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Government and the election of officers for a period of six months; also, requiring all officers of the
State, counties, and towns to take the oath of allegiance.
This movement was purely revolutionary.
There was no pretense of secession from
Virginia, but a Declaration of the people that
Governor Letcher and other State officers then in an attitude of rebellion against the
National authority had “abdicated Government,” and were formally deposed, and that a new Government for
Virginia was formed.
Governor Letcher had, by his acts, made war upon the people, and placed himself in the attitude of George the Third when he made war upon the Colonies, and thus, as they expressed it, he “abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.”
1 the
Convention adopted a
Declaration of Independence of the old Government on the 1 7th, which was signed by all the members present, fifty-six in number, and on the 19th the Ordinance for the establishment of a Provisional Government was adopted.
The Convention had already considered the propriety of forming a new State, separate from the old one; and on the 20th there was a unanimous vote in favor of the ultimate separation of Western from
Eastern Virginia.
On that day, the new or “restored Government” was organized.
Francis H. Pierpont, of
Marion
County, was, on the nomination of the venerable
Daniel Lamb, chosen
Provisional Governor, with
Daniel Polsley, of
Mason County, as
Lieutenant-Governor, and an Executive Council of five members.
The unanimous voice of the
Convention was given for these officers.
Governor Pierpont was a bold, patriotic, and energetic man. His first official Act was to notify the
President of the
United States that the existing insurrection in
Virginia was too formidable to be suppressed by any means at the
Governor's command, and to ask the aid of the
General Government.
He organized the militia, and very soon no less than twelve regiments of the loyal mountaineers of
Northwestern Virginia had rallied beneath the standard of the
Union.
Money was needed.
There was no treasury, and the
Governor borrowed, on the pledge of his own private fortune, twelve thousand dollars for the public service.
In every way he worked unceasingly for the permanent establishment of the “restored Government,” and succeeded, in defiance of the extraordinary efforts of the conspirators at
Richmond to crush the
New organization, and bring the loyal people into subjection.
A Legislature was elected, and they were summoned to a session at
Wheeling on the 1st of July.
soon after its assembling, it chose
John S. Carlile and
Waitman G. Willie to represent the restored Commonwealth in the Senate of the United States.
in the course of time the long desired dismemberment of
Virginia occurred.
The Convention reassembled on the 20th of August,
