"When Confederate troops threatened the B&O at Grafton the federal government quickly moved troops into the area. On the night of June 3, 1861, the first land battle of the Civil War involving organized troops took place at Philippi, about 15 miles south of Grafton. Some 3,000 federal troops under the general command of Major General George B. McClellan and the immediate command of Colonels Benjamin F. Kelley and Ebenezar Dumont drove about 800 Confederates under Colonel George A. Porterfield from the town. While no one was killed in the battle, the Confederates suffered several severe wounds necessitating the first amputations of the Civil War, one each by Union and Confederate surgeons.
Source: WV Encyclopedia
The siege of Ft. Sumpter (April 12, 1861) was a harbor bombardment from Ft. Moultrie, Castle Pinckney and Morris Island. It would seem that Sumpter was not a true "land battle" but I'd defer to the more scholarly. What say you?
There is some merit to that. It was more of a bombardment.
From the book "The Longest Night" A Military History of the Civil War" by Favid J. Eicher Copyright 2001 by Touchstone Press.
"At Fairfax Court House, Virginia on June 1, (1961)50 cavalry troopers and 25 dragoons led by Lt. Charles H. Thompson of the U.S. 2nd Cavalry, a regular army veteran, cut through the town on their way to Germantown. In what was ostensibly the first land battle of the war, Confederates of the Prince William Cavalry and the Warrenton Rifles put up a short fight, opening fire at first from windows in the town. Capt. John Q. Marr of the Warrenton Rifles was killed and Col. Richard S. Ewell, whose fame and influence would rise greatly after he recovered, was wounded in the shoulder. The Confederates in Fairfax Court House greatly outnumbered the U.S. troopers and Tompkins retreated to safety after the brief skirmish.
Also form the same source just a few paragraphs later.
"Yankees and Rebels met agian on June 3, at Philippi, Virginia. Maj. Gen. George B McClellan, in command of the Department of Ohio, had overall authority in the area. His strategy called for Union forces to march from Grafton throught the dark mountain roads during a night rainfall and strike the Confederates under Col. Geaorge A. Porterfield at daylight. Union militia Brig. Gen Thomas A. Morris ordered the attack. The force would be led by Col. Benjamin F. Kelley and would consist of about 2,000 men. At dawn the Union forces fiorewd a shell into the midst of the Confederate encampment, stunning and scattering Porterfield's 1,500 troops. Early in the action Kelley was struck in the chest by a pistol shot and severely wounded, although he subsequently recovered. Thereafter, Col. Ebenezer Dumont of the 7th Indian Infantry took command. As the seccesionist fled, the Yankees pursued until all were exhausted. Althought this minor skirmish was glorified in the press, which dubbed it the "Phillippi Races" it had little significance. The casualtires were slight: 15 Confederates were killed and, aside from Kelley, 2 Yankees wounded."
Depending on your definition of "battle" there could be a bit of disagrrement. I don't think the skirmish at Fairfax Court House has the numbers or pehaps the amount of fighting , at least from this account, to count as a "battle"
YMMV
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
1861 Battles
I think that Harper's Ferry was the center of gravity. I think General Jackson would agree.
Destroy the B&O and the Chesapeake and Ohio canal. Dig in on the Blue Ridge like crazy, heavy artillery, the works. Artillery could cover all the way down river to the bend about to where dam #3 is today. Make the Federals attack across the Shenandoah and then uphill. Fortify the Short Hill Mountain ridge as a fallback position. Put a chain across the Potomac upstream of the Shenandoah confluence with batteries to cover it. Don't know the railroad situation to the south in early '61, but build them up for sure.
Would not have been easy, the Federals knew full well what was at stake. Put Lee in charge of the defense (he was brilliant in positional fortified war, think the Siege of Richmond) with Jackson as the maneuver element, and, as Patton put it, "grab them by the nose and kick them in the (rear end)."
Joe Johnston downstream on the Potomac line. Put Bragg out to pasture. Have Forrest raid into Indiana and Ohio and burn Cincinnati. Don't shell Sumpter, no military or Naval reason for it, and a huge mistake.
Davis was a nice guy, dutiful to a fault, etc., but not the man for the job. In hindsight Forrest was.
Not an armchair general, have bigger ambitions than that! Armchair geostrategist (and history buff), at your service!