The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-07-04

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spun clothing to soldiers in the field
in short did. their part in making
lVtrginian' history }in the war for in
dependence. For twenty-one years
between 1774 and 1795-West Vir-
ginia was the Virginia frontier In
| the, border wars Waged with the In
dams from the wilderness northwest
Of the Ohio. and when these wars
We're ended, more mon, women and
children had died Victims of the RI
fte, the scalping-knife and toma-
hawk, than. had persisted from SINH
lar causes in any other region Of
like extent In America
| And in the war Of 1912 West Vir-
gtnia helped make much Virginia
history. The cannon balls used by
| Commodore Perry to batter down
the British feet on Lake Erie were
made at a pioneer iron furnace in
what Is now Butler district in Han
cock county. And when Perry's
! flagship the Lawrence" was a
drifting wreck he transferred his
flag to the =. Niagara commanded
Py Capt Jesse Duncan Elliott, a. cit
lien Of, Wheeling. The first company
uOuDlG-uulCK
up Pennsylvania avenue, after the
British General Ross had fred the
national capital, was from Berkeley
county. The brigade commanded by
the V1rginfan General, Joel Left.
W1ch, of. Bedford county, which
formed part Of the right wing of
Harrison's % army s~on the Maumee,
was organized at PoinI Pleasant at
the IN outh OF the Great Kanawha
fT1VeFs land was wholly composed, -of
West Virginians. Many companies
from Wess Virginia served along
this Atlantic seabord; some were at
Craney island; some at Lundy's'
Lane, some On other fields and when
the war ended the bones of many
West Virginians lay buried along
the Maumee and In the sea at Nor
folk. 80
Nor was West Virginia lacking in
her part In the Mexican war. Then
hundreds or her young men along
the western border rendevoused at
the mouth Of the Guyandotte river
and enlistfng In various western
regiments fastened away to the seat
or war. Thomas Jonathan (Stone-
Wall) Jackson studied the science of
war In Mexico. Captain John w.
Rowan, captain Of the Jefferson
county volunteers, and Captain
Ephrafm G. Albertis, commanding
the Berkeley county troops, were in
all the battles from Vera Cruz to the
city Of Mexico, and the latter lost
his life at the storming Of Chapulte-
| pee
| West Virginia Is proud of her rec
ord In the civil war, and We feel
sure that our brothers of Virginia
share with us in that respect. We
followed the flag Of those great Vfr-
g1nians and Americans, Washington,
and Marshall, and Jefferson, and
mason, and Madison and Monroe
with determination that our dear
ola mother commonwealth should
continue In the union with US. We
couid not part with the flag and we
could not be bereft Of her. West
Vtrginians and Virginians both had
the courage Of their convictions.
Both suffered for duty's sake. Be
sides 1000 men who went into the
armies Of the confederacy, $4,000
west V1rg1nians fought under the
nag or Washington. No brayer men
ever fought in war than we're these
virginia troops on either side from
either state. West Virginia contrib
uted to the south in that great con
n1ct Stonewall Jackson, a general in
heF armies without an equal save
Lee himself; to the confederacy she
lgaye also Generals Echols, Jenkins
and McCausland, while in the union
armies among West Virginian were
Generals Kelley, Duval, Cor, Light
burn, Harris, Strother and Tho
burn.
But 1t is not alone In war that
west Virginians have helped To
make this history Of Virginia. They
were active in establishing and de-
Vefop1ng every department. of the
| governmental, industrial and clvi1iz-
| ed life Of the Old common wealth
AS pioneers in the wilderness. then
reared cabin homes in all the region
from the Alleghenies to the Ohio:
cleared the lands Of the river valleys
ana adjacent hills; planted or
chards; constructed roads; bridged
streams; founded towns; organized
counties and developed excellent
home life and local government.
Five West Virginians were in the
Virginia convention Of March, 1775:
five In that Of July II, 1875; four
IN the convention Of December /
1T5; and five West Virginians were
In the convention Of May 6, 1776,
which framed the first constitution
Of the state. Sixteen West Virgin
ians were in the Virginia federal
convention in 17SS which ratified
the constitution Of the United States