Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1878-04-30
MIS- ScELLA N E OU S.
THE WEST VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN
OF 1861.
an Interesting Contributor to the Var lis
tory Of that Time, Iy Col. Pe,terfeH.

re cspondence of the Wheeling Register.l
My attention has been called TO an article
published in 1873, in tho June number of
the Old and New, entitled "The West
Virginia Campaign Of 1851" The author
Of this article is an OLE acquaintance and
former friend, General Henry W. Benham,
U. S. Army. The object of the writer was
obviously to commend himself to General
U. S. Grant, then President of tho United
States. This end he sought by Dragging of
General Grant; also by slurring General
Mcclellan. The author seems to have sup
posed that General Grant would be as much
gratiGed by assaults on General Mcclellan,
as by praise of himself Tho spirit of the
article is to show that the credit of the sue
cess of this campaign, which he regards as
wonderful, was largely due to the writer
but that it bad been unjustly attributed to
himself by General Mcclellan; and he
charges him as habitually clicking down
the ladders, by which he rose )" while he
says of General Grant, Ito whom the writer
was endeavoring to commend himsef,) that
"he has clung to every good man about him.
who aided him as he rose, as every such
man has clung to him"
Though | was sorry to see one who had
been friend descend to such means of OBJ
tanning favor with the then President of the
United States, yet shall take no notice of
what believe to be sanders upon General
Mcclellan, because he needs no defense
against such charges, and because these
charges in no manner are my concern. l
would have taken no notice of this article,
had the writer not slandered me. These
misrepresentation of me were clearly made
with view of enhancing the supposed merits
of the writer in his conduct during this cams
paign. The truth is, as every one of intel
ligence knows, who knows anything of the
West Virginia campaign of 1861, that it re-
fected no special credit on any officer. Con-
federate or Federal, except on Gen. McClel>
Ian, for the skillful manner in which he SUR
prsed and defeated the command of Gen.
Garnett.
The State of West Virginia, and especial
ly the northern part Of this State, was really
a country hostile to the Confederate States.
II was folly to expect force to be raised
in that section sufficient, even, to keep the
open field, much more to hold the country
and it was impossible for the forces sent there
by the Confederates to hold such country
against the largely superior forces which the
Federal Government could, and did send as
needed to take possession of this State. The
only excuse that can be made for the Con-
federate authorities for making so vain an
effort, is that il was in the very beginning
of the war, and the difficulties of such IN Tn
dertaking were not then duly considered or
properly appreciated. The folly of their at
tenn pts to hold military possession of Yves.
Virginia, is clearly shown by the fact, that
after the failure of the first efforts, the COM
maDd of the army intended to effect this
purpose was conferred on Gen. R. E. Lee,
but under his command the campaign was
still an utter failure.
Had the campaign been begun with any
skill at all by the Federal officers, it must
have resulted in the capture or destruction
of the email force which I was organizing.
l do not claim any credit for having es-
cared with this force. That I did escape
with the loss of two or three men only was
due entirely to the want of capacity on the
part of those in command of the Federal
troops in that vicinity: General Morris and
his FIVE or six colonels, including Colonel
Benham.
NV conduct was the subject of investiga-
tion at the time by Court of Inquiry, COM
posed of Colonel William B. Taliaferro,
Lieutenant- Colonel John Pegram and Cap
tain Julius De Lagnel. The following is
the result of their proceedings:
GENERAL ORDERS NO. 30.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE FoRcEs,5
RICHMoND, July 4, 1861.
I. The Court of inquiry which convened at
SI.a INN \ ha nf