West Virginia and the Civil War subject of Round Table meeting
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PARKERSBURG - The Civil War Round Table of the Mid-Ohio Valley will hold a special meeting next week for a presentation on West Virginia's history in the Civil War.
William Kerrigan, Ph.D., author, historian and professor emeritus at Muskingum University, will present West Virginia's War: The Civil War in Documents at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Blennerhassett Museum, 137 Juliana St., Parkersburg.
West Virginia's often overlooked role in the Civil War has seen a resurgence in research and publications in the past 25 years. Born in the Civil War, West Virginia's story was the only state born in the Civil War and includes stories of irregular warfare, hostages, constitutional law and secession, and a clash of social, cultural, economic and political ideals between the eastern and western counties of Virginia.
"West Virginia's War" is the seventh publication in Ohio University's "The Civil War In the Great Interior" series. The project features primary source materials from seven midwestern states that include letters, diaries, public documents, reports and newspaper articles that reflect the sentiments of leaders, citizens, soldiers and enslaved people during the period.
Each volume represents fresh primary sources that are edited by a different scholar to ensure that the series will aid students, professors and the informed general reader of the social, political, and military impact of the Civil War.
Kerrigan edited the most recent edition. The new study highlights 120 primary sources that reflect West Virginia's history.
Western Virginians faced a crisis of allegiance between their historical ties to the Commonwealth of Virginia and loyalty to the Union. Loyalties were divided and included a significant number of enslaved for whom the conflict's outcome would have the most significant consequences.
Many Civil War narratives focus on major battles, but Kerrigan emphasizes the civilians of Western Virginia, free and enslaved, who endured military occupation, raids and guerilla warfare. Civilians faced loyalty oaths, arrests, destruction of property and invasions by soldiers and partisans from both sides.
Enslaved people provided intelligence and assistance to Union forces and risked their lives for freedom.
"I purposely included men and women, blacks and whites, civilians and soldiers, and young and old from every geographic corner of the state to find balance," Kerrigan said.
Kerrigan said 19th century warfare was more complicated than two armies opposing each other in large battles.
"War in West Virginia was a very personal experience," Kerrigan said. "War embodied everyone in society. Every person had to pick a side. Everyone was vulnerable to the side they chose. Everyone is potentially victimized by a neighbor who chose the other side. Civilians either supported or opposed armies who came, often with dire consequences."
Kerrigan will discuss several of his favorite accounts that will challenge myths about West Virginia in the Civil War, like Stonewall Jackson's observations after witnessing John Brown's hanging, slave Reuben who was charged with treason for plotting an insurrection in Greenbrier County, Union soldier Thomas Taylor from Ohio who wrote to his wife to describe how bushwhackers were promptly "introduced" to justice and Lucy Bagby, an enslaved woman from Wheeling who escaped until her owner learned she was living in Cleveland.
Bagby was the last enslaved person returned to slavery under the Fugitive Slave Act in 1861.
"I taught Civil War-era history for more than 30-years and led field trips to sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. But, when I started this book I discovered that several of my perceptions and what I thought about West Virginia's Civil War history weren't quite right," Kerrigan said. "When you write a book, that is not the end of learning about the subject. Truthfully, it's just the beginning because you learn from all of the people around you. I recognize that I am an Ohioan coming to West Virginia to talk about West Virgina's history, but I earnestly welcome everyone with interest to check on me and share what you and your family may know about this period".
Kerrigan joined the faculty at Muskingum University in 1997. He earned his bachelor's at Austin (Texas) College, his master's from Texas Christian University and his doctorate at the University of Michigan. At Muskingum, he was awarded all three of the University's highest faculty honors: the Cora I. Orr Award for Service in 2007, the William Oxley Thompson Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011 and the William Rainey Harper Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2013.
He is the author of "Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard" and has co-authored several local history books.
Meetings of the Round Table are free, but donations will be accepted to defray a portion of the cost of the event. The presentation is made possible by collaboration with the Blennerhassett Museum.
For more information, email cwrtmov@gmail.com or call 740 525-7470.