Debate Over Civil War Battlefield Continues at Public Meeting

Gallipolis (OH) Daily Tribune, February 19, 1999 - Page A8

By Jim Freeman, OVP News Staff

POMEROY- Supporters of the Buffington Island Battlefield fired salvo after salvo at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in a bid to halt permits for construction of a barge loading facility along the Ohio River in Portland. The agencies held a joint public hearing, attended by about 200 people, at Meigs High School Thursday night to allow public comment on a permit application by Richards and Sons Company, a subsidiary of the Shelly Company. The barge loading facility is crucial to a gravel mine the company plans to construct near Portland on the land associated with the July 19, 1863, Civil War battle of Buffington Island.
The battle involved about 2,000 Confederate cavalrymen led by General John Hunt Morgan which were routed by a Union force of about 8,000 soldiers and naval units. It is considered Ohio's only full-scale Civil War battle.

Attorneys for Shelly Company addressed two concerns: the environmental impact surrounding construction and operation of the barge loading facility, and a memorandum of understanding between the company and the state historical officials.
The environmental impact of constructing steel mooring cells and installing riprap shoreline protection would have only a temporary effect on the river, said attorney Steve Hoy. "This is not rocket science," he said. The riprap, large rock placed along the riverbank, would have a long-term positive effect on wildlife, providing spawning and shelter areas for fish, he said. The positive economic impact stemming from the project would far outweigh any temporary environmental impact, he said. He said construction of the loading facility would cost about $1.5 to $2 million dollars providing 10 to 12 construction jobs. The facility would later employ approximately 30 workers with a $300,000 to $400,000 annual payroll for approximately 20 to 30 years, he said. Using trucks to transport the gravel from the site, instead of using barges, would create highway safety concerns along with increased dust and noise pollution.

Attorney Paul Rice, also representing the Shelly Company, said the company has been a part of the Meigs County community for approximately 30 years. The property at Portland has been owned by the company for about 25 years. He said the company has addressed historical concerns with a memorandum of agreement with state historical officials. The agreement focuses on a 40 acre area near the junction of McDade and Old Portland roads dubbed the "Bloody Ground." The company proposes to protect that site by covering it with three feet of bank run and then donating it to the state after mining is completed. The company also proposes to spend $25,000 for a magnetometer survey at the Bloody Ground. The company will also match up to $100,000 funding used to mark the path of Morgan's Raid through Ohio. If human remains are discovered, the appropriate officials will be notified to document the finds, he said.

The greatest concern expressed by those opposed to the mining there was the unmarked graves of perhaps 57 Confederate and five or six Union soldiers killed there. One of the more eloquent speakers was John B. Wells III, lieutenant commander of the Kentucky Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans, whose great-great grandfather died in the battle and was buried somewhere on the battlefield. His testimony recalled Private Augustus "Pap" Castilla, a member of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry which served with Morgan. "Members of my family learned how to ride horses in Meigs County...they learned how to ride them very fast. Here in Meigs County they learned how to swim in the Ohio River. Here in Meigs County they were taught marksmanship by the citizens," he said. "Buffington Island is holy ground to me, to Kentuckians, as soldiers, they learned to die here," he said. A letter from a family friend who was present at the battle recalled "Paps" death. A religious man, he was chased down and surrounded by Union soldiers; he looked toward Heaven as a Union officer shot him in the head with a revolver, he recounted.
He also recalled a visit to Portland with his grandmother in 1952. "This is where her Pap died. This is where her Pap is buried." He said he does not want to stop the mining, but stressed that the graves must be found. "Let's find the graves...we don't have the right to desecrate a military cemetery," he said.
Another Kentucky resident, Jimmie Epling of the Kentucky Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans, said "Kentucky has a dog in this fight." He named seven known dead and buried at the battlefield: 1st Lt. R.G. Marriner, 3rd Cpl. Edward O. McKenzie, Pvt. C.H. Yaegle, Pvt. J.A. Beckham, Pvt. G.W. Hensley, Pvt. F.M. Brown.

Among the other speakers were members of the Ohio Archaeological Council who claimed the archaeological survey commissioned by the company was incomplete and said there is no evidence that the Bloody Ground is the main area of significance in the battlefield. In addition, the mitigation and preservation plan is ineffective, they said.
Tom McCullough, a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, said the Corps of Engineers must take into account the permits impact on historic property, but makes the final decision on the activity.