1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment: Difference between revisions
Peacemaker67 (talk | contribs) m Peacemaker67 moved page 1st Regiment West Virginia Volunteer Infantry (3 Year) to 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment (3 Year): standardising titling of ACW units |
m Moving Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from West Virginia to Category:Units and formations of the Union army from West Virginia per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy |
||
| (13 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ⚫ | |||
{{Infobox Military Unit |
{{Infobox Military Unit |
||
|unit_name= 1st |
|unit_name= 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment |
||
|image=Flag of West Virginia.svg |
|image=Flag of West Virginia.svg |
||
|caption=Flag of West Virginia |
|caption=Flag of West Virginia |
||
|dates= |
|dates= May 10, 1861–August 27, 1861<br>October 30, 1861–October 10, 1864 |
||
|country= [[United States]] |
|country= [[United States]] |
||
|allegiance= [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] |
|allegiance= [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] |
||
| Line 9: | Line 10: | ||
|equipment= |
|equipment= |
||
<!-- Culture and history --> |
<!-- Culture and history --> |
||
|battles= [[Battle of |
|battles= [[Battle of Philippi (West Virginia)|Battle of Philippi]]<br> |
||
[[Skirmish at Bowman's Place]]<br>[[Battle of Rich Mountain]]<br>[[First Battle of Kernstown]]<br>[[Battle of Port Republic]]<BR>[[Battle of Cedar Mountain]]<BR>[[First Battle of Rappahannock Station|Battle of Rappahanock]]<br>[[Battle of Thoroughfare Gap]]<br>[[Battle of Second Bull Run]]<br>[[Second Battle of Kernstown]]<BR>[[Battle of Cedar Creek]] |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''1st |
The '''1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment''' was an [[infantry]] unit that served in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]]. |
||
During its period of service, the [[regiment]] was known as the '''1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment''', but often referred to with, "Union," "Loyal" or "West" in front to distinguish it from Confederate Army regiments. It was the first regiment mustered into service on southern soil after Lincoln's [[President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers|call for 75,000 troops]]. It was formed three days before the [[Wheeling Convention]], which was assembled to decide western Virginia's response if Virginia seceded from the Union.<ref>{{citation|title=West Virginia Civil War Research|url=https://wvcivilwar.com/union-regiments/1st-west-virginia-infantry/|accessdate=2019-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=eWV–The West Virginia Encyclopedia|url=https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2439|accessdate=2019-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=WVRA Units, 1st West Virginia Infantry|url=http://www.wvra.org/1stwv.html|accessdate=2022-10-21}}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
===3 month service=== |
|||
The first incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment (known as the 1st Virginia at the time) was organized at [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling, Virginia]], in May, 1861 from volunteer companies from [[Hancock County, West Virginia|Hancock]], [[Brooke County, West Virginia|Brooke]], [[Ohio County, West Virginia|Ohio]], and [[Marshall County, West Virginia|Marshall]] counties (the [[Northern Panhandle of West Virginia|Northern Panhandle]] of the state). These companies had been formed by pro-[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] citizens of these counties in April 1861, after the Commonwealth of [[Virginia]] voted to secede from the Union, in order to resist [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] incursions. The Regiment was mustered into United States service by companies for a period of three months (the first company, Company A, was mustered into service on May 10, while the final company, Company K, was mustered on May 23). Company A (from the Fourth Ward of Wheeling) had actually been organized, as the Rough and Ready Guards, on April 18, 1861, the day after the state convention voted for secession.<ref>Rawling (1887), chap. II.</ref> Like the 3-year regiment however the 3-month organization was composed primarily by men from Ohio and Pennsylvania.<ref>Rafuse, Ethan S., ''McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union'', Indiana Univ. Press, 2005, pg. 104, "comparatively few of the Virginia troops thus far raised," such as those in Kelley's command, were really Virginians but "mostly from Penna and Ohio." McClellan to Winfield Scott, June 4, 1861.</ref> |
|||
Under the command of [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] [[Benjamin Franklin Kelley]] and the 1st Virginia traveled from Wheeling by train on May 27 to near [[Mannington, West Virginia|Mannington]] to secure a bridge on the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], which had been destroyed by the rebels. After remaining there two days, the regiment advanced again, seizing the important railroad junction of [[Grafton, West Virginia|Grafton]] on May 30 from a body of Virginia state militia under command of Confederate Col. [[George A. Porterfield]]. On June 1, [[Isaac Duval]] took command as [[Major (United States)|Major]] of the regiment. Porterfield's troops retreated to [[Philippi, West Virginia|Philippi]] where, on June 3, they were defeated by a Union force which included the 1st Virginia Infantry. The [[Battle of Philippi (West Virginia)|Battle of Philippi]] was the first land battle of the Civil War. During the battle, Col. Kelley was seriously wounded. The Regiment remained on duty at [[Rowlesburg, West Virginia|Rowlesburg]], Grafton, and Philippi until July. |
