place

Saltville Battlefields Historic District

Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in VirginiaBlue Ridge Highlands, Virginia Registered Historic Place stubsConflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in VirginiaHistoric districts in Smyth County, VirginiaHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Smyth County, VirginiaUse American English from January 2025Victorian architecture in VirginiaVirginia in the American Civil War
SALTVILLE BATTLEFIELDS HISTORIC DISTRICT
SALTVILLE BATTLEFIELDS HISTORIC DISTRICT

Saltville Battlefields Historic District is a historic American Civil War battlefield and national historic district located around Saltville, in Smyth County and Washington County, Virginia. The district includes 3 contributing buildings, 31 contributing sites, 4 contributing structures, and 1 contributing object near Saltville. It encompasses the core areas of two battles, fought on October 2 and December 20, 1864, known as the Battle of Saltville I and Battle of Saltville II, where Confederate and Union forces contested control of the South's most important salt production facilities. Notable resources include the sites of salt furnaces, Well Fields, Fort Statham, Lover's Leap Defenses, Saltville Gap Overlooks, Mill Cliff gun emplacements, Fort Breckinridge, Fort Hatton, Sanders’ House/Williams Site Battlefield/field hospital, William A. Stuart House, and the Elizabeth Cemetery. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Saltville Battlefields Historic District (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Saltville Battlefields Historic District
Palmer Avenue,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Saltville Battlefields Historic DistrictContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 36.875555555556 ° E -81.765277777778 °
placeShow on map

Address

Palmer Avenue
24370
Virginia, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

SALTVILLE BATTLEFIELDS HISTORIC DISTRICT
SALTVILLE BATTLEFIELDS HISTORIC DISTRICT
Share experience

Nearby Places

Second Battle of Saltville
Second Battle of Saltville

The Second Battle of Saltville (December 20–21, 1864), was fought near the town of Saltville, Virginia, during the American Civil War. The battle was a Union victory, and marked the end of a Union excursion known as Stoneman's 1864 raid or Stoneman's raid into Southwest Virginia. The Union objective at Saltville was to destroy a salt works that produced over half of the salt used by the Confederacy to preserve meat—including that used to supply the Army of Northern Virginia. After the defeat of Brevet Major General Stephen G. Burbridge's expedition against Saltville (First Battle of Saltville) earlier in the year, Union Major General George Stoneman reassembled a force to again try to destroy the saltworks there. Stoneman's force included Burbridge's Division and a brigade under Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem. Starting in Tennessee and moving to Southwestern Virginia, Stoneman defeated a Confederate force in Virginia's Battle of Marion on the December 17–18. In that battle, Union forces drove away a Confederate force commanded by Major General John C. Breckinridge. After the action at Marion, Stoneman's force advanced to Saltville. Breckinridge was not present, but he had 500 men at Saltville under the command of Colonel Robert Preston. Union Brigadier General Gillem led the Union advance and attacked first. Burbridge joined the fight shortly afterwards, and the two Federal columns overwhelmed the town's defenses. Colonel Preston ordered a retreat, and Stoneman's troops entered the town and severely damanged the saltworks, accomplishing the objective of the Union raid. After the fight, Union troops returned to Kentucky and Tennessee while suffering losses from severe cold and harassment by a brigade commanded by Brigadier General Basil W. Duke.