West Virginia in 1861
West Virginia in 1861: Detail of central area
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Corrick’s Ford was a minor battle during the West Virginia campaign of 1861, noteworthy mainly for the death of the Confederate commander, Robert S. Garnett, who became the first civil war general to die in battle. Garnett had been commanding a Confederate force 4,500 strong at Beverly, where he could block the passes between the Shenandoah Valley and West Virginia. On 12 July his position north of Beverly had been outflanked by a much larger Union army (Battle of Rich Mountain, 12 July), and Garnett forced into a retreat north east across the mountains of West Virginia.
A pursuit was soon mounted, and at about noon on 13 July caught up with Garnett’s rearguard. A running fight followed, and lasted for the next two hours. The fiercest fighting occurred around Corrick’s (or Carrick’s) Ford. Garnett was conducting that retreat with some skill, until he was killed crossing another ford. Soon after this the pursuit was halted and the remaining Confederate troops were able to escape back into Virginia.