The Revolutionary War in Western Virginia

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Fort Henry, first named Fort Fincastle, was built out of necessity; it was not built with specific plans or designs, but was built like one of the many forts in the area to protect settlers in the 1770s. In the Spring of 1774, military authorities at Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh, PA) wrote residents telling them they needed to build a fort to protect themselves. Settlers Ebenezer Zane and John Caldwell began the fort and completed it with the help of Captain William Crawford, Colonel Angus McDonald, and 400 militia and regulars from Fort Pitt. The fort was finished in the summer of 1774, in time for the beginning of Dunmore's War.

2. Siege of Fort Henry Tablet (1782)

This Wheeling historical marker was dedicated in the early 1900s and commemorates the second siege of Fort Henry in 1782. The defensive outpost in what became Wheeling, West Virginia known as Fort Henry came under siege by Native, Loyalist, and British fighters on two notable occasions during the American War for Independence. The first, in 1777, is most popularly known as the context for “McColloch’s Leap.” In this fabled event, Major Samuel McColloch leaped off a 300-foot cliff with his horse to escape Native pursuers and survived. The second siege in 1782 was one of the last organized military clashes of the war and featured Betty Zane’s famous run for ammunition to keep the fort’s defenders from surrendering to their attackers. Originally named Fort Fincastle in 1774 when local settlers Ebenezer Zane and John Caldwell began its construction, the structure was eventually renamed for Virginia governor and rebel Patrick Henry as the American War for Independence continued. The successful defense of Fort Henry during that period from siege allowed settlement by Virginians and other American settlers to continue after the war.

3. Colonel Zackquill Morgan Statue

The Colonel Zackquill Morgan statue erected on Spruce Street in Morgantown in 2016 was cast by Vandalia Bronze after five years of planning, design, and construction. Founded by Jamie Lester, Vandalia Bronze created the piece in part from Greek bronze dated to 7,000 B.C. The statue commemorates the role of Colonel Morgan in the foundation of his namesake town after receiving a charter from the Virginia Assembly in 1785. Morgan was influential in regional affairs long before that, however, and in fact played a pivotal role in the events of the American War for Independence in the area. The statue is accessible at all hours, every day of the year.

4. Fort Randolph

Fort Randolph was of the eighteenth century military forts that were located throughout the Trans-Allegheny Frontier. The Fort that stands there today is a replica of what the fort looked from the eighteenth century and is located in Krodel Park. The goals of the volunteer committee that oversee the sight are to promote historical and educational values through the preservation and development of Fort Randolph and through the interpretation of its history. The fort is opened to the public during the summer on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00am until 4:00pm. They also have events that are located throughout the summer as well as in the winter too. One in particular is the re-enactment of the Siege of Fort Randolph. This event usually last for three days. The event shows how the soldiers at the fort were able to defend it from Indian forces and it also shows some life skills that were necessary for the time period. Fort Randolph was one of the most important military forts of the Trans-Allegheny frontier, was located on the north bank of the Kanawha River at its mouth, at Point Pleasant. Capt. Matthew Arbuckle constructed the fort in 1776 and had a company of troops sent from Pittsburgh that occupied it. Fort Randolph replaced Fort Blair, built in 1774 following the victory over Chief Cornstalk and the Shawnee at the Battle of Point Pleasant and torched by Indians in 1775. The stockade was named for Peyton Randolph who was the president of the Second Continental Congress. In 1779 the Indians burned the fort down after the soldiers abandoned it. It wasn't reconstructed until people started to emigrate westward after the Indian wars. This fort was distinguished from others because it contained the first women settlers. This second Fort Randolph, however, died from lack of necessity, the opposite of the very reason it was built. Settlers started setting up homes around the fort and lost the need for Fort Randolph. It was eventually either torn or burned down.

5. Murder of Chief Cornstalk, Point Pleasant Floodwall

The murder of the Shawnee leader Cornstalk (Hokoleskwa) on November 10, 1777 by rebel-allied colonists at Fort Randolph in what became the town of Point Pleasant is one of the most significant events of the American War for Independence to occur in what is now West Virginia. Numerous legends and rumors abound regarding Cornstalk’s life and his death, many of which are linked to the supposed “Curse of Chief Cornstalk” said to linger over Point Pleasant and its inhabitants as a result of the Shawnee leader’s untimely demise. Cornstalk is also known for his involvement in Dunmore’s War and Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, a conflict which led to Cornstalk’s defeat and subsequent acquiescence to the reduction of Shawnee hunting lands. While conspiracy theorists may speculate on the supposed curse Cornstalk uttered on his death, of more pressing concern during the American War for Independence was the murder’s effect on relations with the Shawnees (which deteriorated rapidly after Cornstalk’s death and ultimately resulted in an alliance between many Shawnees and the British). Numerous memorials exist commemorating Cornstalk’s life and death. The statue to which this entry is linked is accessible year-round.

6. 1778 Campaign against Forts Randolph and Donnally

The 1778 campaign against Forts Randolph and Donnally by British-allied Native fighters is one of the most pivotal moments in the progress of the American War for Independence in the area that became West Virginia. Prosecuted over the latter half of May that year, the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to destroy two of the most important rebel strongholds in what were then the borderlands of western Virginia ensured that the influx of white settlers to the area would continue unabated. Led by the Wyandot leader Dunquat (Petawontakas, Pomoacan), the weeklong siege of Fort Randolph at Point Pleasant and subsequent attack on Fort Donnally in Rader’s Valley was most likely an at least partial retaliation for the murder of the Shawnee leader Cornstalk the previous year. Dunquat’s failure to destroy the two forts ultimately allowed the Virginian government to shift its attention elsewhere, preparing for a campaign against the British at Detroit believing that their interests to the south along the Kanawha were adequately protected. The marker commemorating this campaign in Greenbrier County is accessible year-round along U.S. 60.

This Tour is a Digital Story Map.

The Revolutionary War in Western Virginia

Created by Nathan Wuertenberg on December 31st 2019, 11:24:28 pm.

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Contrary to popular opinion, the Revolutionary War had a profound impact on the course of events in what became the state of West Virginia. This tour takes you through some of the most influential events and to some of the most important sites from that conflict in what was then the borderlands of Virginia. From the sieges of Fort Henry to the Loyalist conspiracy of 1777 and the murder of the Shawnee leader Cornstalk, events in what is now West Virginia both great and small helped to determine the outcome of events in the Revolutionary-era borderlands and shape the state of Virginia. These events in turn helped to determine the character of western Virginia as it grew more and more separate from eastern Virginia and eventually became its own state.

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The Revolutionary War in Western Virginia

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