Battle of Willow Creek

Battle of Willow Creek Float
Event Information
Location	USA
Date(s)	by vampires: September 25, 1864 by Mr. Tanner: April 7, 1865
Participants	by vampires: Founding Families Vampires by Mr. Tanner: The United States Army

The Battle of Willow Creek took place near the end of the American Civil War. The battle resulted in a Union victory with the outnumbered Confederate troops retreating to Mystic Falls.

The Battle of Willow Creek - 1865

Mr. Tanner wrote this on the blackboard (in Pilot):

The defense of the town was left to a small army of less than 3,000 men against the enemy; never less than 12,000, and sometimes as many as 25,000, and always within a day's march. The regiment engaged the enemy at Willow Creek near Mystic Falls, Virgina. They were driven back across the river until nightfall, when fighting subsided and they made camp on the 7th April 1865. The remaining troops left camp and moved three miles along the river's south bank. They were determined to make a stand near the Braunwarth Mill, a little below the Falls where Willow Creek meets the river proper, because its right flank could be protected by the high bluffs. The battle lasted into the night. In the morning, the remaining troops retreated into the fortification at Mystic Falls.

Mr. Tanner said there were 346 casualties in this battle and no civilian victims. Stefan Salvatore corrected him, saying that there were 27 civilian casualties, because soldiers fired at Fell's Church, killing 27 people in the process. The truth is that the Founding Families burned the vampires in the tomb under the Fell's Church, and it was documented by the Founders for history's sake that they were simply human civilians caught in the crossfire of a battle to cover it up. It was later revealed that there were actually only 26 vampires trapped in the tomb and they did not die due to Emily Bennett's protection spell.

Burning The Church

During the battle, the Founding Families trapped 27 vampires inside Fell's Church, which was set on fire. The citizens of the town who were in the know about vampires believed that the vampires were killed, but, unbeknownst to them, they were protected by Emily Bennett's crystal, which trapped them in the tomb with the power of the passing comet. The Founders claimed the church was set ablaze because of the nearby battle so as to not draw suspicion regarding the true events of the evening. Katherine, who was exposed as a vampire to Giuseppe Salvatore and was subsequently captured with the intention to burn her in the fire as well, but she escaped from Fell's Church before it was set on fire with help from George Lockwood.

Before the church was burned, Damon Salvatore asked Emily Bennett to protect Katherine, but, for unknown reasons, she was forced to magically protect all of the vampires in order to do so. Still, she chose to do so because she wanted to protect Katherine as well, and in exchange for her help, Emily made Damon promise to protect her living descendants. Emily's crystal talisman was the key to open the tomb, as it bound the spell that was fueled by the comet that happened to pass overhead.

The crystal reappeared 145 years later (in 2009, soon after the comet reappeared as well.) The ghost of Emily possessed her descendant Bonnie Bennett and used her body and magic to destroy the crystal, as she was not willing to allow Damon to release all of the vampires in the tomb simply to get Katherine back.

The remains of the church are located near the cemetery.

Alaric Saltzman, the replacement history teacher, had his history students recreate the battle as a float for the Founders' Day Celebration.

Trivia

• Ironically, Battle of Willow Creek was between humans during the end of the civil war in the USA, near of Mystic Falls. Many years later, Mystic Falls is where exist constant confrontation and possible war between supernatural species occurs.
• In Dark Reunion, the ghosts are described as Civil War soldiers, or people who died during hostile events near of Fell's Church.

Gallery

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Civil war casualties

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Civil War

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Battle

See also

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