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To: BroJoeK
Here is a tabulation by county of the Virginia secession vote of May 23, 1861. Link.

Your latest map shows the votes of delegates from West Virginia counties on the passage of the secession ordinance in the secession convention on April 17, 1861. The maps I linked to reflect the votes of the people of the West Virginia counties on May 23, 1861 in ratifying the secession ordinance.

While the delegate from Greenbrier County might have voted against the ordinance in April (or been absent) as indicated as a blue-gray county on your map, the voters of the county actually voted 1016 for secession to 110 against on May 23.

Similarly, the blue-gray county of Pocahontas on your map voted 360 for to 13 against in May although their representative to the secession ordinance apparently voted against the secession ordinance in April or was absent then. Other blue-gray counties on your map such as Braxton County: 553 for, 114 against, Gilmer County: 338 for to 186, Pendleton County: 696 for to 131, and so forth.

The May vote was the vote that counted as far as secession went. Incidentally, I think the May vote was a voice vote rather than a ballot vote. Having to publicly say what you were for put pressure on voters to join the majority of their county.

For example, here was what happened to known secessionists when the Union Army arrived in Harrison County (Source):

The Northern troops are easy committing outrages which would disgrace savages. Females have been outraged, houses plundered, and women and children driven from their homes. Yesterday, without provocation, they shot Mr. Banks Corlin, of Harrison county, because he was a Secessionist, and burned the barn and farm house of Peter B. Righter, of Marion county, after having plundered it of all its effects.

No doubt, the voice vote may well have had the same sort of effect on Unionists in Secession counties.

145 posted on 12/07/2018 11:24:50 PM PST by rustbucket
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To: rustbucket
rustbucket: "No doubt, the voice vote may well have had the same sort of effect on Unionists in Secession counties."

Thanks for the history lesson!
I've never tried to unpack all the twists & turns of West Virginia statehood history, but have always thought that when politicians added more secessionist counties to the new state, it had the long term effect of flipping the whole state from Unionist Republican majorities to Southern Democrat dominated -- for example the former Exalted Cyclops from Sophia in Raleigh County and long term Senator, Robert Byrd.

146 posted on 12/08/2018 6:02:37 AM PST by BroJoeK ((a little historical perspective...))
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