Little Cacapon is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Hampshire County in the
U.S. state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. Little Cacapon is located at the mouth of the
Little Cacapon River
The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgini ...
on the
Potomac, east of
Okonoko
Okonoko is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Okonoko is located north of Levels on the Potomac River at Bright's Hollow. The community's placename is the only one of its kind within the United St ...
. Okonoko-Little Cacapon Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 2/7) and Spring Gap-Neals Run Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 2) converge south of Little Cacapon. Because of its key location at the mouth of the Little Cacapon and on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
, Little Cacapon played important roles in both the
French and Indian and
American Civil Wars. Generally pronounced . Sometimes, despite the current spelling of the word (derived from local Native American for "medicine water") some locals say .
Fort Cox
On April 4, 1765, a settler by the name of
Balzar Stoker received a land grant of 232 acres (940,000 m²) from
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron along the Little Cacapon River and its mouth on the Potomac. Prior to receiving his land grant from Lord Fairfax, Stoker had also purchased 30 acres (120,000 m²) from John Cox. Located on these lands at the Little Cacapon's mouth was "Coxes Ferry," which crossed the Potomac to
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. It was at the river's mouth (referred to as "Ferry Field") that a relative of John Cox, Friend Cox, had constructed a stockade.
Cox's Fort was erected prior to 1750 for the purposes of protecting and defending both the Potomac River and the Little Cacapon valley.
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
had previously surveyed a tract of 240 acres (970,000 m²) of land at the Little Cacapon's mouth fo
Nicholas Friendref> on April 25, 1750. Cox's fort and ferry later served as a means of transportation for General
Edward Braddock
Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...
and his soldiers en route to
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
from
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
during the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
.
Civil War skirmishes
By 1842, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had been completed from
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
to Cumberland along the Potomac River through
Green Spring,
Okonoko
Okonoko is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Okonoko is located north of Levels on the Potomac River at Bright's Hollow. The community's placename is the only one of its kind within the United St ...
, and Little Cacapon. With the outbreak of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
in 1861, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad became a contested mode of transportation between the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
and the
Confederacy. Once again, the mouth of the Little Cacapon became a vital location of defense of both the railroad and the Little Cacapon valley. On November 30, 1861, a skirmish occurred near the river in defense of the Little Cacapon railroad bridge that resulted in the wounding of three Union soldiers. The
54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment's Company K, under the leadership of Captain
Edmond R. Newhard, was assigned to guard duty at the Baltimore and Ohio's railroad bridge over the Little Cacapon until January 1863. On October 4, 1862, a skirmish between Company K and Confederate soldiers under the command of General
John D. Imboden
John Daniel Imboden (; February 16, 1823August 15, 1895), American lawyer, Virginia state legislator, and a Confederate army general. During the American Civil War, he commanded an irregular cavalry force. After the war, he resumed practicing la ...
resulted in the capture of 54 Company K men (including Captain Newhard and Lieutenant Wagner).
Historic site
* Cox's Fort Site
References
External links
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Hampshire County, West Virginia
Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
West Virginia populated places on the Potomac River
Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War
American Civil War sites in West Virginia
West Virginia placenames of Native American origin