Alleghany County, Virginia, covers 458 square miles. It was formed in 1822 from Bath, Botetourt, and Monroe and was named for the Alleghany Mountains. At Fort Mann, a battle took place in 1763 between settlers and Indians led by Cornstalk. West Virginia was long a part of Virginia. Morgan Morgan began settlement of the region in 1727. A great battle with Indians took place at Point Pleasant in 1774. West Virginia became a separate state of the Union in 1863.