On June 2, 1861 the first organized land battle of the Civil War happened at Philippi, in the Appalachian region of Virginia.
Forces under the command of Major General George B. McClellan moved from Ohio into northwestern Virginia to secure the Baltimore and Ohio rail line, a crucial supply line for the Union, after bridges were burned near the town of Farmington.
Union and Confederate forces met at Philippi on June 2 and engaged in battle at the pro-secessionist town. Union forces defeated the Confederates, who swiftly retreated to Huttonsville, 45 miles to the south.
Many of the townspeople also fled the area, many not returning until after the war. It was the first of several Union victories that pushed Confederate forces out of western Virginia, setting the stage for the formation of the state of West Virginia, admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.
This battle resulted in the first two battlefield amputations in the Civil War. One of the amputees, a Confederate soldier named James E. Hanger, built himself an artificial leg from barrel staves that had a hinge at the knee. The device worked so well the Commonwealth of Virginia commissioned him to manufacture what became known as the “Hanger Limb” for use by other wounded soldiers. After the war Hanger founded the Hanger Orthopedic Group which is now one of the largest manufacturers of artificial limbs in the United States.
