Hardesty's History of Wirt County

Hardesty's History of Wirt County

WIRT COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR

Here as everywhere else throughout the "Old Dominion," the 
news of war which electrified the country in the early days of 
1861, produced the wildest excitement; business of every kind 
was paralyzed and hundreds of Wirt's sturdy sons hastened to the
recruiting offices and enrolled themselves under the banners of one
or the other of the contending armies. Fully 200 men went south
and carried arms in defence of the cause which seemed to 
them just, while 468 entered the federal army.

SOLDIERS IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY

Of the men who went south from Wirt county the greater 
number enlisted and served in the 17th, 19th and 20th Virginia 
Cavalry regiments, while the others served in the 22nd and 36th
Infantry regiments. Of the number that went out many never
returned, at least twenty-five having lost their lives in defence of 
the lost cause. Several held commissions in the various regiments in
which they served. Jacob Goff was captain of Company C, 19th
Virginia Cavalry, and F.D. Pomeroy was first lieutenant in the
same company; John Lowther held a captain's commission in the
same regiment; he fell mortally wounded and died on the field 
at Low Gap, Virginia. E. M. Pomeroy served as dispatch-bearer, 
first with Gen. Henry A. Wise, then with John B. Floyd, and 
lastly with W. L. Jackson, with whom he remained until taken 
prisoner on the 9th day of February, 1865, and as such continued 
until June 17 of the same year. John B. Lee commanded 
Company B, 17th Virginia Cavalry serving as such throughout 
the war. William Lee died a prisoner at Camp Chase; William 
Dent was killed in action at Elizabeth in this county, Marion 
Roberts was killed somewhere in Wirt county; Silas Monroe
killed at Burning Springs; Joseph Hanna, serving as second lieu-
tenant, was killed in the battle of Winchester, Virginia in 1863;
John Hutchen was killed at the mouth of Standing Stone creek, 
and George Lockhart  was shot and mortally wounded on the
banks of Reedy creek.

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