The Civil War in Putnam County

The Civil War in Putnam County (HM2J9A)

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N 38° 31.956', W 81° 53.465'

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A Microcosm

— River to Ridges Heritage Trail —

A Microcosm
Historians use the word microcosm as shorthand to show that a piece is
representative of the whole. "A house divided against itself," Putnam
County sent approximately 10% of its population to war, nearly half to each
army. Civilians experienced the privations of war: occupation, theft, and
loss. Soldiers had family in the opposing army and their units met on the
battlefield. They endured boredom, fighting, imprisonment, and the death
of those surrounding them. The wartime experiences of soldiers and
civilians in Putnam County are an apt representation of the experiences of
soldiers and civilians throughout the nation during the Civil War.

The Worst of War: Guerillas and Prison
Putnam County experienced extensive guerilla warfare even
though it did not witness any major battles. Rather than fighting
battles, these partisan rangers conducted raids, foraged from civilians,
attacked at night, captured boats, and burned bridges. Their goal was
to strike quickly and leave. If not enlisted as regular soldiers, many of
these activities were illegal. In an 1862 effort to spare captured
partisans from execution and make them Confederate soldiers,
Virginia Governor John Letcher declared "the loyal citizens in Western
Virginia are earnestly invoked to form guerilla companies and strike
when least expected for the state that gave them birth." Frequently,
these actions disguised crimes as warfare and became civilians' worst
experiences.

Many soldiers found their worst experiences in prison camps.
Neither army was prepared to take prisoners, house, care, or feed
them. Prisons were often makeshift, sanitation was lacking, and food
was



scarce. 15% of Union soldiers and 12% of Confederate soldiers
who became prisoners of war died in prison, a rate of death
higher than any battlefield. Yet some men, like Samuel A. Sterret
managed to survive both the battlefields and the prisons.

Buffalo: Recruits for both armies
Lt. Col. John McCausland established camp at the
Buffalo Academy and recruited Confederate soldiers
at Buffalo from May to June 1861 including the Buffalo
Guards which became Company A, 36th Virginia.
After his retreat, the Union army established a camp at
Buffalo and recruited the 7th WV Cavalry.
Sterret, Fife, Bias, and Reynolds, each began his
Civil War experience there.

Skirmish at Hurricane Bridge
In the spring of 1863, Col. Albert G. Jenkins raided the
Kanawha Valley with 800 soldiers to capture a supply
depot and horses at Point Pleasant. Near the current
junction of US 60 and WV 34, he found 400 soldiers of the
11th and 13th West Virginia. Jenkins demanded the
surrender of the Union forces, who refused. Confederate
soldiers opened fire from a distance to avoid taking
casualties. Fighting lasted five hours until Jenkins
withdrew and proceeded to Point Pleasant. The Federal
force was not captured and the Confederate force was not
defeated resulting in a draw.

The Brothers' War
The American Civil War divided families just as it divided a
nation. Of the 602 soldiers whose roots can be traced to Putnam
County, 311 (51.7%) joined the Confederacy while 291 (48.3%)
joined the Union.

A family slave named Ned saved George Washington Smith's
life as a young boy. Remembering Ned, George decided that
he could not fight for slavery even though his brothers, William and
John, joined the Confederacy



serving with the 2nd Virginia Cavalry.
George joined Company K of the 13th West Virginia Infantry fighting
with Philip Sheridan in, the Shenandoah Valley.

George's war did not end in 1865. His mother welcomed him
home, but it took years to fully reconcile with his family.
Undoubtedly each soldier from Putnam County personally knew
someone wearing the other uniform, and many called that other man
brother, father, or son. Some even shot at him during battle.

Battle of Atkeson Gate (Battle of Buffalo)
In the fall of 1862, Confederate forces camped on multiple farms in the
Buffalo area below (north) and above (south) of the Atkeson farm. On
September 26, 1862, the 91st Ohio under Col. John A. Tinley engaged the
16th Virginia Cavalry under Maj. James H. Nounnan. Nounann's split
forces merged on the Atkeson farm, where the family witnessed fighting
along the turnpike approximately 100 yards from their front door. Years
later, the young Atkeson boy who witnessed the battle claimed there were
no casualties. His 16 or 47 year old sister, Samantha, painted the battle from
memory just a few days later. The figure on horseback in the
center is believed to be Maj. James H. Nounnan, and if so, is probably the
only wartime image of him.

Battle of Scary Creek
On July 17, 1861, 900 Confederate soldiers under Col. George
S. Patton attempted to stop the advance of 1500 Union soldiers
under Col. John Lowe. Soldiers on both sides experienced the
chaos of their first battle. Eventually, Union soldiers retreated and
Confederate soldiers then captured several Union officers. The
tactical Confederate victory was short lived as the Confederacy
evacuated Charleston a week later.

