744 



VIRGINIA, WESTERN. 



to govern. But notwithstanding this right, thus exer- 

 cised, has been regarded by the people of all sections 

 of the United States as undoubted and sacred, yet the 

 Government at Washington now utterly denies it, and 

 by the exercise of despotic power is endeavoring to 

 coerce our people to abject submission to their author- 

 ity. Virginia has asserted her independence. She 

 will maintain it at every hazard. She is sustained by 

 the power of ten of her sister Southern States, ready 

 and willing to uphold her cause. Can any true Vir- 

 ginian refuse to render assistance ? Men of the north- 

 west, I appeal to you, by all the considerations which 

 have drawn us together as one people heretofore, to 

 rally to the standard of the Old Dominion. By all the 

 sacred ties of consanguinity, by the intermixtures of 

 the blood of East and West, by common paternity, by 

 friendships hallowed by a thousand cherished recol- 

 lections and memories of the past, by the relics of 

 the great men of other days, come to Virginia's ban- 

 ner, and drive the invader from your soil. There may 

 be traitors in the midst of you, who, for selfish ends, 

 have turned against their mother, and would permit 

 her to be ignominiously oppressed and degraded. But 

 I cannot, will not, believe that a majority of you are 

 not true sons, who will not give your blood and your 

 treasure for Virginia's defence. 



I have sent for your protection such troops as the 

 emergency enabled me to collect, in charge of a com- 

 petent commander. I have ordered a large force to go 

 to your aid, but I rely with the utmost confidence upon 

 your own strong arms to rescue your firesides and al- 

 tars from the pollution of a reckless and ruthless ene- 

 my. The State is invaded at several points, but ample 

 forces have been collected to defend her. 



There has been a complaint among you that the 

 eastern portion of the State has enjoyed an exemption 

 from taxation to your prejudice. The State, by a ma- 

 jority of 50,000, has put the two sections on an equal- 

 ity in this respect. By a display of magnanimity in 

 the vote just given, the East has, by a large majority, 

 consented to relinquish this exemption, and is ready 

 to share with you all the burdens of Government, and 

 to meet all Virginia's liabilities. They come now to 

 aid you as you came in former days to aid them. The 

 men of the Southern Confederate States glory in 

 coming to your rescue. Let one heart, one mind, 

 one energy, one power, nerve every patriot to arm 

 in a common cause. The heart that will not beat in 

 unison with Virginia now is a traitor's heart; the 

 arm that will not strike home in her cause now is 

 palsied by common fear. 



The troops are posted at Huttonsville. Come with 

 your own good weapons and meet them as brothers ! 



Given under my hand, and under the seal of the 

 [L. s.] Commonwealth, this 14th day of June, 1861, 

 and in the 85th year of the Commonwealth. 



By the Governor : JOHN LETCHER. 



GEO. \V. M0NFORD, Secretary of the Commonwealth. 



The Commanding General, McClellan, of this 

 Department, issued a proclamation in which he 

 thus states the position of military affairs : 



To the Inhabitants of Western Virginia: 



The army of this Department, headed by Virginia 

 troops, is rapidly occupying all Western Virginia. 

 This is done in cooperation with and in support of 

 such civil authorities of the State as are faithful to the 

 Constitution and laws of the United States. The proc- 

 lamation issued by me, under date of May 26, 1861, 

 will be strictly maintained. Your houses, families, 

 property, and all your rights will be religiously re- 

 spected. We are enemies to none but armed rebels, 

 and those voluntarily giving them aid. All officers of 

 this army will be held responsible for the most prompt 

 and vigorous action in repressing disorder and pun- 

 ishing aggression by those under their command. 



The Legislature of "Western Virginia organ- 

 ized at Wheeling on July 2. Gov. Pierpout 

 delivered a Message, stating the circumstances 



under which that hody was convened, and re- 

 commended the passage of such acts and appro- 

 priations as were necessary for the newly or- 

 ganized government. 



John S. Carlisle and Waitman T. Willey 

 were chosen United States Senators from the 

 State of Virginia, to occupy the seats vacated 

 by Messrs. Mason and Hunter. (See CONGKESS, 

 U.S.) 



A resolution was passed by the House, in- 

 structing the Senators and requesting the Rep- 

 resentatives in Congress to vote the necessary 

 appropriations of men and money for a vigorous 

 prosecution of the war, and to oppose all com- 

 promise; $27,000 in specie, belonging to the 

 State and deposited in the Exchange Bank at 

 Weston, were seized and brought to Wheeling. 



A stay law was enacted by the Legislature, 

 and an act authorizing the Governor to organize 

 a patrol in such counties as may need it ; and 

 about $200,000 were appropriated for carrying 

 on the Government. A similar sum was also 

 appropriated for military purposes. 



The question of a division of the State was 

 debated at some length, in the Senate, upon & 

 report in its favor by a committee, but was 

 voted down by 20 to 17. The agitation of the 

 subject was considered premature. 



Measures were also proposed for a thorough 

 military organization of the north-west. The 

 thirty-nine counties of Virginia lying west of 

 the main chain of the Alleghany Mountains, 

 the extreme southern point of which was about 

 37 20' N. latitude, were those which formed the 

 organization known as Western Virginia. They 

 were, with their population, as follows : 



Logan County 4,838 | Barbour 8,959 



Wyoming 2,865 Upshur 7,292 



Raleigh 3,367 



Fayette 5,997 



Nicholas 4,626 



Webster 1,555 



Randolph 4,990 



Tucker 1,428 



Preston 13,312 



Monongalia 13,048 



Marion 12,721 



Taylor 7,463 



Jackson 8,306 



Roanoke 8,048 



Calhoun 2,502 



Wirt 3,751 



Gilmer 3,759 



Ritchie 6,847 



Ohio 22,422 



Brooke 5,494 



Total population 281,786 



The whole population of Virginia in 1861 

 was 1,593,199, including 495,826 slaves, leaving 

 a white population of 1,097,373. Not more 

 than eight or ten thousand of the slaves were 

 in the counties included above, so that, in losing 

 this population of 281,786, Virginia would lose 

 about one-fourth of her white inhabitants. The 

 territory of the Kanawha, as it was proposed to 

 call it, including the valley of the river of that 

 name, and the fertile region along the Ohio, is 

 as fine as any in the State, and in the decade 

 between 1850 and 1860 the population increased 



Harrison 13,790 



Lewis 7,999 



Braxton 4,992 



Clay 1,787 



Kanawha 14,575 



Boone 4,840 



Wayne 6,747 



Cabel 8,020 



Putnam 6,301 



Mason 9,185 



Wood 11,046 



Pleasants 2,945 



Tyler 6,517 



Doddridge 5,203 



Wetzel 6,703 



Marshall, 13,001 



Hancock 4,445 



