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Oct. 4, 2005 These are the Civil War tales, I hear from the West Virginia residents who heard it from great grandparents who were there and saw it all. Folks in the western county declined to secede from the Union along with the rest of Virginia. Thus this section of Virginia was admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia History books reveal that West Virginia had equal support for Union and Confederate causes. What the history books won't tell you is that what is now West Virginia declined of Virginia because many folks didn't want to get involved in the war at all. The West Virginians were an independent lot. They were trappers, loggers, traders and small farm owners. Some lived off the land and intermarried with the Indians. Issues pertinent to the war did not concern them. Certainly the Virginia plantation owners would not allow their daughters to be courted by West Virginia lads. The opinion was the war was a struggle between old money and new money. Black folks could be slaves on Southern plantations or they could be exploited in the industrial sweatshops of the North. The debate on slavery was about economics and had nothing to do with human rights. Most West Virginians didn't own slaves, plantations or industrial sweatshops . There was no reason for them to be involved with the war but many were forced into it. Troops from either side would march into a community and forcefully recruit the young boys and able bodies men. The troops would seize horses and whatever property they found useful. Many West Virginians wanted to remain neutral but the State ended up being the site of many of the civil war's bloodiest battles. The town of Lewisburg, West Virginia was frequently occupied first by one side, then the other. The Confederates would disappear into the east mountains while the land to the west turned blue. Soon afterwards, Union troops would dash into the western woods while the eastern mountains turned gray. After the battle of Lewisburg, Union and Confederate soldier bodies were laid out in the Old Stone Methodist Church. The Union knew that most of the citizens were Southern sympathizers, therefore the citizens were not allow them to buy the Confederate dead. The dead soldier were thrown into a 50 foot long trench and buried without ceremony. The Union Soldiers were buried temporarily in a field to the right of the Midland Trail west of town, Some were later taken to their homes for permanent interment. Years later, the citizens requested that the government get the remaining Yankees out of their graveyard. They were dug up and taken to Arlington Cemetery. The Confederate dead were relocated into a cross-shaped grave behind present Greenbrier College. Rumor is that there may be a few Union soldiers buried with them. It is also rumored that one of the alleged Union soldiers that relocated to Arlington Cemetery is actually a lady of the night who disguised herself in a blue uniform so that she could sneak into the camp to service the boys in blue. There is a possibility that the soiled dove was a spy. Most likely, she was like a good many West Virginians. She was an independent gal. Most issues from either side of the war did not interest her unless it was economics. Nevertheless, the local citizens have a good chuckle about the prostitute in a Union uniform buried at Arlington Cemetery. ------------ About the author: Bonijean Isaacs is a freelance writer and Astrologer in West Virginia. Email: inez4liberty@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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