additional support for the southernness of WV

[David Bergdahl]

from the "WV in the Civil War" page found at
http://www.wvculture.org/history/civilwar.htmlhttp://www.wvculture.org/histo
ry/civilwar.html

Conclusion

The Civil War has often been referred to as a war of brother against brother
and father against son. No other state serves as a better example of this
than West Virginia, where there was relatively equal support for the
northern and southern causes. Often families were split down the middle over
their beliefs on the war. There are many instances of divided loyalties and
even of individuals fighting for both sides. During the Battle of Scary
Creek, a Confederate soldier supposedly saw his brothers fighting on the
other battle lines, decided he was in the wrong place, and changed sides on
the spot.

While many historians have traditionally placed the number of Union troops
enlisted in West Virginia at a much higher figure than Confederates, more
recent studies suggest there were almost as many southern troops as
northern. Traditional sources have placed Union strength as high as 36,000
compared to only 7,000 to 10,000 Confederates. At least one recent study has
raised the southern number to over 20,000 and lowered the Union figure to
about the same. Part of the problem with early studies is they ignored
numerous southern sympathizers who fought in militias or as irregulars.

The divisions caused by the Civil War lasted long afterward. These were
usually fought out in political arenas but occasionally developed into
violence. Military service in the Civil War became a badge of honor, as both
Union and Confederate veterans attended reunions and participated in parades
well into the twentieth century. West Virginia was the only state to send
relatively the same number of Union and Confederate veterans to the Battle
of Gettysburg reunion, another symbol of the divided state created by the
Civil War.

___________________
David Bergdahl