If it weren't for Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia would still be part of Virginia. The Constitution forbids creating a new state out of an existing state without that state's consent. Lincoln found a way around that.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the creation of West Virginia, reasoning along these lines:
By voting to secede, the rebel delegates to the Virginia secession convention were triators to the United States Government and were therefore no longer legitimate delegates to the convention, leaving the few dozen loyal delegates (from West Virginia and the Easter Shore) as the legitimate government of the state. They elected their leader, Francis Pierpont, as governor. President Lincoln recognized Pierpont as governor and Congress recognized the two men his legislature elected to the U.S. Senate. It was the loyal government of Virginia which agreed to the formation of West Virginia. Pierpont, BTW, stayed as governor of Virginia until 1868.
But at the time, Virginia by its own choice, was not part of the United States. Once WV was formed, Lincoln and Congress granted it statehood. To argue the right or wrong of these actions is like a chicken or the egg controversy.
An interesting aftershock of the Civil War was the 18924 Democratic Convention. One ofthe reasons the frontrunner, William G. McAdoo, did not get the nomination was that he had been born in Georgia in 1863, a time when neo-Confederates were still claiming that the state was not part of the United States. So, his opponents argued, if Georgia was not part of the United States in 1863, then McAdoo was not a natural born citizen of the United States and so ineligible for the presidency. They said that the neo-Confederates could not have it both ways. Rather than admit that Lincoln was right, southern Democrats were forced to give up on McAdoo.
An interesting aftershock of the Civil War was the 1924 Democratic Convention. One of the reasons the frontrunner, William G. McAdoo, did not get the nomination was that he had been born in Georgia in 1863, a time when neo-Confederates were still claiming that the state was not part of the United States. So, his opponents argued, if Georgia was not part of the United States in 1863, then McAdoo was not a natural born citizen of the United States and so ineligible for the presidency. They said that the neo-Confederates could not have it both ways. Rather than admit that Lincoln was right, southern Democrats were forced to give up on McAdoo.
This is anecdotal history but my grandfather who in 1999 died at age 100, always said that armed Federal troops stood outside the polling places and asked how someone planned to vote on the statehood issue. If they were against it they were turned away.
I always discounted it until I read Caperton's book on the history of WV. He says basically the same thing. The election for statehood of WV was held at gunpoint.
*Snort* Some people still think that we are STILL part of Virginia! :o) "...so what part of Virginia are you from?" lol