USA > West Virginia > Monongalia County > History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, from its first settlements to the present time; with numerous biographical and family sketches > Part 11
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from Wheeling to attack the Confederate force at Grafton. Word was brought that the Confederates had fled, and that the Union force was in hot pursuit, and had captured four hundred of them. Before this last word came, an advance of the force at Morgantown upon Grafton was proposed. The Smithfield company was requested to remain in Mor- gantown, as a military guard, which they did. The ad- vance on Grafton resulted in no fighting, and the force soon returned.
On the 11th of June, Capt. Frank Thompson with 120 men left for Wheeling to enter the Federal service, followed on the 18th of July by Capt. J. Lowrie McGee with sixty cavalry. In August, a military camp was established two miles north-east of Morgantown.
Opposing the secession of the State, the people of Western Virginia were steadily engaged at the same time in agitating the idea of a new State west of the Alleghanies. The Morgantown meeting of April 17th had declared that in event of secession upon the part of Virginia, Western Virginia would plant herself under the stars and stripes as a new State. Three days later, the conference at the Pow- hatan Hotel at Richmond took action that pointed to the same end. The Western delegates came home, and from the stump helped to arouse the public mind upon the wrongs of Western Virginia. Men began boldly to pro- claim that the only redress lay in separation and a new State. On the 22d of April the people of Monongalia assembled to reiterate her views of April 17th. At the same time, John S. Carlisle and others had assembled over twelve hundred people at Clarksburg. The meet- ing passed resolutions declaring that the Secessionists were attempting without the consent of the people
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to take Virginia out of the Union, and that in seiz- ing Government property, they had inaugurated war. The meeting then recommended that the people in each county of North-western Virginia appoint at least five dele- gates to meet in convention at Wheeling on the 13th of May, "to consult and determined upon such action as the people of North-western Virginia should take in the present 'fearful emergency." This meant separate organization of the North-west without waiting for the result of the elec- tion ordered on secession. For, they said, Eastern Virginia had already seceded. Confederate bayonets at the polls in the coming election would ensure but one result in the East, and something was to be done before they would appear in the West. A meeting was held at the court- house in Monongalia, May 4th, to appoint delegates to this convention. James McClaskey was called to the chair and Franklin Sinclair, Dr. H. N. Mackey, C. Burgess, John Lem- ley and Capt. Jos. Snider, Jr., were chosen vice presidents, and Francis Madera, secretary. Waitman T. Willey and a large number of others were appointed delegates* by accla- mation. This convention met at Washington Hall in Wheeling, Monday May 13th, 1861. Over four hundred
* Following is the list of the delegates appointed : Joseph Jolliffe, Alex. L. Wade, Allen Fast, Joseph Shuttlesworth, Moses Steel, Thomas Tarleton, Abraham Devault, John W. Lanham, M. M. Dent, William Lazier, Henry Dering, Dr. H. N. Mackey, Dr. Isaac Scott, Dr. Charles McLane, Col. James . Evans, W. T. Willey, W. A. Hanway, J. R. Moore, L. W. Runner, Leroy Kramer, Elisha Coombs, John Rogers, F. Madera, Samuel Howell, William Shaw, Philip Rogers, Charles Howell, A. C. Pickenpaugh, J. T. McClaskey, John Bowers, N. C. Vandervort, William Anderson, Jacob Miller, Edgar St. Clair, John N. Baker, James Hare, C. H. Burgess, F. Furman, John Lemley, Joseph Snider, William Simpson, Amos S. Bowlby, Dr. W. M. Dent, A. S. Courtney, Col. Reuben Finnell, Joel Bowlby, Jesse Mercer, Dr. J. V. Boughner, J. N. Waters, S. G. Morgan, C. S. Price, William Fear, Benj. Thompson, Benj. Barker, James T. Hess, E. B. Tygart, Andrew Brown, Michael Core, John Wildman, Asa Tennant, William Price, Asa Lemley, A. Garrison, E. Morris, Dr. John McCarl, William Kinney, P. L. Rice, J. S. Lemley, Charles Edwards, Andrew Wiley, George Price, A. B. Pratt, E. C. Bunker, E. P. Fitch, A. G. Davis, Alex. Wade, Sr., Dr. D. B. Dorsey, James Lazzell, R. L. Berkshire, W. N. Jarrett, G. R. Dering, E. B. Swearingen, A. S. Vance, George McNeely, George D. Evans.
