Washington County, Virginia, in the Civil War

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright © 2012 by Michael K. Shaffer

All rights reserved

First published 2012

e-book edition 2012

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.61423.312.1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shaffer, Michael, 1961-

Washington County, Virginia, in the Civil War / Michael Shaffer.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-495-7

1. Washington County (Va.)--History--19th century. 2. Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects. 3. Washington County (Va.)--History, Military--19th century. 4. Washington County (Va.)--Social life and customs--19th century. 5. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects. I. Title.

F232.W3S53 2012

975.5’725--dc23

2011046698

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

I dedicate this narrative to my precious wife, Karen; our son, and my friend, Joshua; and Jennifer, our daughter—two wonderful children who will flourish in whatever life brings their way. With God’s blessings, and a family’s loving and prayerful support, all things remain possible.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Thus Far I Have Seen My Way Clearly

2. I Would Rather Be the Widow of a Brave Man

3. Marked Courage and Determination

4. A Few Pounds of Candles

5. I Don’t Care Anything About Going to Abingdon

6. The Important Part…Took Place Elsewhere

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank Jessica Berzon and the entire History Press team for their guidance through this process. Dr. Brian Wills, director of Kennesaw State University’s Civil War Center, receives my thanks for his listening ear, encouraging smile, constant support and, of greatest importance, a spirit of friendship to a historian many miles from home. In addition, I remain indebted to Washington County historians Lewis Preston Summers, L.C. Angle and their peers who labor under the auspices of our nation’s various historical societies. Researcher and repository, each functioning in tandem to capture precious nuggets of our history, preserve them for future generations and provide inspiration for others—all merit our appreciation.

INTRODUCTION

Frederick Law Olmsted, a journalist for the New York Daily Times, visited various areas throughout the South during his travels of 1853–54. After spending some time in Abingdon, the seat of Washington County, Olmsted declared the community a compact little town with a good deal of wealth.¹ Keenly aware of the accuracy of his statement or not, Olmsted captured a telling mental picture of Abingdon. This community indeed served as the social hub of southwest Virginia, and many lawyers and politicians have called Abingdon home since the early days of the nineteenth century. One historian describes the town as originally a settlement at the junction of two Indian trails near the Cumberland Gap, which by 1835 consisted of only about 150 homes…opulent brick mansions…supplanting many older wooden houses, previously in possession of the interrelated family power groups, the Prestons, Campbells, Johnstons, and Floyds.² Another person passing through offered a contrasting view of the area during a prewar visit, in describing Abingdon as a neat, pleasant-looking little town, but very dull, nothing to do and nothing to see, and very little sociability.³

A soldier camped near the town in May 1862 observed of the community that it was near city-like…one broad main street—which goes up & down in its course over two hills…the country surrounding is far better than any I have yet seen in Va.⁴ One Confederate officer who served in Abingdon later reminisced over his time spent living in the land of milk and honey…the rich pasturelands of the southwest, where people were still blessed with comparative plenty.⁵ Opinions vary on Washington County’s environ, yet one fact remains certain: the terrain of southwestern Virginia was very definitely not ‘neutral’ during the Civil War, but greatly favored the defending Rebel forces.⁶ From those who have plenty, expectations for eager contributions remain high. Coupled with wealth and prestige, these individuals carry inherent responsibilities and typify those persons looked to for guidance during times of strife. The leading citizens of Washington County responded with vigor as war clouds began forming on the horizon in early 1861.

An 1862 map of southwest Virginia. Courtesy Virginia Historical Society.

