McDowell and Highland County History:

Background:

In 1832, McDowell was known as Sugar Tree Grove. Name changed to Crab Run in 1844 and then to McDowell in 1860 to honor a Virginia governor who visited the town. The stage arrived every other day from Staunton. Old US 250 was the Staunton-to-Parkersburg Pike. The county seat is Monterey, about 10 miles west of McDowell.

Buildings from the War era still standing include the homes of the prominent Hull family (The George Hull House will be used as Hq. by the Federal Provost Marshall) and the Presbyterian Church (1856) At the time of the War, McDowell was a small town. Other buildings standing at the time included a log schoolhouse, tavern, store, sawmill, blacksmith shop, other dwellings. Slaveholders lived on the river bottoms. Commercial outlets were eastward. Social and industrial contact with the North was slight. Prominent local families were the Hulls and the Sitlingtons.

Pre-war sentiment characterized as "Unionist from the Southern viewpoint." George Hull, state delegate, opposed secession until Lincoln called on Virginia for 2,700 volunteers and "the mass of the Highland people sided with the action of their state. But as elsewhere along the border line, there were some persons of undecided convictions. There were some who could not bring themselves to uphold secession and either kept out of the military service or went within the Federal lines. The former class supplied some deserters who passed from one army to the other."

Local legend says that most villagers left McDowell during the Federal occupation, taking their property and hiding in Davis Run. It is said that two families remained behind.

Civilian Interaction with Troops:

Very little information is available about the citizens' actions during the Battle of McDowell. Likely, many of them left the area or remained closeted in their homes. However, citizens must have interacted with Federal troops who occupied the county for a month before the battle. Federal troops were encamped in Monterey as of April 6th and in McDowell as of the end of April. Certainly, they also interacted with the Confederate troops after the battle including those of the 25th Virginia in which some local men fought.

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