Cloyd's Mountain

Soldier of Southwestern Virginia
The Civil War Letters of Captain John Preston Sheffey

This is a very good book. My wife got it for me at Christmas this past year. I'll do some more searching for you. Capt. Sheffey was in the 8th Cav and most of the letters were to a young lady he ended up marrying. Very interesting book...a must read.
 
Thanks guys. I have that book. A great read. Have either one of you been to Bastion, Va.? The road that runs south out of it runs into Suiter. There use to be a sign but it's gone now. Off that road is another road that goes up on top of the mountain to Burks Garden. That is a pretty place. There is a stone house that sets way back in a field that one of my distant relatives built. My line lived on Clearfork north of Tazewell.
Martin Suiter
 
8thvacav said:
Thanks guys. I have that book. A great read. Have either one of you been to Bastion, Va.? The road that runs south out of it runs into Suiter. There use to be a sign but it's gone now. Off that road is another road that goes up on top of the mountain to Burks Garden. That is a pretty place. There is a stone house that sets way back in a field that one of my distant relatives built. My line lived on Clearfork north of Tazewell.
Martin Suiter


Martin,

Burkes Garden is a truly unique treasure. I'd hate to get stuck in there during a heavy snow though! Isn't there only the one road in/out? Incidentally one of my ancestors married Elizabeth Burke, whose father discovered Burke's Garden.

My lines are from the Crockett's Cove area of Wythe County, the Snowville area of Pulaski County, and the Little Creek area of what is now Bland County.

Regards,

John W.
 
SWVAson said:
John and Martin,

First off, thank you both for being so kind. It made my day while I was surfing and found this post about something so close to my home. Here is a little link from the town of Dublin that I thought you might enjoy, a little history of Dublin and the Battle of Cloyd's Farm. http://www.dublintown.org/page5.html


Clay,

That's a great little site. It's a shame that Wythe and Pulaski Counties don't promote their Civil War history more. It would be great if the State or a preservation group could acquire Cloyd's Mountain someday.

John W.
 
It's been a real pleasure following you fellows over mountain and dell. Thank you for this wonderful tour, really makes me want to visit myself. Have been meaning for a good while to get to Beverley, Grafton, Rich Mountain, which isn't all that far from me in Western PA. i must move a WVa Civil War visit up my list. Thanks again, friends, i wouldn't mind some more background from this area. ed :smile:
 
Martin,

It really is a beautiful area. I hear lately that some sort of housing development is being proposed for the Gorge. I sure hope it doesn't spoil that awesome view.
I once flew over the bridge in a plane while Bridge Day was going on and the bridge was covered in people. It was a cool view.


Regards,

John W.
 
I've been across the New River Gorge Bridge a goodly number of times. Never been to the festival though, although it sounds like great fun. Every year here in Pittsburgh at Bridge Day, the news outlets do show the bridge diving and other goings on.
 
Back home in North Carolina if you wish to cross either fork of the New River, you can usually find some rocks or a board to step on. Yes, it does sometimes leave it's banks as well. My great uncle George Weaver welded two 38 Ford hoods to form a boat which he used in the river because of the abundance of rocks.
 
When I was a kid in the winter, we chained an old car hood behind a truck and used it as a sled. Someone would tow it up and down the "holler" with about 10 of us on it. It was a blast! Coal miners' kids learn to have fun with VERY little. :wink:

John W.
 
Obscure battles

Another of the obscure battles of the Civil War. I just started studying the campaigns in West Virginia, this past year or so.
My wife had kin that fought in the Union's Department of West Virginia and at Cloyd's Mountain. It seemed somewhat ironic to me that General Jenkins was killed in this battle, as I once lived in a Pennsylvania town captured by Jenkins, the previous year.
 
It was a ferocious little battle, yet gets very little play. Considering the importance of Southwest Virginia to the Confederate war effort, you'd think you'd hear more about it.

Regards,

John W.
 
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