State of Virginia,
The State constitution was framed in June, 1776.
While the foremost citizen of
Virginia was leading the army fighting for independence, and was the most earnest advocate for a national bond of all the States, the representatives of her people, in her legislature, always opposed the measures that would make the States one union.
Her legislature separately ratified (June 2, 1779) the treaty with
France, and asserted in its fullest degree the absolute sovereignty of the separate States, and when Congress received petitions concerning lands in the
Ohio country, the Virginia Assembly remonstrated against any action in the premises by that body, because it would “be a dangerous precedent, which might hereafter subvert the sovereignty and government of any one or more of the
United States, and establish in Congress a power which, in process of time, must degenerate into an intolerable despotism.”
Patrick Henry, too, vehemently condemned the phraseology of the preamble to the national Constitution— “We, the people” —arguing that it should have been “We, the States.”
So, also, did
George Mason.
So jealous of their “sovereignty” were the States in general that Congress, at the beginning of 1780, finding itself utterly helpless, threw everything upon the States.
Washington deeply deplored this state of things.
“Certain I am,” he wrote to
Joseph Jones, a delegate from
Virginia, in May, “unless Congress is vested with powers by the several States competent to the great purposes of war, or assume them as matter of right, and they and the States respectively act with more energy than they have hitherto done, our cause is lost. . . . I see one head gradually changing into thirteen.
I see one army branching into thirteen, which, instead of looking up to Congress as the supreme controlling power of the
United States, are considering themselves as dependent on their
several States.”
Towards the end of June
General Greene wrote: “The Congress have lost their influence.
I have for a long time seen the necessity of some new plan of civil government.
Unless there is some control over the States by the
Congress, we shall soon be like a broken band.”
The marauding expedition of
Arnold up the
James River, early in 1781, was
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followed by a more formidable invasion in the latter part of March.
General Phillips, of
Burgoyne's army, who had been exchanged for
Lincoln, joined
Arnold at
Portsmouth, with 2,000 troops from New York, and took the chief command.
They went up the
James and
Appomattox rivers, took
Petersburg (April 25), and destroyed 4,000 hogsheads of tobacco, which had been collected there for
shipment to
France on account of the
Congress.
There were virtually no troops in
Virginia to oppose this invasion, for all that were really fit for service had been sent to the army of
Greene, in the Carolinas.
Steuben had about 500 halfstarved and naked troops, whom he was training for recruits.
These were mostly without arms, and retreated before
Phillips to
Richmond.
Lafayette, who had halted at
Annapolis, now hurried forward, and, by a forced march of 200 miles, reached
Richmond twelve hours before
Phillips and
Arnold appeared on the opposite side of the river.
Joined by
Steuben.
the marquis here checked the invaders, who retired to
City Point, at the junction of the
James and
Appomattox.
After collecting an immense plunder in tobacco and slaves, besides destroying ships, mills, and every species of property that fell in his way,
Phillips embarked his army and dropped some distance down the river.
When, soon afterwards, Cornwallis approached
Virginia from the south, he ordered
Phillips to meet him at
Petersburg.
Before the arrival of the earl (May 20),
General Phillips died (May 13) at
Petersburg.
On May 24 Cornwallis crossed the
James and pushed on towards
Richmond.
He seized all the fine horses he could find, with which he mounted about 600 cavalry, whom he sent after
Lafayette, then not far distant from
Richmond, with 3,000 men, waiting for the arrival of
Wayne, who was approaching with
Pennsylvania troops.
The marquis fell slowly back, and at a ford on the North Anne he met
Wayne with 800 men. Cornwallis had pursued him as far as Hanover Court-house, from which place the earl sent
Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, with his loyalist corps, the “
Queen's Rangers,” to capture or destroy stores in charge of
Steuben at the junction of the Ravenna and Fluvanna rivers.
In this he failed.
Tarleton had been detached, at the same time, to capture
Governor Jefferson and the members of the Virginia legislature at
Charlottesville, whither they had fled from
Richmond.
Only seven of them were made captives.
Jefferson narrowly escaped by fleeing from his house (at
Monticello) on horseback, accompanied by a single servant, and hiding in the mountains.
He had left his dwelling only ten minutes before one of
Tarleton's officers entered it. At
Jefferson's plantation, near the
Point of Forks, Cornwallis committed the most wanton destruction of property, cutting the throats of young horses not fit for service, slaughtering the cattle, and burning the barns with remains of previous crops, laying waste growing ones, burning all the fences on the plantation, and carrying away about thirty slaves.
