Battle of Droop Mountain Facts

November 6, 1863

Droop Mountain Battle facts, including dates, location, casualties, leaders, who won, and more interesting facts you might not know. This fact sheet provides a quick overview of the battle and is for kids doing research and students preparing for the AP U.S. History (APUSH) exam.

Portrait of William W. Averell

Brigadier General William. W. Averell (pictured here) commanded the Union victory at the Battle of Droop Mountain, but he did not achieve his objective of driving Brigadier General John Echols’ Rebels out of the Greenbrier Valley. [Wikimedia Commons]

Date:

  • November 6, 1863

Location:

  • Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia)

Campaign:

  • Averell’s Raid on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad

Principal Union commander(s):

  • Brigadier General William. W. Averell

Principal Confederate commander(s):

  • Brigadier General John Echols

Union forces engaged:

  • Averall’s Brigade

Confederate forces engaged:

  • Echol’s Brigade

Number of Union soldiers engaged:

  • Roughly 5,000

Number of Confederate soldiers engaged:

  • Roughly 1,700

Estimated Union casualties:

  • 140 (killed, wounded, captured/missing)

Estimated Confederate casualties:

  • 275 (killed, wounded, captured/missing)

Result:

  • Union victory