droop Mountain to reinforce them. The reinforcements arrived just in time, for General Averell began his attack early.
Waymark Code: WM13E6Z
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2020
Views: 0
TEXT on West Virginia Civil War Trails Historical Marker--The Battle At Droop Mountain November 6, 1863-Nearly five months after West Virginia was admitted into the Union, the Confederate army of Brigadier General John Echols still occupied the prosperous Greenbrier Valley region of the new state. From its headquarters in Lewisburg, his army was the foremost defense of the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad, an important Confederate supply line in southwest Virginia.
On August 26 and 27, 1863, the Confederate army had successfully repulsed an attack at White Sulphur Springs by the Federal Army of Brigadier General William W. Averell. In early November, Echols learned that General Averell had left his headquarters in Beverly, West Virginia, and was again moving south toward the railroad. Confederate outposts in Pocahontas County tried to slow the advance. General Echols marched his army north, all through the night, to Droop Mountain to reinforce them.
The reinforcements arrived just in time, for General Averell began his attack early. Throughout the morning, Echols’ outnumbered Confederate army held the high ground and blocked the highway with artillery, but in the afternoon was overwhelmed by the crushing advance of Federal infantry on his left flank. Following the collapse of his lines, General Echols retreated south with the remnants of his command. Federal troops occupied Lewisburg on November 7, 1863, but being burdened by prisoners and captured livestock, General Averell elected to return to his headquarters in Beverly, waiting until early December to lead a third, and ultimately successful, attack on the railroad. Operations in the Shenandoah Valley in the spring in 1864 drew remaining Confederate troops out of West Virginia, thus leaving the new state securely under the control of the Federal government for the remainder of the war.
With more than 400 casualties, (140 Union and approximately 275 Confederate) the Battle at Droop Mountain was one of the last significant Civil War battles in West Virginia.
Other historical markers attached: 20th Virginia Cavalry C.S.A--
14th Pennsylvania Cavalry U.S.A.
From WIKIPEDIA in part: The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on November 6, 1863, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Brigadier General William W. Averell defeated a smaller Confederate force commanded by Brigadier General John Echols and Colonel William L."Mudwall" Jackson. Confederate forces were driven from their breastworks on Droop Mountain, losing weapons and equipment. They escaped southward through Lewisburg, West Virginia; hours before a second Union force commanded by Brigadier General Alfred N. Duffié occupied the town.
LOCATION: Marker is near Hillsboro, West Virginia, in Pocahontas County. Marker can be reached from Seneca Trail (U.S. 219) near George Hill Road (County Route 24/1). This marker is located next to the Lookout Tower in Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. Marker is in this post office area: Hillsboro WV 24946, United States of America.
Name of Battle:
The Battle At Droop Mountain
Name of War: U.S. Civil War
Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 11/06/1863
Entrance Fee: Not Listed
Parking: Not Listed
Date of Battle (End): Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.
In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.