Lafayette now turned upon the earl, when the latter, supposing the forces of the marquis to be much greater than they were, retreated in haste down the
Virginia peninsula to
Williamsburg, blackening his pathway with fire.
It is estimated that during the invasion — from
Arnold's advent in January until Cornwallis reached
Williamsburg late in June-property to the amount of $15,000,000 was destroyed and 30,000 slaves were carried away.
The
British, in their retreat, had been closely followed by
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Lafayette,
Wayne, and
Steuben, and were not allowed a minute's rest until they reached
Williamsburg, where they were protected by their shipping.
The convention to consider the
Articles of Confederation, or to form a new constitution, having met on the invitation of
Virginia, courtesy assigned to the delegates to that State the task of giving a start to the proceedings.
Accordingly,
Governor Randolph, after a speech on the defects of the confederation, on May 29, 1787, offered fifteen resolutions suggesting amendments to the federal system.
They proposed a national legislature, to consist of two branches, the members of the first, or most numerous branch, to be chosen by the people, and to be apportioned to the States in the proportion of free population or taxes; those of the second branch to be chosen by the first, out of candidates to be nominated by the
State legislatures.
A separate national executive was proposed, to be chosen by the national legislature; a national judiciary and a council of revision, to consist of the executive and a part of the judiciary, with a qualified negative on every act of legislation, State as well as national.
These were the principal features of the “
Virginia plan,” as it was called.
It was referred to a committee, together with a sketch of a plan by
Charles Cotesworth P i n c kney, which, in its form and arrangement, furnished the outline of the constitution as adopted.
For many years the
State of Virginia maintained a predominating influence in the affairs of the nation.
During the
War of 1812-15 its coasts were ravished by British marauders.
In 1831 an insurrection occurred in
Southampton county, led by a negro named
Nat Turner, which alarmed the whole State, but it was speedily subdued.
In 1859 an attempt was made by
John Brown (q. v.) to free the slaves of
Virginia.
Early in 1861 the question of secession divided the people.
The Confederate leaders of
Virginia found it hard work to “carry out” the
State, for there was a strong Union sentiment among the people, especially in the western or mountain districts.
They finally procured the authorization of a convention, which assembled in
Richmond, Feb. 13, 1861, with
John Janney as chairman.
It had a stormy session from February until April, for the Unionists were in the majority.
Even as late as April 4 the convention refused, by a vote of 89 against 45, to pass an ordinance of secession.
But the pressure of the
Confederates had then become so
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A Virginia landscape. |
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hard that one weak Unionist after another gave way, converted by sophistry or threats.
Commissioners were sent to
President Lincoln, to ascertain his
determination about seceding States, who were told explicitly that he should defend the life of the republic to the best of his ability.
Their report added fuel to the flame of passion then raging in
Richmond.
In the convention, the only question remaining on the evening of April 15 was, Shall
Virginia secede at once, or wait for the co-operation of the border slavelabor States?
In the midst of the excitement pending that question, the convention adjourned until the next morning.
The following day the convention assembled in secret session.
For three days threats and persuasion had been brought to bear upon the faithful Union members, who were chiefly from the mountain districts of
western Virginia, where slavery had a very light hold upon the people.
On the adjournment, on the 15th, there was a clear majority of 153 in the convention against secession.
Many of the Unionists gave way on the 16th.
It was calculated that if ten Union members of the convention should be absent, there would be a majority for secession.
That number of the weaker ones were waited upon on the evening of the 16th, and informed that they had the choice of doing one of three things—namely, to vote for a secession ordinance, to absent themselves, or be hanged.
1 Resistance would be useless, and the ten members did not appear in the convention.
Other
Unionists who remained in the convention were awed by their violent proceedings, and on Monday, April 17, an ordinance was passed by a vote of 85 against 55 entitled, “An ordinance to repeal the ratification of the
Constitution of the United States of
America by the
State of Virginia, and to reserve all the rights and powers granted under said Constitution.”
At the same time the convention passed an ordinance requiring the governor to call out as many volunteers as might be necessary to repel an invasion of the
State.
It was ordained that the secession ordinance should go into effect only when it should be ratified by the votes of a majority of the people.
The day for the casting of such vote was fixed for May 23.
Meanwhile the whole military force of
Virginia had been placed under the control of the
Confederate States of America.
Nearly the whole State was under the control of the military authority.
At the time appointed for the vote,
Senator James M. Mason, author of the fugitive slave law, addressed a letter to the people.
declaring that the ordinance of secession absolved them from all allegiance to the
United States; that they were bound to support the “sacred pledge” made to the “
Confederate States” by the treaty of annexation, etc.