MOSS-ENG. CO.
PETER THOMAS LAISHLEY. See Page 455.
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delegates were present, representing twenty-six Western Virginia counties. The Rev. Peter T. Laishley, of Monon- galia, offered up a prayer ;* John W. Moss, of Wood County, was elected president, and one of the secretaries was Marshall M. Dent, of Monongalia. W. T. Willey represented the county on the Committee on State and Federal Relations. When the Convention came to a plan of immediate action it divided into parties : one, called the "radical," led by John S. Carlisle, wanted the Convention to organize Western Virginia into a new State; the other, known as the "conservative," opposed this as unconstitu- tional. Its leaders were W. T. Willey and F. H. Pierpont. The conservatives recommended resistance by the people to the illegal acts of the Legislature at Richmond, and that to attempt to form a new State at this time in an unconsti- tutional manner would bring "anarchy and confusion " on Western Virginia. On the evening of the third day the Committee on Federal and State Relations brought in a report, which both parties accepted. It declared the ordi- nance of secession null and void; and in event of its car- rying, recommended that the counties represented, and any others desiring to do so, appoint delegates on the 4th of June to a convention to meet on the 11th.
After the ordinance of secession had carried, Monongalia, on the 4th of June, elected as delegates to the convention to be held on June 11th, Leroy Kramer, Joseph Snider, R.
* Subjoined is an extract from Mr. Laishley's prayer :
"May the Almighty grant that the stars and stripes of the flag of our country ever wave all over this land, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. O may those who would plunge us into the horrors of civil discord be over- reached by the omnipotent arm of Almighty God. O do Thou grant, we pray Thee, that this convention met here for the purpose of consulting upon the best interests of our own beloved Virginia, may act promptly, decisively and harmoniously. May it act with reference to peace, principles and the universal happiness of our citizens and the country at large."
10
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L. Berkshire, William Price, James Evans and D. B. Dorsey. The Convention met and organized at Washington Hall, in Wheeling. D. B. Dorsey, on the 12th, offered resolutions for the separation of Western Virginia from the State of Virginia, but withdrew them at the request of John S. Carlisle. The convention, on the 19th, passed "an ordi- nance for the reorganization of the State Government." On the 20th, the convention, as provided for by the ordinance, elected Francis H. Pierpont Governor of the Reorganized Government of Virginia. William Lazier was selected as one of the Governor's Council, and L. A. Hagans, of Preston, Secretary of State. The convention adjourned to August 6th. The Legislature of the Reorganized Govern- ment met on the 1st day of July, and elected W. T. Willey and John S. Carlisle United States Senators from Virginia, the acceptance of whose.credentials, together with those of the Congressmen elected, was the official recognition by the Government of the United States of the Reorganized Gov- ernment of Virginia.
The Confederates, in April, 1863, made a raid into North- western Virginia for the purpose of destroying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and securing as many horses as possible. They entered Preston County in two divisions. General Jones came by the way of the North-western Turnpike, attacked Rowlesburg, and was there repulsed by the Federal forces under Major John H. Showalter. He then marched by the way of Independence to the eastern border of Monongalia County. Col. Harmon, in command of the other division, came by Cranberry and Kingwood, and re- joined General Jones before he entered Monongalia. The following account of General Jones's raid is taken from the Monitor, a paper then published at Morgantown :
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"On Monday morning, the 27th ult., [April, 1863] several citizens of Kingwood arrived at our place, and reported that the rebels were encamped a short distance beyond Kingwood, and that they numbered about 5,000, as they had counted about 500 camp-fires. It was court day, and by 10 o'clock some 500 people were in town. As soon as the news from Kingwood was circulated, Mr. [George M.] Hagans, the president, and Mr. [John] Wagner, the cashier of the M. and M. Bank here, left with the funds of the bank. Senator Willey and other prominent citizens also left. A meeting was called at the court-house, and it was determined to send out scouts on different roads to ascertain the number of the rebels, and if there were not over 100 of them, it was the determination of our citizens to resist and defend the town.
