Western Virginia Campaigns

[Manassas 1861]

What was the purpose of the Federal campaigns in western Virginia in 1861? Like Philipi, Patterson vs Johnston, and Cheat Mountain.

 

[James Brenner]

In a nutshell:
Politically, it was to protect the pro-Union Wheeling Convention that ultimately led to WV statehood.
Strategically, it was to protect the lines of communication between D.C. and the west: the B & O Railroad at Grafton and river traffic on the Ohio River.
Militarily, there were two invasion routes from Virginia to Ohio: the Stanton-Parkersburg Turnpike and the Kanawha River. McClellan's victories at Phillipi and Corricks Ford blocked the Turnpike route and Cox's campaign up the Kanawha River closed off the water route.

 

[RedRover]

If you look at an 1861 period map, the State of Virginia was much larger than it would be by the close of the war. With Virginia's secession rendered certain on May 23, it placed the Confederacy's boundary along Southeastern Pennsylvania and Ohio.

And very significantly, the larger part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad system ran over the Virginia boundaries in Western Virginia...

From Governor Pierpont at Wheeling...

 

[Stryker65]

What was the purpose of the Federal campaigns in western Virginia in 1861? Like Philipi, Patterson vs Johnston, and Cheat Mountain.

The purpose of Patterson v Johnston was mainly to control the Shenandoah Valley, which offered a "backdoor" of sorts to the defenses of Washington. Patterson's army, composed entirely of Pennsylvania 3-month units, retook Harpers Ferry and were also supposed to prevent Joseph E. Johnston's army from reinforcing the Confederate army along the Potomac River. They failed.