[Non-Sequitur]

7. West Virginia became a state during the war, which as we know were 63 counties of "Old" Virginia that left the Confederacy to join (or more accurately re-join) the Union. As a rank amateur historian, I would think this would have been a very significant point in the war, where one half of a southern state breaks away and forms its own state and that state joins the Union, but it isn't. Why?

That part of Virginia fell under Union control early on and never played a part in the rebellion. Western Virgnia didn't contribute much to the rest of Virginia and wasn't missed much.

[GOP_Raider]

That part of Virginia fell under Union control early on and never played a part in the rebellion.

Wikipedia lists about a dozen or so battles/skirmishes in the current WV. Perhaps a follow up to this would be how important a locale like Harper's Ferry was to both sides?

[GOP_Raider]

Western Virgnia didn't contribute much to the rest of Virginia and wasn't missed much.

I'm simply assuming here that coal mining, which is traditionally a major industry in WV, was either a non-factor, or simply non-existant during the War?