There is a lot of misinformation about West Virginia out there, I can think of only a few books which can tell you a true account of what happened there. I have spent several years reading on the subject. Basically, West Virginia was created by a Unionist junta in Wheeling, with the backing of the Federal government. While many in Western Virginia opposed secession, once Virginia seceded, they went with their state government. This is very little understood by historians. I will quote Gen. Jacob Cox (U.S.), who occupied Charleston, WV in 1861: "Before the secession of Virginia a very large majority of the inhabitants of the Kanawha valley were Unionists; but the attachment to the state oranization had become so exaggerated in all slave-holding communities, that most of the well-to-do people yielded to the plea that they must "go with their State." The same state pride led this class of people to oppose the division of Virginia and the forming of the new State on the west of the mountains. The better class of society in Charleston, therefore, as in other towns, was found to be disloyal, and in sympathy with the rebellion. The young men were very generally in the Confederate army; the young women were full of the most romantic devotion to their absent brothers and friends, and made it a point of honor to avow their sentiments. The older people were less demonstrative, and the men who had a stake in the country generally professed acquiescence in the position of West Virginia within the Union, and a desire to bring back their sons from the Confederate service." Similarly, at the battle of Gettysburg, the largest contingent of cavalry available to Gen. Lee was Jenkins Brigade, 1300 men, composed mostly from two counties (Cabell & Wayne), in West Virginia, which had heavily voted against secession. Here is a map of West Virginia showing the counties (in gray, of course) that voted for secession, which is about two-thirds of the state. [IMG]http://i22.tinypic.com/10h7evc.jpg[/IMG] If the above link doesn't work try this one:
In the final tally, most of the territory of West Virginia, and half of the soldiers, were Confederate, which makes West Virginia the most Confederate of all the border states.
"very unedenic elements"?For some people, everything was wonderful before Lincoln and horrible afterwards.
The "Old Republic" certainly had its virtues, but it also had its weaknesses and its ugly side. I'm not attacking it, just saying that people shouldn't build up antebellum America to put later periods down.
In any event, if the Old Republic died, secession and the division of the country into two hostile blocs had a lot to do with it. After 1860 our history was going to be different, however things played out.