Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-08-10
TIE KANAwHA VALLEY AND WESTERN VlR-
II GINA. -
RIcHxcsD, Aug o, 1851


To the Editor Of the Wig: e 80 AZ
With YOUR permission, would Eks to submit few re-
marks concerning Western Virginia, for the cous!dara
tiop of your readers have been greatly ason'hed in
NV intercourse with many Of your citizens and public
officers to End such erroneous opinions existing refer
ence to that portion Of the State The people oil the
East have not yet realized the inexhausos sources Oh
wealth filing the mountains and valleys OF western VIZ
GINA The bottoms of the Ohio river and its ubuta'
res are far productive than those OF any o'her
portion of the State while the uplands are covered with
rich soil ard their bowels filled with millions Of vaua
bic minerals The coal iron, lead and gypsum mines
aud salt and oil wells of Western Virginia are equal to
any to be fonnd on the globe.
That valley is undoubtedly the garden spot Of Virgin
ia 1t is about hundred miles long and has nearly
hundred and twenty thousand Of good land be-
sides coal mines and salt wells The wheat crop thete
this year was most abundsnt-the best that has been
raised for years. and will not fall far short OF two million
bushels the corn crop bids fair to be the best ever
raised, while potatoes beans grasses ands other nuts
and vegetables are abundant. Blu! II may be said that
the soil and climate are good enough, but the people
want do Let us sse The Western Virginians are
hardy rugged rscs-descended from the hardy pioneers
of West Augusta of whom Washington said during the
darkest period Of our Revolutionary history, that he
could there find men who would rally to bis standard
and maintain the cause of liberty. These men may not
BE- quite so polished those who live East oil the noun
tans yet they are just devoted to the cause oil liberty
and justice They have long abored under many disad
vantages their country being sparsey settled they nave
not as many schools churches and other appliances Tor
Improvement their favored brethren oil the EAST
Shut out by mountain barriers from ready access 70 ana
from the capital of the State, they have been compelled
to rely upon the newspapers published in Cincinnati ana
other Northern ciities consequently some oil the perm
cous heresies of those abominabe sheets have oeeh
instled into the minds Of Of the more unsuspec
ng.
The great mass Of the native Western yirgnians are
. 10 the State and as much devoted TO the institu
tons of the South as those to be found within any other
portion of the Commonwealth 1t is true, that many OIL
them have been mised by such men as Judge Summers
Berj L. Smith, De-. Patrick, JAS. H. Bfoun, Gen Jno D.
jackson, John S. Garlic and W. T. Wiley. These men
have heretofore commanded the confidence and respect
OF their neghbors and the public. What has prompted
them to betray and msead their friends and neghbors
now not necessary for me to stop to explain here
The people Of Western Virginia are not half as bad as
thew have been represented by the ignorant and the
;udced II must be borne in mind that Western Yir
vina gave S4eO majority for the ordinance Of secession
and had the authorities of the State taken measures 10
pr,tec. the people on the Western border in the
of their sentiments there would have been
much larger vote given for the ordinance, and our al
fairs there would present quite different aspect from
what they do now
The fast however is that Immediately after the pas
SAGE of the ordinance of secession by the Convention the
Federal Government stationed large bodies Of troops on
the border at Naiett Galliopos Athens and lronton
FIR The purpose Of intimidation As ers stood there
fore the people we're compelled to be quiet Surround
s by Yankee soldiers on one side and vagabond traitors
aud foreigners % the other they had to be passive
else lose their lives and then property, without accom-
n,hug any good for the The great sody Of the
traitors and the Union scoundres in Western Virginia
,rs foreigners and Yankee settlers from free States The
native Western yirgnians, Niih few dishonorabe eI
ceu.ions are true to the South Some Of nest 40
tive traitors Ia tie West are natives Of Eastern Virginia
such as Daniel West Of jackson county and Speaker Of
| the bogus Legislature, Wheeling, and Johp W. Mos
tie frs. President Of the Wheeling Convention and
prominent member Of the same Legislature When
cay tat the native Western yirginsns iruc speak
Wlat KNOW, uhN4ub uaNehcu OfN1 botS SNHh9Vo e"S
mixed mora with the people Of that Section within the
last ten months, than probably any other man in the
| Sats.
Although the vsS,t1 OF the Kanawha Valley ard that
region have been abused arters without stint
a traitors and towards, have no hesitation s2ying
that believe that they have contributed soldiers
according ts:r population, than any other portion Of
tn. State jackson county viii militia roll of 1000,
| raised four large companies. Putnam snSg county,
raised two companies. Fayette, four companies. Kama
vhl FIVE companies. Raleigh with militia roll Of AS
tiised $50 men. Wyoming With militia roll Of 400,
| r. SD 2Oo men. Logan county, So Boone, $50.
Il should be borne 10 mind that in Western Virginia
there are but few negroes, and that the people there
hive to do their work and that when farmer voIn-
teers there he leaves bis land without any 10 work
Il. It is not so in Western Virginia. There while the
white men away the army, the slaves tilng
the SOIL Yet Notwithstanding all this, our little moui
t.n farmers have left their homes without moments
delay at the call Of their country. In one county
raised q company of a hundred on hond.y, and il
started for ths seat Of on Thursday On another
occasion, raised company OF hundred in an hour
and half on Thursday, and it startsd On Saturday
defy any other portion Of this State to produce evidence
o. more aacrty in its defence. These poor men left
their wives and children with the scanty supplies
which they happened to have hand without any time
% make further provision for them In these Western
companies will be found beardless boys and old grew
headed men and hundreds OF them without shoes
other comfortable clothing; yet they rallied to their
co1ntrys call, with promptitude that ought to put TO
blush many who question their patriotism. Not one
half of these Western soldiers have clothing aud proper
equipments for enduring the fatigue and exposure Of
erp life yet they have undergone s hardshps without
a murmur. Their equipments for fighting are about On
ear with the balance-old huntingraes and fut-lock
mnakets. Yet With these, they have at all times
be N ready and willing TO hght the enemy All that
they have asked is to be led against him Their
ability to cope with him has been fully evinced by their
bravery at the battles of Guyando:te and scary ven
ture the assertion that the annals Of history do not
furnish ostanceS determined courage and hghes.
&C of heroism At the battle Of Guyandotte, hundred
and hfty-oue milil drove back eight hundred Of the
enemy with loss of sixty killed and eighty wounded.
the militia loosDg but one man.
At the battle Of Scary little band of two hundred
volunteers surprised by eighteen hundred of the
enemy yet they held them in check for two hours until
achievements and routed them with loss Of two
buldred aud thirty, killed and wounded, and seven field
GERS and six privates taken prisoners Our loss
three killed and four wounded At no time there
more than FIVE hundred engaged on our side, and
ali we're undrilled volunteers. have hesitation in
saying that the much abused militia be relied upon
The day after the battle Of Scsry, when &c became
kroyu that our troops intended 10 follow the enemy