The Virginia convention had appointed
ex-President John Tyler,
W. Ballard Preston,
S. M. D. Moore,
James P. Holcombe,
James C. Bruce, and
Levi E. Harvie, commissioners to treat with
Alexander H. Stephens,
Vice-President of the
Confederate States of America, for the annexation of
Virginia to the Southern Confederacy.
Mr. Stephens was clothed with full power to make a treaty to that effect.
It was then planned to seize the national capital; and at several places on his way towards
Richmond, where he harangued the people, he raised the cry of “on to
Washington!”
(q. v.) Troops were pressing towards that goal from the
South.
He was received in
Richmond, by the authorities of every
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kind, with assurances that his mission would be successful.
The leaders were eager for the consummation of the treaty before the people should vote on the ordinance of secession; and on
Stephens's arrival he and the
Virginia commissioners entered upon their prescribed duties.
On April 24 they agreed to and signed a “convention between the commonwealth of
Virginia and the
Confederate States of America,” which provided that, until the union of
Virginia with the latter should be perfected, “the whole military force and military operations, offensive and defensive, of said commonwealth in the impending conflict with the
United States, should be under the chief control and direction of the
President of the
Confederate States.”
On the following day the convention passed an ordinance ratifying the treaty, and adopting and ratifying the “provisional constitution of the
Confederate States of America.”
On the same day
John Tyler telegraphed to Governor
Pickens, of
South Carolina: “We are fellow-citizens once more.
By an ordinance passed this day
Virginia has adopted the provisional government of the
Confederate States.”
They also proceeded to appoint delegates to the Confederate Congress; authorized the banks of the State to suspend specie payment; made provision for the establishment of a navy for
Virginia, and for enlistments for the
State army, and adopted other preparations for war. They also invited the
Confederate States government to make
Richmond its headquarters.
The proclamation of the annexation was immediately put forth by
John Letcher, the governor of
Virginia.
All this was done almost a month before the people of
Virginia were allowed to vote on secession.
The vote for secession was 125,950, and against secession 20,373.
This did not include the vote of
northwestern Virginia, where, in convention, ten days before the voting, they had planted the seeds of a
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new commonwealth (see
State of West Virginia). The State authorities immediately afterwards took possession of national property within the limits of
Virginia, and on April 25 action was taken for the annexation of the
State to the Southern Confederacy, and surrendering the control of its military to the latter power.
On May 7 the
State was admitted to representation in the Confederate Congress, and large forces of Confederate troops were concentrated within its limits for the purpose of attempting to seize the national capital.
From that time until the close of the Civil War
Virginia suffered intensely from its ravages.
The Confederates assembled at
Manassas Junction attempted to take a position near the capital.
Early in May the family of
Col. Robert E. Lee had left Arlington House, opposite
Georgetown, with its most valuable contents, and joined him at
Richmond.
Under his guidance the
Confederates were preparing to fortify
Arlington Heights, where heavy siege guns would command the cities of
Washington and
Georgetown.
This movement was discovered in time to defeat its
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object.
Already Confederate pickets were on
Arlington Heights, and at the
Virginia end of the
Long Bridge across the
Potomac.
Orders were immediately given for National troops to occupy the shores of the
Potomac River, opposite
Washington, and the city of
Alexandria, 9 miles below.
Towards midnight, May 23, 13,000 troops in
Washington, under the command of
General Mansfield, were put in motion for the passage of the
Potomac at three points—one column to cross the
Aqueduct Bridge at
Georgetown; another at the
Long Bridge, at
Washington, and a third to proceed in vessels to
Alexandria.
Gen. Irvin McDowell led the column across the
Aqueduct Bridge, in the light of a full moon, and took possession of
Arlington Heights.
At the same time the second column was crossing the
Long Bridge, 2 miles below, and soon joined
McDowell's column on
Arlington Heights and began casting up fortifications.
The New York Fire Zouave Regiment, commanded by
Col. Ephraim Elmore Ellsworth (q. v.), embarked in vessels and sailed for
Alexandria, while another body of troops marched for the same destination by way of the
Long Bridge.
The two divisions reached
Alexandria about the same time.
The United States frigate
Pawnee was lying in the river off
Alexandria, and her commander had been in negotiation for the surrender of the city.
Ignorant of this fact,
Ellsworth marched to the centre of the town and took formal possession of it in the name of his government, the
Virginia troops having fled.