|||
During the remainder of their three months service, the regiment was separated. A detachment of five companies served with [[Major General (United States)|Major General]] [[George B. McClellan]] in the [[Battle of Rich Mountain|Rich Mountain]] campaign. Another detachment was with Col. [[Erastus B. Tyler]] in a campaign against Confederate [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Henry A. Wise]], who at that time had attempted an invasion of western Virginia. The remainder of the regiment guarded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On August 19, they returned to Wheeling where the 3-months regiment was mustered out of Federal service on August 27, 1861. |
|||
===3 year service=== |
|||
The second incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in for three year's service on October 30 at [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling, Virginia]]. It was known as the 1st Virginia until [[West Virginia]] became a state. Among the more notable members was the chaplain, [[John James McCook (professor)|James McCook]], a member of the famed [[Fighting McCooks]]. An analysis of the regiment by the George Tyler Moore Center in [[Shepherdstown, West Virginia]], shows that it was composed of 39% native West Virginians, while 23% were from Ohio, 18% Pennsylvania, 11% were immigrants and 8% were from other U.S. states.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718152712/http://www.shepherd.edu/gtmcweb/research_papers.html George Tyler Moore Center]</ref> |
The second incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in for three year's service on October 30 at [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling, Virginia]]. It was known as the 1st Virginia until [[West Virginia]] became a state. Among the more notable members was the chaplain, [[John James McCook (professor)|James McCook]], a member of the famed [[Fighting McCooks]]. An analysis of the regiment by the George Tyler Moore Center in [[Shepherdstown, West Virginia]], shows that it was composed of 39% native West Virginians, while 23% were from Ohio, 18% Pennsylvania, 11% were immigrants and 8% were from other U.S. states.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718152712/http://www.shepherd.edu/gtmcweb/research_papers.html George Tyler Moore Center]</ref> |
||
| Line 22: | Line 33: | ||
==Casualties== |
==Casualties== |
||
The 1st West Virginia suffered 3 officers and 51 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 2 officers and 136 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 192 fatalities.[http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwvinf1.htm#1stinf] |
The 1st West Virginia suffered 3 officers and 51 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 2 officers and 136 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 192 fatalities.[http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwvinf1.htm#1stinf] |
||
A member of Company G was killed in camp on May 29, 1861, from the accidental discharge of a gun.<ref>Rawling (1887), chap. IV.</ref> |
|||
== |
==Officers== |
||
===Commanders=== |
|||
* [[Benjamin Franklin Kelley]] |
* [[Benjamin Franklin Kelley]] |
||
* [[Joseph Thoburn]] |
* [[Joseph Thoburn]], originally the regimental surgeon of the 3-month unit |
||
* [[William H. Enochs]] |
* [[William H. Enochs]] |
||
===Other officers=== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
* Lt. Col. Henry B. Hubbard |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
* Maj. [[Isaac H. Duval]] (later promoted to brigadier general) |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
*[[West Virginia Units in the Civil war]] |
*[[West Virginia Units in the Civil war]] |
||
*[[1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Month)]] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
*[[West Virginia in the Civil War]] |
*[[West Virginia in the Civil War]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:West Virginia Civil War regiments]] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
==Bibliography== |
|||
*[http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwvinf1.htm#1stinf The Civil War Archive], Union Regimental Histories - West Virginia, 1st Regiment Infantry (3 Months) |
|||
* {{cite journal|date=1996|title=The First West Virginia Infantry |journal=West Virginia History Journal|volume=55|pages=41–94|url=http://www.wvculture.org/History/journal_wvh/wvh55-3.html|accessdate=2008-09-14}} (reprinted from the ''Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of West Virginia for the Year Ending December 31, 1864'') |
|||
* {{cite book|last=Rawling|first=C. J. |title=History of the First Regiment Virginia Infantry|publisher=J. B. Lippincott Company|location=Philadelphia|date=1887|url=http://www.lindapages.com/wvcw/1wvi/1wvi.htm|accessdate=2008-09-14}} |
|||
==External links== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Units and formations of the Union army from West Virginia]] |
|||
[[Category:1861 establishments in Virginia]] |
[[Category:1861 establishments in Virginia]] |
||
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1861]] |
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1861]] |
||
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1864]] |
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1864]] |
||
{{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub}} |
|||
Latest revision as of 01:01, 1 November 2024
| 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Flag of West Virginia | |
| Active | May 10, 1861–August 27, 1861 October 30, 1861–October 10, 1864 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Philippi Skirmish at Bowman's Place Battle of Rich Mountain First Battle of Kernstown Battle of Port Republic Battle of Cedar Mountain Battle of Rappahanock Battle of Thoroughfare Gap Battle of Second Bull Run Second Battle of Kernstown Battle of Cedar Creek |