"Col. James Evans proposed to be one of ten men to go out and reconnoitre, and discover, if possible, how large a force was coming so that we might know what course to pursue, as, if the rebel force was large, any resistance on our part would be perfect folly, and only ensure the destruction of the town. After nearly an hour spent by Col. Evans in trying to get men to volunteer to go with him, he got six besides himself, whose names we take pleasure in putting before the people, that they may do them that honor which their conduct deserves. They were Col. Evans, J. J. Jen- kins, Kinsey Fife, Evans D. Fogle, John Holland, Peter Hess and Sylvanus Pierpont, who-mounted and started to reconnoitre the Kingwood turnpike. Holland and Hess were sent up the 'Forge Road,' and Col. Evans and his party continued on the pike, Jen- kins being sent a short distance ahead of the rest of the party, for the purpose of stopping a man who had gone in advance of the party. Just as Col. Evans and his party were going up a rising piece of ground, the rebel cavalry advance came in sight over the hill, with Jenkins as a prisoner between them. Jenkins, by raising his hat, gave our party a sign by which they knew the character of the company he was in. It was but the work of a second to "bout face,' run, and down the hill they came like a thunder-gust, closely pursued by the rebels, who were soon within seventy yards of them; but they were about at the bottom of the hill, and on rising ground our party left them far in the rear. They were pursued about two miles, Fogle and Pierpont leaving Evans and Fife behind, owing
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to the superior fleetness of their horses. Evans and Fife dismount- ed and led their horses into the brush on the road-side, and watched the advance pass them, and then entered the woods and took to the river, which they crossed some distance above Morgantown.
"During the chase after this party, Jenkins escaped, took to the woods, and succeeded in gaining town before the cavalry, as did, also, Fogle and Pierpont, and reported that they had been chased by the rebels, who were numberless, and that they (the rebels) were at the farm of G. W. Dorsey, only two miles from town. The citizens nearly all commenced leaving ; those who had horses, on the roads, and those on foot fled to the hills.
"About 1 o'clock two rebels came to town, with a flag of truce, and were informed that the town was surrendered to them. They returned to their main force, and in about half an hour, some eighty of their men came to town. Some of our citizens upon finding out that there were only eighty of them, were very indig- nant that we had not resisted, but it was not long before their in- dignation was changed to submission to superior numbers when about 600 rebels occupied the town. This force consisted of a Maryland battalion under command of Major Brown, and a Vir- ginia regiment under command of General Harmon. They called at the different houses and taverns for something to eat. Some were engaged in squads scouring the country for horses-others were trying to get into the stores, which were all closed. Some of them got in and purchased some few goods; others forced their way into Capt. William Lazier's, Charles Watts' and Frank Demain's stores. They took many things at Demain's and Lazier's which they did not need, but gave and sold them to citizens. They got all the boots and men's shoes from"all the stores; and all the hats. Our citizens, especially the ladies, talked freely with them, and gave them to eat with as good a grace as possible. Shortly before night the whole force left on the Independence Road. This force had crossed the Railroad about Oakland (Md.), and came via Cranberry Summit and Kingwood, destroying the wire suspension bridge across Cheat River. It was evidently their intention to get to Morgantown, capture the funds in the bank, put their pickets around the town, permit all the persons coming to court to pass within their lines, and none to go out, and thereby capture a num-
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ber of horses ; but they were foiled in this, and Col. Harmon was evidently very much incensed at his ill success, and was disposed to be rather crabbed. They were successful in getting sixty or seventy horses. This force bivouaced along the Independence Road, distant seven to ten miles from town.
"Towards morning they started in the direction of Independence, and met the command of William Ezra Jones, Brig .- General, (said ยท to be a son of William Jones of Marion County in the neighborhood of Basnettsville, and who emigrated South several years ago,) and all then returned in the direction of Morgantown. At Morgantown many of the citizens had returned, and several people from the country had come into town, and were standing around the streets in small crowds discussing the events of the day previous, until about 10 o'clock, when about sixty rebel cavalry came into the two 1 main streets of the town on a charge at their highest speed, yelling like devils, with their cocked pistols in their hands, and com- menced gathering the horses. The most of the people got off the streets in a hurry, supposing that the rebels were intending to shoot, burn, conscript, etc. In a few minutes it was discovered that they were after horses. They canvassed every street, searched every stable, and at the sound of the bugle, assembled in front of the bank, and left town within fifteen minutes after they had come in, with about thirty-five or forty horses. Soon after, the whole force commenced coming in. They occupied the town and surrounding country during the day, and they conducted them- selves very much as on the day previous, only on a more extended scale. The General put guards over the drug stores and bars, which were kept there as long as he remained in town. Toward evening he left, and some 200 who stayed behind succeeded in getting whiskey, and some of them got quite merry. One soldier, about half seas over, (a private in a Jefferson County company by the name of Bushrod Washington and a son of Lewis Washington, one of the witnesses against John Brown,) apologized to the ladies for drinking so much, by stating that the whiskey that they got here was so much better than they got in the confederacy, that they could not restrain themselves. Upon being interrogated as to the age of their whiskey down South, he replied, 'A week old, all to six days.'