The Orange and Alexandria Railway station was seized with much rolling-stock, and very soon
Alexandria was in the quiet possession of the
National forces.
Governor Letcher had concentrated troops at
Grafton, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, under
Colonel Porterfield.
A camp of Ohio volunteers had assem-
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Signatures of the commissioners of Virginia and the Southern Confederacy. |
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bled opposite
Wheeling.
General McClellan was assigned to the Department of the Ohio, which included
western Virginia and
Indiana.
A regiment of loyal
Virginians had been formed at
Wheeling, and
B. F. Kelley, a native of
New Hampshire, and once a resident of
Wheeling, was invited to be its leader.
It rendezvoused at the camp of the volunteers.
Having visited
Indianapolis and assured the assembled troops there that they would soon be called upon to fight for their country,
McClellan issued an address (May 26) to the
Union citizens of
western Virginia; and then, in obedience to orders, he proceeded with volunteers—
Kelley's regiment and other
Virginians—to attempt to drive the Confederate forces out of that region and advance on
Harper's Ferry.
He assured the people that the
Ohio and
Indiana troops under him should respect their rights.
To his soldiers he said, “Your mission is to cross the frontier, to protect the majesty of the law, and secure our brethren from the grasp of armed traitors.”
Immediately afterwards
Kelley and his regiment crossed over to
Wheeling and marched on
Grafton.
Porterfield fled in alarm, with about 1,500 followers (one-third cavalry), and took post at
Philippi, about 16 miles distant.
The Ohio and
Indiana troops followed
Kelley, and were nearly all near
Grafton on June 2.
There the whole Union force was divided into two columns—one under
Kelley, the other under
Col. E. Dumont, of
Indiana.
These marched upon
Philippi by different routes, over rugged hills.
Kelley and
Porterfield had a severe skirmish at
Philippi.
The Confederates, attacked by the other column, were already flying in confusion.
The Union troops captured
Porterfield's official papers, baggage, and arms.
Colonel Kelley was severely wounded, and
Colonel Dumont
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assumed the command of the combined columns.
They retired to
Grafton, where for a while the headquarters of the
National troops in
northwestern Virginia were established.
So the
Civil War was begun in
western Virginia.
After the dispersion of
Garnett's forces in
western Virginia, events seemed to prophesy that the war was ended in that region.
General Cox had been successful in driving
ex-Governor Wise and his followers out of the
Kanawha region.
He had crossed the
Ohio at the mouth of the
Guyandotte River, captured
Barboursville, and pushed on to the
Kanawha Valley.
Wise was there, below
Charlestown.
His outpost below was driven to his camp by 1,500
Ohio troops under
Colonel Lowe.
The fugitives gave such an account of
Cox's numbers that the general and all the
Confederates fled (July 20), and did not halt until they reached
Lewisburg, the capital of
Greenbrier county.
The news of
Garnett's disaster and
Wise's incompetence so dispirited his troops that large numbers left him. He was reinforced and outranked by
John B. Floyd (formerly
United States Secretary of War), who took the chief command.
McClellan regarded the war as over in
western Virginia. “We have completely annihilated the enemy in
western Virginia,” he said in an address to his troops.
“Our loss is about thirteen killed, and not more than forty wounded; while the enemy's loss is not far from 200 killed, and the number of prisoners we have taken will amount to at least 1,000.
We have captured seven of the enemy's guns.”
Rosecrans succeeded Mc-
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Clellan in the chief command in that region, the former having been called to the command of the Army of the Potomac.
But the
Confederates were not willing to surrender to the Nationals the granaries that would be needful to supply the troops in
eastern Virginia without a struggle, and
General Lee was placed in the chief command of the Confederate forces there, superseding the incompetents.
After
Lee was recalled to
Richmond, in 1861,
Floyd and
Rosecrans were competitors for the possession of the
Kanawha Valley.
The former, late in October, took post at a place where his cannon commanded the road over which supplies for the latter passed, and it was resolved to dislodge or capture him.
General Schenck was sent to gain
Floyd's rear, but he was hindered by a sudden flood in
New River, though the
Confederates were struck (Nov. 12) in front by Kentuckians under
Major Leeper.
Floyd fled precipitately, strewing the way with tents, tent-poles, working utensils, and ammunition in order to lighten his wagons.
General Benham, pursuing, struck
Floyd's rear-guard of 400 cavalry in the flight; but the pursuit was ended after a 30-mile race, and the fugitives escaped.
Floyd soon afterwards took leave of his army.
Meanwhile
General Reynolds was moving vigorously.