The 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
During its period of service, the regiment was known as the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, but often referred to with, "Union," "Loyal" or "West" in front to distinguish it from Confederate Army regiments. It was the first regiment mustered into service on southern soil after Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops. It was formed three days before the Wheeling Convention, which was assembled to decide western Virginia's response if Virginia seceded from the Union.[1][2][3]
Service
[edit]3 month service
[edit]The first incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Infantry Regiment (known as the 1st Virginia at the time) was organized at Wheeling, Virginia, in May, 1861 from volunteer companies from Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and Marshall counties (the Northern Panhandle of the state). These companies had been formed by pro-Union citizens of these counties in April 1861, after the Commonwealth of Virginia voted to secede from the Union, in order to resist Confederate incursions. The Regiment was mustered into United States service by companies for a period of three months (the first company, Company A, was mustered into service on May 10, while the final company, Company K, was mustered on May 23). Company A (from the Fourth Ward of Wheeling) had actually been organized, as the Rough and Ready Guards, on April 18, 1861, the day after the state convention voted for secession.[4] Like the 3-year regiment however the 3-month organization was composed primarily by men from Ohio and Pennsylvania.[5]
Under the command of Colonel Benjamin Franklin Kelley and the 1st Virginia traveled from Wheeling by train on May 27 to near Mannington to secure a bridge on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which had been destroyed by the rebels. After remaining there two days, the regiment advanced again, seizing the important railroad junction of Grafton on May 30 from a body of Virginia state militia under command of Confederate Col. George A. Porterfield. On June 1, Isaac Duval took command as Major of the regiment. Porterfield's troops retreated to Philippi where, on June 3, they were defeated by a Union force which included the 1st Virginia Infantry. The Battle of Philippi was the first land battle of the Civil War. During the battle, Col. Kelley was seriously wounded. The Regiment remained on duty at Rowlesburg, Grafton, and Philippi until July.
During the remainder of their three months service, the regiment was separated. A detachment of five companies served with Major General George B. McClellan in the Rich Mountain campaign. Another detachment was with Col. Erastus B. Tyler in a campaign against Confederate Brigadier General Henry A. Wise, who at that time had attempted an invasion of western Virginia. The remainder of the regiment guarded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On August 19, they returned to Wheeling where the 3-months regiment was mustered out of Federal service on August 27, 1861.
3 year service
[edit]The second incarnation of the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered in for three year's service on October 30 at Wheeling, Virginia. It was known as the 1st Virginia until West Virginia became a state. Among the more notable members was the chaplain, James McCook, a member of the famed Fighting McCooks. An analysis of the regiment by the George Tyler Moore Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, shows that it was composed of 39% native West Virginians, while 23% were from Ohio, 18% Pennsylvania, 11% were immigrants and 8% were from other U.S. states.[6]
Following the expiration of the original three-year term of enlistment, veterans of the regiment who chose to re-enlist were amalgamated with the 5th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment on October 10, 1864, to form the 2nd West Virginia Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Casualties
[edit]The 1st West Virginia suffered 3 officers and 51 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 2 officers and 136 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 192 fatalities.[1] A member of Company G was killed in camp on May 29, 1861, from the accidental discharge of a gun.[7]
Officers
[edit]Commanders
[edit]- Benjamin Franklin Kelley
- Joseph Thoburn, originally the regimental surgeon of the 3-month unit
- William H. Enochs
Other officers
[edit]- Lt. Col. Henry B. Hubbard
- Maj. Isaac H. Duval (later promoted to brigadier general)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ West Virginia Civil War Research, retrieved 2019-12-20
- ^ eWV–The West Virginia Encyclopedia, retrieved 2019-12-20
- ^ WVRA Units, 1st West Virginia Infantry, retrieved 2022-10-21
- ^ Rawling (1887), chap. II.
- ^ Rafuse, Ethan S., McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union, Indiana Univ. Press, 2005, pg. 104, "comparatively few of the Virginia troops thus far raised," such as those in Kelley's command, were really Virginians but "mostly from Penna and Ohio." McClellan to Winfield Scott, June 4, 1861.
- ^ George Tyler Moore Center
- ^ Rawling (1887), chap. IV.
Bibliography
[edit]- The Civil War Archive, Union Regimental Histories - West Virginia, 1st Regiment Infantry (3 Months)
- "The First West Virginia Infantry". West Virginia History Journal. 55: 41–94. 1996. Retrieved 2008-09-14. (reprinted from the Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of West Virginia for the Year Ending December 31, 1864)
- Rawling, C. J. (1887). History of the First Regiment Virginia Infantry. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. Retrieved 2008-09-14.