Phillipi Scene of the First Battle of the Civil War Art Print

An archival premium Quality Art Print showing the small village of Phillipi VA, now West Virginia for sale by Brandywine General Store. The artwork states this was the scene of the first battle of the rebellion Fought June 03, 1861. The picture shows Main Street with several Churches, what looks like to be a courthouse and some homes and other buildings with a cemetery on top of the hill. The Battle of Phillipi commenced when Colonel Thomas A. Morris, in temporary command of Union forces in western Virginia, mounted an attack against a small Confederate Occupation force in Phillipi which was under the leadership of Colonel George A. Porterfield. Due to a lack of training and rain, the CSA had not posted pickets to keep watch during the night, so this attack surprised the Confederate soldiers and being unable to fight properly had to make a fast retreat to Huttonsville. General Robert E. Lee had completely underestimated the support that the population in western Virginia would give to the CSA troops, hence the small amount of support for the Occupational forces. The Union had 3,000 men involved in this minor battle with only 4 casualties, the South had 800 soldiers and had 26 casualties. Even though this was a very small skirmish, it is considered the first land battle of the War, while the 1st Battle of Bull Run or Manassas is considered the 1st major land battle of the Civil War. One casualty of this battle worth mentioning and makes for interesting reading is that of an 18 year old college student, James Hanger, from Virginia who lost his leg in the conflict. He went back home to Virginia and made himself an artificial leg out of barrel staves with a hinge at the knee. His design worked so well that the VA state legislature commissioned him to manufacture the "Hanger Limb" for other wounded Confederate Soldiers. After the Civil War, Hanger patented his prosthetic device and founded what is now known as the Hanger Orthopedic Group, which is the market leader in the US today for the manufacture of artificial limbs. Civil War art print #19