In July 1861, Francis H. Pierpont defended the unionist government at Wheeling as Virginia’s lawful authority and denounced secession as a conspiracy that sacrificed the state to Confederate interests. His extraordinary-session address reveals how loyal Virginians made a constitutional, economic, and political case for restoring Virginia to the Union. On June 20, 1861, in Wheeling,…
Beginning in late April 1861, unionists in western Virginia agitated for the creation of a state government that would remain loyal to the United States. Their efforts culminated in the election of 47-year-old attorney Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814-1899) as governor of the Reorganized State of Virginia on June 20, 1861. The nascent state government, centered…
In June 1861, as Union forces secured the B&O Railroad after the rout at Philippi, a nighttime raid on a secessionist militia at Righter’s House erupted into violence and fiery retribution. The clash at Coon Run reveals how the fight for strategic ground in northwestern Virginia quickly devolved into a bitter war between neighbors. Following…
Continue reading ➞ Irregular War in Northwestern Virginia: Captain Cable’s Raid on Righter’s House
During the American Civil War, Virginians found themselves divided not only by ideology and geography, but by government itself. From 1861 to 1864, two men, John Letcher and Francis Pierpont, each claimed to be the legitimate governor of Virginia. One led the Confederate state government from Richmond, while the other presided over the Unionist Reorganized…