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"When the charge was made into town for horses, in the morn- ing, several persons who were trying to escape with their horses were fired at, but none injured so far as we can learn. As they (the rebels) came to town they were fired at, so the rebels allege, by some citizens, Lloyd Beall, Andrew Castle, and Albert Roby, about seven miles from town, and they shot them, killing the two first dead, and wounding the other, who feigned death, and is now recovering. Lloyd Beall stood up like a brave man, as he was, after he was shot through the body, and did not fall until he was pierced with four balls.
"On Tuesday evening the rebels all left in the direction of Fair- mont on the west side of the river, and we have seen none of them since, except two prisoners. The whole force was commanded by Jones and numbered about 2,000 men in all.
" On Monday the farm-house of Capt. Lazier, one mile from town, occupied by Alpheus Sheets, a very worthy man, whose family was absent from home, was burned by the rebels. They also set fire to the suspension bridge on that day, but were prevailed upon to put out the fire. The losses here were, say, 200 horses in the country ; Charles Watts, $500, boots, etc .; Fitch & Scott, $300, drugs ; Carr, Hanway, Nye & Co., $1000, drugs ; J. S. Hickman, $500, hats ; F. Demain, $400, groceries ; H. D. Murphy, $100, goods; D. H. Chadwick, $100, goods ; William Lazier, $1000, goods ; G. M. Hagans, $500, goods. Although the bearer of the flag of truce informed our citizens that private property would be respected, yet a large amount of property was destroyed, some sold to unprincipled persons, and more taken away."
The Confederates during this raid sent a small body of troops by Stewarttown to the Sine Ford on Cheat, to ob- serve if any Federal forces were advancing from Pennsyl- vania; and a small force was sent to Ice's Ferry for the same purpose.
Maj. John H. Showalter, after repulsing the Confederate attack on his forces at Rowlesburg on Sunday, April 26, received reinforcements in the form of a volunteer company from Wheeling with four mountain howitzers. His scouts
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now reported that the Confederates were destroying the railway east and west of him (which was false). Having no provisions, he called a council, and determined to retreat. His force, 450 strong, marched to Kingwood, and then to Zinn's Mill, where, he states, he sent three men to the rail- way near Independence to telegraph for orders, which they did, and received and brought back to him a dispatch ordering him to march to Wheeling, which was now threat- ened, in the shortest possible time; that he concluded he could march to Uniontown, Penn., by way of Morgantown, and go by rail to Pittsburgh, and thence by water to Wheel- ing, sooner than he could march across the country to Wheeling. On the morning of the 29th, Major Showalter broke camp and marched for Morgantown, which he reached that night. The next day at 4:30 P. M., he put his force in motion for Uniontown, and by a night march reached Smith- field, Penn., a distance of sixteen miles, where the citizens furnished his men with breakfast. He then marched to Uniontown, took the cars, and arrived at Pittsburgh, and thence by water proceeded to Wheeling.
CHAPTER XIV.
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA.
1863-1883.
Erection of West Virginia-Meetings held in Monongalia-Estab- lishment of the Townships-Monongalia's Centennial Celebra- tion-Biographical Sketch of Waitman T. Willey.
THE storm of battle had burst upon Virginia, and she was rent in twain. "The men from the sea-shore"; from the south , district, from "the beautiful and historic Valley," afterward "upon whose hoof-beaten bosom red battle so deeply stamped his foot and made it famous forever"-these all gathered beneath the Stars and Bars, pledging life and fortune for Southern Inde- E OF WEST VIRGIA pendence. But westward from the crest of the Alleghanies, the sons of Virginia rallied un- der the Stars and Stripes, and from the frowning MONTANI SEMPER LIBERI mountains to the bright waters of "the beautiful ARMS OF WEST VIRGINIA. river," rang the war-cry of the Union and passed the watchword-A NEW STATE.
