In July 1861, Union soldiers on Cheat Mountain entered primeval wilds dominated by tall red spruce and impenetrable rhododendron thickets, and Federal troops built a fort on the appropriated farm of Southern sympathizer Mathias White. Their initial awe at the rocky, forested setting and its magnificent view of the Alleghenies soon gave way to the drudgery and monotony of camp life. Heavy rains regularly turned roads and campgrounds into deep mud, constant dampness ruined clothes and tents, and provisions were often scarce. Disease and body lice spread throughout the camp, men patrolling beyond the walls faced the threat of guerrilla attack, and an instance of mutiny arose among some of the soldiers. During the winter of 1861-1862, deadly cold and heavy snow isolated the fort.