Hampshire County, WV

Hampshire County's residents generally sided with the South during the Civil War. On May 18, 1861, the Hampshire Guards and Frontier Riflemen left Romney to join other Virginia regiments forming at Harpers Ferry. During the course of the war, Hampshire County raised thirteen Confederate companies and only one for the Union. Following the war's conclusion, on Sept. 26, 1867, Hampshire County dedicated what is perhaps the first Confederate Memorial in the United States. It still stands in Romney's Indian Mound Cemetery.

Although there were no major battles fought in Hampshire County, Romney changed hands at least 56 times during the war. This places Romney second behind only Winchester, Virginia as the town that changed hands the most during the Civil War. On June 11, 1861, Romney changed hands twice in the same day. Some historians speculate that Romney actually changed hands more than Winchester, Virginia, but there are no surviving records to support the claim.

Battle at Romney Bridge, June 13, 1861