West Virginia in the American Civil War West Virginia in the American Civil War The U.S. state of West Virginia was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the American Civil War (see History of West Virginia), in which it became the only state to declare its independence from the Confederacy. In the summer of 1861, Union troops, which included a number of newly-formed Unionist "Virginia" regiments under General George McClellan, drove off Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee. This essentially freed Unionists in the northwestern counties of Virginia to form a functioning government of their own as
St. Louis in the American Civil War St. Louis' free black community, such as the Equal Rights League. Returning black Union soldiers like James Milton Turner and Moses Dickson were instrumental in setting up Lincoln University after the Civil War. St. Louis in the American Civil War The city of St. Louis, Missouri was a strategic location during the American Civil War which held significant value for both Union and Confederate forces. As the largest city in the fiercely divided border state of Missouri and the most important economic hub on the upper Mississippi River, St. Louis was a major launching point and supply depot for campaigns