The Burning of White Oak Methodist Church

Between Ford and Wilsons stations stood White Oak Methodist Church, a twenty-two-year-old church whose grounds were used as a wayside hospital for Confederate wounded until Union cavalry burned it to the ground on June 23, 1864. Built in 1862, the hospital contained three ward buildings and cook house operations overseen by Dr. B.P. Reese, a local surgeon and church member, with additional staff including Dr. Doyle, Dr. Worsham, and Ward Master Emmons. In 1909, the church filed a claim to recover the cost of damages resulting from the intentional burning, and witnesses testified about what took place, including Lawson Holmes, a former slave, who said that Union troops leaving the area stated that they had set fire to the buildings. The claim was ultimately denied.

Virginia · United States