Here is our listing of Civil War engagements to date:
| Date | Engagement | Military Units | Losses | Victor |
|---|
| April 12-14 | Fort Sumter, SC | Confederate artillery, Union garrison | None | CSA |
|---|
| April 15 | Evacuation of Fort Sumter, SC | Union garrison | Two Union soldiers killed, four wounded by accidental explosion | N.A. |
|---|
| April 19 | Baltimore Riots, MD | MA 6th, PA 26th vs secessionist crowd | 4 Union soldiers killed, 12 civilians killed, hundreds wounded | USA |
|---|
| May 10 | St. Louis Riots, MO | Union forces vs secessionist crowd | 4 Union soldiers killed, 3 prisoners, 28 civilians killed | USA |
|---|
| May 18-19 | Sewell's Point, VA | Union naval squadron vs Confederate shore artillery | 10 total | inconclusive |
|---|
| May 29- June 1 | Aquila Creek, VA | Union naval squadron vs Confederate shore artillery | 10 total | inconclusive |
|---|
| June 1 | Fairfax Court House, VA | detachments from CSA & USA armies | 8 on each side, 1 each killed | inconclusive |
|---|
| June 3 | Philippi, WVA | Union Dept of Ohio (McClellan), CSA infantry | Union 4, CSA 26 (killed or wounded) | USA |
|---|
| June 10 | Big Bethel, VA | Union: 3,500 (Butler) , CSA 1,400 (Magruder) | Union 18-killed 53-wounded, CSA: 1-K 9-W | CSA |
|---|
By my count these total to about 200 casualties including 35 deaths.
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Good list... But is it fair to say ‘West Virginia’ at this point?
April 17, 1861 - Richmond convention voted on the Ordinance of Secession. (17 for 30 against from the 49 delegates from the future State of West Virginia)
May 13, 1861 - First Wheeling convention. 425 delegates. 25 counties. ‘Virginia’s secession was not yet ratified’ so they delayed.
May 23, 1861 - Virginia secession ratified. (34,677 against to 19,121 for in future West Virginia)
June 11, 1861 - Second Wheeling Convention. They adopt “A Declaration of the People of Virginia” by John S. Carlile.
- declare the Secession convention illegal.
- declared the pro-secession government in Richmond void.
June 14, 1861 - Today.
June 19, 1861 - They passed an act for the reorganization of the government.
- Francis H Pierpont named governor of “Restored Government of Virginia’
- elected other officers
- adjourned.
I think it would be fair to say that the mountain formed the boundary between the two sides.
But we have a few more years before this portion of Virginia officially becomes West Virginia. President Lincoln admitts them into the Union effective June 20, 1863.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restored_Government_of_Virginia
So what was the maneuvering for?
Wheeling to Fairmont:
“On May 26, McClellan, in response to the burning of bridges on the Baltimore & Ohio near the town of Farmington, ordered Col. Benjamin Franklin Kelley of the (Union) 1st West Virginia Infantry[4] with his regiment and Company A of the 2nd West Virginia Infantry, to advance from Wheeling to the area and safeguard the important bridge over the Monongahela River at Fairmont, a distance of about 70 miles (110 km) southeast of Wheeling.
Kelley’s men were supported by the 16th Ohio Infantry under Col. James Irvine.
After securing Fairmont, the 1st West Virginia advanced again and seized the important railroad junction of Grafton, about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Fairmont, on May 30.”