Friday, June 7, 2013

June 18, 1861---An unwelcome surprise



JUNE 18, 1861:    

The Raid on New Creek, Virginia (now Keyser, West Virginia). Two companies of Confederate troops attacked a small Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot that was guarded by a force of 200 – 300 Union troops armed with cannons.  There had been no reports of Rebel troops in the area, which was believed to be firmly in Union hands. The surprised Union troops were able to fire a few shots as they scattered. In their hasty retreat, they left behind the two cannons and their unit colors. After driving off the Blues, the Grays moved on to the Potomac River crossing named Bridge Twenty-One, a mile or so downriver from New Creek, and set it ablaze, destroying it.


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