WEST VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN OP 1861. At the outbreak of the Rebellion, West Virginia had few slaves, no sympathy with the secession movement and adhered to the Union.
Her citizens denounced the action of the State convention in adopting an ordinance of seces sion and at town and county meetings passed resolutions looking to a separation of the west ern counties from the rest and the organization of a new State. On 13 May 1861 a delegate convention was held at Wheeling, 26 counties being represented by nearly 400 leading Union men, and an interchange of views resulted in a decision to secede from the State should the ordinance of secession be ratified by the vote of the people to be given on the 23d of May, and a provisional convention was called to meet on 11 June following. The vote cast on 23 May was large and showed a majority against secession in the west. Out of a vote of about 44,000 in 50 counties 40,000 were against the ordinance of secession.
Meanwhile Governor Letcher had called out the militia of West Virginia and ordered offi cers to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and guard the frontier of the State against in vasion by Ohio and Pennsylvania. The principal officer assigned to this duty was Col. Geo. A. Porterfield, who 4 May was ordered by Gen. R. E. Lee to Grafton to call out the militia and enroll volunteers to protect the railroad and encourage secession sentiment Five thousand men were thought ample for the purpose, but Porterfield could not raise a 10th of that num ber and troops had to be sent from the eastern part of the State. General Lee had informed Porterfield that it was not intended to interfere with the peaceful use of the railroad, but Gov ernor Letcher, incensed at the overwhelming Union sentiment and the apathy of the citizens in volunteering, and moved also by the collec tion of Ohio troops on the border, ordered Por terfield to make a descent on Wheeling, seize and carry away the arms sent there by the na tional government and arm his men with them, and specially commanded that should troops of Ohio or Pennsylvania endeavor to pass over the railroad, to destroy it and the bridges. To seize Wheeling was impossible with the few men at his disposal, but, convinced that the Ohio troops were on the eve of a movement eastward, Por terfield burned the bridges of the railroad be tween Farmington and Mannington. This ac tion was immediately followed by the occupa tion of the railroad and contiguous country by loyal West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana troops, under command of General McClellan, who had been assigned to the command of a military de partment embracing Ohio Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia. Lpon the advance of these troops from Wheeling and Parkersburg on the 17th, Porterfield abandoned Grafton on the 28th and fell back to Philippi, from which place he was driven on 3 June to Beverly. (See PHIL.. 17,1. ENGAGEMENT at). General Garnett was cent to relieve Porterfield and took position at Rich Mountain and Laurel Hill. Col. John Pegram's detachment at Rich Mountain was at tacked and defeated by McClellan II July, many men were taken prisoners and the rest retreated over Cheat Mountain. McClellan pursued through Beverly and Huttonsville, seized the summit of Cheat Mountain and entrenched a part of his command on the main Staunton turnpike leading over the mountain. (See
RICH MouNTAIN, BATTLE Or). Garnett, who was at Laurel Hill. abandoned his position on the night of the Ilth and retreated northeast toward the Northwestern turnpike, was over taken at Carrick's Ford, on Cheat River on the 13th, was killed and his command. making a rapid retreat, reached the Northwestern turnpike and turning southward arrived at Monterey in a demoralized condition. There are but three routes across the mountains separating West Virginia from the Shenandoah Valley that arc practicable for military operations: the North western turnpike on the north; the Staunton and Parkersburg turnpike farther south and the Kanawha turnpike, leading past Gauky Bridge, still farther south. While McClellan was seiz ing the two first, a column under General Cox was operating on the latter. At the time Gen eral Garnett was sent to Rich Mountain, Gen. H. A. Wise was ordered to raise a force for the defense of the Kanawha balky and Gen. J. B. Floyd was directed to raise a brigade for serv ice in southwestern Virginia. It had been Mc Clellan's intention to conduct his campaign in West Virginia by way of the Kanawha Valley, but the gathering of the Confederates near Bev erly determined him to proceed to that region and postpone his Kanawha campaign till north western Virginia should be cleared of the enemy. Later it was found that the presence of Wise in the Kanawha Valley menaced his flank and 2 July General Cox, with a brigade. was ordered to cross the Ohio at Gallipoli* and cos duct a campaign against Wise, and on the 6th he was ordered to march on Charleston and Gauley Bridge. Cox crossed the Ohio, with about 3,000 men, drove in some of Wise's ad vanced detachments and on 11 July moved up the Great Kanawha River in transports. The river was navigable for small steamers about 70 miles, to a point 10 or 12 miles above Charles the only important town of the region which is at the confluence of the Kanawha and Elk rivers. On the evening of the 16th Cox reached the mouth of the a large creek which enters the Kanawha from the north, where he heard that some of Wise's forces were in position above the mouth of Searcy Creek on the south side of the Kanawha and about three miles distant. It was n to dislodge this force before he could farther. Troops were landed on the south side of the river, on the 17th, and the position was attacked, but Cox's men were repulsed with a loss of 14 killed and 47 wounded. (See Scaniv CLEM ENGAGEMENT AT). This check delayed Cox until he could get land transportation, which came on the 23d, and the next day he advanced, took Charleston on the 25th, which Wise had hurriedly abandoned, and on the morning of the 29th reached Gauley Bridge. Wise retreating before him and not halting until he reached Greenbrier and the White Sulphur Springs. where he wasjoined by General Floyd. The whole of West Virginia. with the gate ways to the East were now in Union possession. but the Confederates did not let the possession go unchallenged and made efforts to recover the lost ground.