“War Has Done Fearful Work Here”: An Environmental Analysis of the American Civil War in Jefferson County, West Virginia”

Although no large-scale battles occurred in the Jefferson County, West Virginia during the American Civil War, soldiers repeatedly marched, encamped, and foraged in this region during the four years of the conflict. The continual presence of the Union and Confederate armies within Jefferson County changed the physical landscape of the area in addition to disrupting the agricultural practices of many local farmers. Both Union and Confederate soldiers made interesting natural observations of their surrounding environment as they marched through or encamped in Jefferson County. Each soldier who came through the area interpreted the environmental landscape from a different perspective. While some combatants were mesmerized by the physical scenery, others lamented upon the amount of destruction caused by the conduct of warfare. Therefore, the observations made by these soldiers raises several questions. First, how do these competing visions of the natural landscape of Jefferson County compare with the tangible actions taken by soldiers during the conflict? How was the environmental landscape of Jefferson County altered by four years of continual warfare? Finally, how did the local population perceive any potential environmental alterations caused by the war