Battle of Philippi (1861)

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Battle of Philippi
Part of the American Civil War
Daring ride on horseback of Col. Frederick W. Lander, June 3, 1861[1]
Date June 3, 1861; 163 years ago (1861-06-03) Location Barbour County, Virginia in present-day West Virginia 39°09′11″N 80°02′34″W / 39.15316°N 80.04278°W / 39.15316; -80.04278 Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Thomas A. Morris Isaac Duval	George A. Porterfield
Units involved
1st West Virginia Infantry 2nd West Virginia Infantry (reserve) 6th Indiana Infantry 7th Indiana Infantry 9th Indiana Infantry 14th Ohio Infantry 16th Ohio Infantry	9th Virginia Infantry Battalion 25th Virginia Infantry 31st Virginia Infantry 11th Virginia Cavalry 14th Virginia Cavalry
Strength
3,000	800
Casualties and losses
4 killed or wounded[2]	26 killed or wounded[2]

The Battle of Philippi formed part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War and was fought in and around Philippi, Virginia (now West Virginia), on June 3, 1861. A Union Army victory, it was the first organized land action of the war, though generally viewed as a skirmish rather than a battle.

The Northern press, however, celebrated it as an epic triumph and this encouraged Congress to call for the drive on Richmond that ended with the Union defeat at First Bull Run in July. It brought overnight fame to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and was notable for the first battlefield amputations. As the first of a series of victories that pushed Confederate forces out of northwest Virginia, it strengthened the Union government in exile that would soon create the new state of West Virginia.

As the largely-untrained Confederates had fled the battlefield with barely any resistance, the Union jokingly referred to the engagement as the Philippi Races.