Held in reserve at the Battle of Rich Mountain Owen and his companions got a taste of battle that made them "eager to test their punk.

The battle at Rich Mountain is considered merely a minor event of a great war, except for one significant result: the eventual promotion of George Brinton McClellan to the command of the Potomac army.

The nation was jubilant over the Union victory at Rich Mountain. McClellan became the hero of the moment. When only one week later General Irvin McDowell led Union troops to a disaster at Bull Run, McClellan "seemed pointed out by Providence as the ideal chieftain, who could repair the misfortune and head our armies to certain victory." His adulating soldiers dubbed McClellan the young Napoleon. President Lincoln called McClellan to command the Army of the Potomac. (1)

Despite the public celebration over the Union victory at Rich Mountain, historical analysis of the engagement would show characteristics of the Union's new hero that would later become well known: he overestimated the strength of his enemy, he interpreted unfavorably the situation before him, he hesitated to support his subordinates in battle, and he failed to track down and destroy his defeated, retreating enemy. (2)

These traits would eventually lead the Potomac army into repeated defeats against an inferior foe, as Owen and his companions struggled to save the Union.