Born in Ohio, Rosecrans was a Union general who was very active in the early parts of the Civil War in Western Virginia. His most important victory was at the 1861 Battle of Rich Mountain (Randolph County), which drove Confederate troops out of northwestern Virginia for most of the war. Weeks later, he defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry (Nicholas County), mostly ending the Confederacy's hopes of taking back Western Virginia. Later in the war, Rosecrans fought in the western part of the country. After the war, he was a minister to Mexico and a member of Congress. He died in California and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.