October 27, 1862

Union colonel William Dewey surprised Confederate colonel John Q. Burbridge’s Brigade at Pitman’s Ferry (Randolph County). Dewey’s rapid combined-arms attack temporarily won control of the ferry and allowed for the reconnoitering of the Pocahontas (Randolph County) area. This was the last major Civil War engagement in Randolph County. Pitman’s Ferry continued to change hands until the site fell deep behind Union lines in 1863. Afterward, only occasional raids and guerilla activity attracted attention to the location. Two markers are near the site, but the actual location is in private hands.