West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-04-01
A SCRAP OF HISTORY.
The First Man Killed In the Rebellion
Prestonian and a West
iirginian.


MAJ, W. T.. Cooper In the Philadelphia Times.
Several statements have been
made rs to weo was tho first victim
Of our last internccine war, and il
is generally supposed that 1t was
Colonel Ellsworth, OF the Chicago
Aouaycs, who was shot by Jackson,
at Alexandria, Va. Such is not tho
fact. The first man killed in that
strife, by soldiers and it is believed
the very first one killed by any
direct result of it. was B,ilev
Brown, of Grafton, Taylor county.
IN the present State OF West Vir.
ginia, then part Of the Old DO
mlnion. III any such occurrence
took place IN any other section of
country before the date there gwen.
1t is duo to the truth Of history. as
1t will hereafter be written, that 1t
should bo made public; but the
writer is confident there is none.
Early in May, 1861, George A.
Porter field, a gentleman of Jeircr
son county, Va, who had received
military education and seen service
IN the Mexican war, was appointed
colonel by Gov. Lctcher and his
council. and sent into Northwestern
Virginia to organize the various
companies there, being raised under
the call Of State troops. A COM
pany from Marion county. under
the command Of William j. Thomp
son, which afrerward became Com
pany A, Of the Thirty first Virginia
Regiment; two companies from
Taylor county, one under tho COM
mand of John A. Robinson, that
became Company A, Of the Twenty.
fifth Virginia Regiment, and one
under G.. W. lIansbrough, that was
afterward disbanded, rcndezvoused
at tcttvrman, mile and = half be.
low Grafton, on the 20th OF My.
1861. On tho 22d they were Joined
10y the Hrrison Guards. OF Cnrks
burg, under the command Of W. T..
Cooper, which became Com pany G.,
of tho Thirty first Virginia Rcgi.
mcnt. The whole force was march.
ed that evening up TO Grafton and
back to Fctterman. In the mean
time "Union" company had been
formed at Grafton. That night it
marched down to the edge OF Fet-
terman, halted, and sent Bailey
Brown and Daniel Wilson forward
to rcconnoitre. They went down
the railroad I'LL they came to Daniel
W. ). knight and George Glenn,
OF Captain Robnsou's company,
who were stationed near the ran ut
the eastern end Of the town.
knight commanded them to halt.
Instead OF doing so they continued
10 advance, when knight repeated
his command once or twice; but
Brown continued on till ho got
close to knight and then flrod upon
him with revolver, shooting him
through The ear. Knight, who was
armed with an old fashioned
smooth bored muskct, loaded with
slugs, returned the shot, and one
Of the sIugs struck Brown i'm the
breast, passing through his heart.
killing him almost instantly. Ills
body was taken TO the Town Hall.
which was occupied as quarters by
the Harrison Guards. and properly
cared for. When this firing toog
place Wilson ran bnck and Glenn
fired upon him. striking the heel Of
his boot. This was on the night
Of tho 22d Of May, 1861, about .
O'Clock.
Mr.. Brown was n native Of Indc-
pendcncc, Preston county, w. Va,
and was raised on farm near there.
lie was thir.y-fyc Or forty years
old whom killed. Knight is ma.
tive Of Stafford county, Va, is q
carpenter by trade, is still living on
farm there, and is about fifty
eight years Of age. Wilson subse.
IqucntlY became 70 captain In Col
onel Lltham's regiment in thc
Federal army
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