CHAPTER 1

"THUS FAR I HAVE SEEN MY WAY CLEARLY"

When the Virginia legislature called, on January 14, 1861, for the election of delegates to attend a state secession convention in Richmond, years of mounting discord permeated throughout the Old Dominion.⁷ From a series of temporary compromises, the bloody internecine conflict in the territory of Kansas and John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry to the election of a sectional presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln, each passing incident raised the level of uneasiness among Virginians. In early March 1861, Emory and Henry College student Thomas Catlett captured the sentiment prevalent across the South after Lincoln’s election when he noted in his diary, "This is the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the abolitionist, to the presidency of the once [italics in original] U. States, but now divided.⁸ Catlett’s fellow classmates became early supporters of secession. In November 1860, a campus rally denounced the Northern ‘fanatical and irresponsible hostility’ to slavery; the students ended their protest in declaring the Union virtually dissolved."⁹ Months later, this fervor carried over and added to the tension within the capital halls in Richmond. Four Deep South states—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama—had already severed ties with the Union when the Virginia legislature called for its own convention to contemplate the merits of secession.

The Virginia House, meeting in Richmond, passed a bill on January 12, 1861 (the Senate passed the bill two days later), calling for a special convention and an election of 152 delegates to convene on February 4, 1861. Hopes resided on this election, along with a public referendum instituted to take the sense of the qualified voters as to whether any action of said convention dissolving our connection with the Federal Union, or changing the organic law of the State, shall be submitted to the people for ratification or rejection.¹⁰

According to the 1860 census, Washington County had a total population of 16,892 people, ranking it 21st among the 148 counties in the commonwealth.¹¹ The populated areas of the county in 1860 included: Abingdon, Bluff Bridge, Buffalo Pond, Clear Branch, Emory, Forks, Glade Spring, Glade Spring Depot, Goodson, Holston, Laurel, Liberty Hall, Liberty Hill, Lodi, Loves Mill, Mendota, Mocks Mill, Price’s Factory, Raven’s Nest, Saltville, Smith’s Creek and Three Springs.¹² The county’s sizeable population afforded the opportunity to elect and dispatch two delegates to the Secession Convention. During the election, Robert E. Grant and John Arthur Campbell received the majority of the 4,081 votes cast, and voters overwhelming approved the referendum, thereby requiring that any findings of the Secession Convention receive endorsement at the ballot box: 1,551 voted for the referendum, 476 against.¹³

Dr. Robert E. Grant, born September 25, 1825, in Washington County, opened an early Abingdon dentist practice with his brother H.M. Grant. During the 1857–58 session, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates. In addition to occupying a seat as one of Washington County’s delegates to the Secession Convention of 1861, he later served as the captain of Company H, 37th Virginia Infantry—the Kings Mountain Rifles. After the war, Grant briefly returned to Washington County prior to moving in 1872 to Austin, Texas, where he died on July 17, 1888.¹⁴

John Arthur Campbell, born October 3, 1823, at Hall’s Bottom in Washington County, son of Edward Campbell, commonwealth’s attorney of the county and nephew of former Virginia governor David Campbell, attended the Abingdon Male Academy, Emory and Henry College and the Virginia Military Institute prior to becoming a practicing attorney in Abingdon. In 1849, he married Mary Branch. After an unsuccessful campaign for election to the House of Delegates in 1852, Campbell held no public office prior to his election to the Secession Convention. During the war, Campbell served as colonel of the 48th Virginia Infantry until receiving a wound in October 1862. His military career at an end, Campbell served as judge of the local circuit court from 1863 until 1869 and sat on the board of trustees at Emory and Henry for many years. He died on June 17, 1886, and rests in Abingdon’s Sinking Spring Cemetery.¹⁵

As Campbell and Grant joined the other secession delegates in Richmond, a mixed lot awaited the Washington County men. Among the 152 representatives assembled, many fit the mold of moderates; Campbell and Grant fell into this category, as the citizens of Washington County sought an exhaustion of all possible recourse before resorting to the Old Dominion leaving the Union. The balance of the convention delegates consisted of two distinctly different factions. Several members, mainly from the northwestern section of the state, firmly adhered to maintaining ties with the Union; their efforts remained balanced through an equal number of fire-eaters, those hell-bent on secession. Although initially occupying a minority throughout the Southland, those persons preaching immediate secession gained an ever-increasing body of disciples. In early February, as Campbell and Grant took their seats in the convention, several of Abingdon’s own partisans strung a large Confederate flag across Main Street. Tempers quickly flared. William B. Clark, a prominent member of the community, demanded the removal of