GREENBRIER COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – The Greenbrier East and Greenbrier West JROTC programs traveled to the Droop Mountain Battlefield on Nov. 5. Retired Park Ranger Mark Smith met with them to guide them on a battlefield tour. Our first stop at the museum, was where Smith told the students how the Union and Confederate Armies came to meet at Droop Mountain. The Union Army was towards the Lewisburg area to push the Confederates south and take control of the railroad. Many of the combatants on both sides of the battle were West Virginians, in some cases, family members were fighting against each other. We also looked at a lot of old rifles, bullets, and artillery shells that were relics of the battle. After Ranger Smith went over the key battlefield leaders for the battle, we went to the trails and visited the major sites on the battlefield and discussed the obstacles each leader faced and the reasons why the Union Army was successful.
While on the trail we encountered the Ronceverte Elementary 4th grade class and all three schools met at the observation tower for lunch and group pictures. In addition, to Ranger Smith we would like to thank Department of Natural Resource Officers Noah Archer and Tim Lavender. The knowledge and details they shared about the battlefield made it fun as well as an educational event. Travel opportunities like this support the mission of the Junior ROTC, “To motivate young people to become better citizens.” The instructors and cadets at Greenbrier East and Greenbrier West High School would like to express our sincere gratitude to the citizens of Greenbrier County. Without your support for programs such as the excess levy our participation in events such as this would not be possible.