Units Putnam County Soldiers



Served In

Union: 3rd West Virginia Cavalry ·
5th West Virginia Cavalry ·
7th West Virginia Cavalry ·
11th West Virginia Infantry ·
13th West Virginia Infantry ·
181st Militia ·

Confederate: 2nd Virginia Cavalry · 8th Virginia Cavalry · 16th Virginia Cavalry · 22nd Virginia Infantry · 36th Virginia Infantry · 36th Battalion Virginia Cavalry

Battles Putnam County Soldiers Fought In
Union: Cheat Mountain, McDowell, Cross Keys, Cedar
Mountain, 2nd Bull Run, Droop Mountain, Shenandoah
Valley operations, Port Republic, Averill's Raids, Cloyd's
Mountain, Kernstown, Berryville, Opequan, Cedar Creek,
Hatcher's Run, Petersburg, Appomattox.

Confederate: Scary Creek, Western Virginia operations,
eastern Tennessee operations, Shenandoah operations,
Carnifex Ferry, Cross Lanes, Cloyd's Mountain, Piedmont,
Waynesborough, Fort Donelson, Gettysburg, Droop
Mountain, Appomattox.

Civilians Experience War
Putnam County civilians took sides as they sent Emily into each army.
19 year old Sarah. Francis Young wrote, "It is my birthday. And oh! What
may transpire before my next. Our country is in danger of Civil War and it
makes me shudder to think of it. May our blessed Union be preserved in
spite of traitors." Within a few months, her father enlisted.

The presence of an enemy army or partisan rangers meant that
civilians of every allegiance endured occupation and occasionally they
were refugeed. When Confederate soldiers left Buffalo, including her
brother, Virginia Hansford wrote, "Then came the question—what should I
take and what should I leave. I could take very little, and necessarily it was
mostly clothing. ... These are the times that tried women's hearts, but I
had to be brave and strong, and never a tear did I shed, Had I been allowed
to stay I would have done so, but everyone had refugeed."

The most frequent interaction between civilians and soldiers was
foraging (stealing). The laws of war allowed soldiers, under the direction
of officers; to take anything of use to the army from civilians in exchange
for a receipt. Such receipts were utterly worthless when written by the
opposing army and even loyal citizens found their own armies reluctant to
pay. A soldier in the 34th Ohio recorded "Having failed to find any armed
rebels, the Zouaves decided to do the next best thing, which was, in their
opinion, to get chickens for supper. The poor feathered tribe was doomed
to a fearful end. More than a thousand of them were sacrificed to appease
the stomachs made hungry by a fatiguing march."

Skirmish at Winfield
Seeking to control Red House Shoals, Capt. Phillip J. Thurmond and
a band of 400 partisan rangers attacked Capt. John M. Reynolds 80 man
Company D of the 7th WV Cavalry at 3 a.m. on October 26, 1864. The raid
resulted in nothing but noise until Thurmond was mortally wounded an
hour into the fight. He was buried near the original location of Judge Hoge's
house (300 yards north). In 2010, the body was relocated to the present site
of Judge Hoge's house. The skirmish was a Union victory as it resulted in the
death of a partisan leader and prevented the capture of the shoals.

Capturing A General
Union General Eliakim P. Scammon directed the steamboat Levi to take
him from Point Pleasant to Charleston on the night of February 2, 1864.
The captain advised waiting until morning to leave because the boat could
not pass Red House Shoals at night, but the general insisted on moving
quickly. Confederate Major James H. Nounnan learned of the steamboat's
presence at 3 a.m. on the 3rd when he entered Winfield. He directed a
lieutenant and 12 men to board the Levi which led to Scammon's capture
along with medical supplies, weapons, several other soldiers, and the
eventual destruction of the boat. The West Virginia Herald complained,
"We hope our General who succeeds Scammon will go down and view the
country and see the necessity of troops at Hurricane to prevent another raid
soon. Troops at Winfield are no protection to the Union citizens of Putnam
or Mason county."

Divided In Peace: When Did the Civil War End?
Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865 marked the beginning of the end. Officially, the
American Civil War ended on August 20, 1866 with President Johnson's
statement "that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exist in and
throughout the whole of the United States of America." In reality, daily life was far
more complicated, especially in the closely divided state of West Virginia. On May
24, 1866 the West Virginia legislature passed a law stating "No person who ... has
given or shall give voluntary aid or assistance to the rebellion against the United
States, shall be a citizen of this state, or be allowed to vote..." For five years, West
Virginia made a distinction between Union citizens and former Confederates as
non-citizens. On April 17, 1871 West Virginians passed the Flick Amendment
guaranteeing black West Virginians the right to vote. A rider on the amendment also
allowed ex-Confederates to vote and again be citizens.
Details
HM NumberHM2J9A
Tags
Placed ByWest Virginia Humanities Council
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, July 31st, 2019 at 2:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 422333 N 4265287
Decimal Degrees38.53260000, -81.89108333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 31.956', W 81° 53.465'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 31' 57.36" N, 81° 53' 27.9" W
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Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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