Dating her existence from the 20th of June, 1863, West Virginia became the thirty-fifth State of the Union, and so it was that, while the destinies of the nation trembled in the balances of battle-while the clouds hung heavily over the Union-before Vicksburg fell, and before the decisive battle of Gettysburg was fought-another star was added to the clustered constellation upon the banner of the grand- est Republic known in all human history. The idea of a new State west of the Alleghanies was not created by the
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secession of Eastern Virginia. That event gave it life- developed it and brought it out as a remedy for the hard position in which the people of the trans-Alleghany section found themselves when deserted by the eastern part of the State. There were several causes of the growth of the desire of these people for a new State. There was little commercial or other intercourse between the two sections : the Alleghany mountains were an almost impassible barrier between Eastern and Western Virginia. The people were different in their modes of life, in their principles, and in their ideas. The East was aristocratic ; the West was dem- . ocratic : the East was slaveholding; the West was non- slaveholding. Inequality in the system of taxation, and discrimination against the West in appropriations for works of internal improvement, were other causes of dissatisfac- tion. In the matters of representation in the Legislature and restrictions upon the right of suffrage, Virginia had departed far from the principles laid down in her Bill of Rights. Jefferson, as far back as 1816, had animadverted upon the failure of the Commonwealth to adhere to her declarations of fundamental principles. These questions of representation and suffrage were fought over in the " convention of 1829, when the cause of the West was so ably championed by Philip Doddridge. Some concessions to the demands of the West were to be found in the Constitu- tion framed by that remarkable body of distinguished men ; but as these demands, based as they were upon right and justice, were not fully recognized, the agitation went on. The Legislature, March 4, 1850, passed an act submitting to the people the question, "Shall there be a convention to amend the Constitution of this Commonwealth ?" The vote of the people was in the affirmative, and the convention"
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assembled on the 14th of October, 1850. The Constitution was adopted on August 1, 1850, and ratified in the following October.
During 1850, the Monongalia Mirror said: "We ask for the right of representation for freemen, instead of being made 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' to those whose chattels are deemed of equal value with ourselves."
A meeting was held at the court-house in Morgantown, and a committee composed of Guy R. C. Allen, the Hon. Edgar C. Wilson, W. T. Willey, William Price, John Watts, Rawley Holland, Caleb Tanzy, N. Pickenpaugh, the Rev. S. Siegfried, Martin Calendine and Egan B. Tygart reported resolutions declaring that the "White Basis" is the only proper basis of representation in convention or state legis- lature, and that the calling of a convention on the eve of a census (1850) was forestalling and taking advantage of the West, as the census would develop the numerical strength and resources of that section. William Thomas was presi- dent and Col. James Evans vice president of this anti-con- vention meeting, and H. E. Smith was the secretary. The call for the convention was defeated in Monongalia County.
In November, 1860, a memorial of 348 citizens of Monon- galia was sent to the convention, asking for the "White Basis," and the election of officers by the people.
The amended Constitution had twenty-seven votes only cast against it in the county. The basis of representation provided for by it was denominated the "Mixed Basis," being based on the number of white inhabitants of the State and the amount of all State taxes paid: one dele- gate and one senator for every seventy-sixth part of said inhabitants, and one delegate and one senator for every seventy-sixth part of said taxes. This apportionment on
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the "mixed basis," was, by a provision, not to be subject to amendment until 1865. It gave the eastern part of the State a majority of representatives, owing to its great wealth, principally in slaves, and to which its num- bers in population would not have entitled it. The landed qualification of voters was abolished, and all property was to be taxed according to its value, except slaves over twelve years of age, who were to be assessed at $300 each. County officers were now to be elected by the people, instead of being appointed, as heretofore.
All this was a step in advance; the West had extorted further concessions from the East, but yet she had gotten neither equal representation nor just taxation. These and other sources of strife had been left unhealed by the amended Constitution ; and so the new State idea lived.
The Wheeling Convention re-convened on the 6th of August, 1861, and on the 20th passed an ordinance for the formation of a new State, to be called Kanawha, which ordinance was submitted to the people in October. At the same election delegates were to be chosen, who, if the ordinance were ratified, were to form a convention to frame a Constitution for the new State. The ordinance was ratified, the convention assembled November 26, 1861, and concluded its labor on the 18th of the follow- ing February, and the Constitution framed was submitted to the people on the 3d of April, 1862, and ratified. On May 13th, the Legislature of the Reorganized Government of Virginia passed an act giving its consent to the formation of the State of West Virginia, the name West Virginia hav- ing been substituted by the constitutional convention for the proposed name of Kanawha.
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