Qualla: Battle of Camp Allegheny

Battle of Camp Allegheny: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. On December 13, 1861, a Union force of about 1,900 men under Brigadier General Robert Milroy climbed Allegheny Mountain to attack a Confederate camp at roughly 4,400 feet of elevation. The temperature was below freezing. Snow lay on the ground. The Confederate force - six regiments under Colonel Edward Johnson - had been entrenching since October, fortifying their position with log huts and earthworks against the coming winter. The attack lasted most of the morning. Both sides maneuvered for advantage on terrain so steep that some soldiers reported being unable to fire uphill effectively. By early afternoon, Milroy ordered a retreat to his camps near Cheat Mountain. The Confederates held their ground. The battle was tactically inconclusive but strategically important: Edward Johnson's defense kept the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in Confederate hands for the rest of the winter.

Read more: Battle of Camp Allegheny on Qualla

Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Battle of Camp Allegheny: Why a Camp on a Mountain

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit American Battlefield Protection Program, Public domain. The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike ran east-west across the Allegheny ridges, connecting the Shenandoah Valley with the Ohio River. It was the only practical wagon road across the central Alleghenies, and whoever controlled it controlled the movement of supplies between the two si...

Read more: Battle of Camp Allegheny on Qualla

Image: American Battlefield Protection Program | Public domain

Battle of Camp Allegheny: Milroy's Morning Attack

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. Robert Milroy left his Cheat Mountain camps in the predawn hours of December 13 with about 1,900 men, planning a surprise attack. The Union column climbed Allegheny Mountain in deep cold. The element of surprise mostly held - the Confederate pickets were overrun before they could...

Read more: Battle of Camp Allegheny on Qualla

Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Battle of Camp Allegheny: The Retreat and the Winter That Followed

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. Milroy ordered the withdrawal in the early afternoon. The Union force retreated down the mountain to Cheat. The Confederates held the high ground and the turnpike. Edward Johnson became Major General Edward "Allegheny" Johnson, the nickname a permanent part of his military reputa...

Read more: Battle of Camp Allegheny on Qualla

Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Battle of Camp Allegheny: A National Historic District

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. The Camp Allegheny Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The district encompasses one contributing structure and four contributing sites: the earthworks the Confederates dug, the hut and campground site, the small cemetery where some of...

Read more: Battle of Camp Allegheny on Qualla

Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0