Lee had left
Gen. H. R. Jackson, of
Georgia, with about 3,000 men, on
Greenbrier River, at the foot of
Cheat Mountain, and a small force at
Huntersville, to watch
Reynolds.
He was near a noted tavern on the
Staunton pike called “Travellers' rest.”
Reynolds moved about 5,000 men of
Ohio,
Indiana,
Michigan, and
Virginia against
Jackson at the beginning of October, 1861.
On the morning of the 2d they attacked
Jackson, and were repulsed, after an engagement of seven hours, with a loss of ten men killed and thirty-two wounded.
Jackson lost in picket-firing and in the trenches about 200 men.
Reynolds fell back to
Elkwater.
Meanwhile
General Kelley, who was guarding the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, had struck (Oct. 26) the
Confederates under
McDonald at
Romney, and, after a severe contest of two hours, routed them, capturing three cannon and a large number of prisoners.
The blow given
Jackson at “Travellers' rest” paralyzed the
Confederate power in
western Virginia.
He left his troops (about 2,000 in number) with
Col. Edward Johnson, of
Georgia, and returned to that State.
Reynolds had left his troops in charge of
Gen. Robert H. Milroy, consisting of a single brigade, to hold the mountain passes.
He scouted the hills vigorously, skirmishing here and there, and finally, on Dec. 12, moved to attack
Johnson.
He was at first unsuccessful, the
Confederates became the aggressors, and, after losing nearly 200 men, he retired.
The Confederate loss was about the same.
Late in December
Milroy sent some troops under
Major Webster to look up a Confederate force at
Huntersville.
It was successful, after a weary march of 50 miles over ground covered with snow.
The Confederates were dispersed, a large amount of stores burned, and their soldiers, disheartened, almost entirely disappeared from that region.
When
McClellan's army went to the
Virginia peninsula (April, 1862), there were three distinct Union armies in the vicinity of the
Blue Ridge, acting independently, but in co-operation with the Army of the Potomac. One was in the Mountain Department, under
General Fremont: a second in the Department of the Shenandoah, under
General Banks; and a third in the newly created Department of the Rappahannock, under
General McDowell.
Fremont was at
Franklin, in Pendleton county, early in April, with 15,000 men;
Banks was at
Strasburg, in the Shenandoah Valley, with about 16,000 men; and
McDowell was at
Fredericksburg, on the
Rappahannock, with 30,000 men. When
Washington was relieved by the departure of
Johnson for the peninsula,
McDowell was ordered forward to co-operate with
McClellan, and
Shields's division was added to his force, making it about 40,000.
Arrangements had been made for the service of auxiliary or co-operating troops in
western Virginia, before the Army of the Potomac started for
Richmond in May, 1864.
In that region Confederate cavalry.
guerilla bands, and bushwhackers had been mischievously active for some time.
Moseby was an active marauder there, and, as early as January (1864),
Gen. Fitzhugh Lee (q. v.), with his mounted men, had
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made a fruitless raid on the Baltimore and Ohio Railway west of
Cumberland.
A little later
Gen. Jubal A. Early, in command of the
Confederates in the Shenandoah Valley, sent a foraging expedition under
Rosser in the same direction, who was more successful, capturing 1,200 cattle and 500 sheep at one place, and a company of Union soldiers at another.
General Averill struck him near
Romney and drove him entirely out of the new commonwealth (see
State of West Virginia), with the loss of his prisoners and a large proportion of his own men and horses.
General Sigel was put at the head of a large force in the Shenandoah Valley (April, 1864), who gave the command of the
Kanawha Valley to
General Crook.
On his way up the valley from
Staunton with 8,000 men,
Sigel was met at
New Market by an equal force under
Breckinridge.
After much manoeuvring and skirmishing,
Breckinridge charged on
Sigel, near
New Market, and, after a sharp fight, drove him down the valley to the shelter of
Cedar Creek, near
Strasburg, with a loss
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of 700 men, six guns, 1,000 small-arms, and a portion of his train.
Sigel was immediately superseded by
General Hunter, who was instructed to move swiftly
on
Staunton, destroy the railway between that place and
Charlottesville, and then move on
Lynchburg.
Crook, meanwhile, had met
General McCausland and fought and defeated him at Dublin Station, on the Virginia and Tennessee Railway, and destroyed a few miles of that road.
Crook lost 700 men, killed and wounded.
Averill had, meanwhile, been unsuccessful in that region.
Hunter advanced on
Staunton, and, at
Piedmont, not far from that place, he fought with
Generals Jones and
McCausland (
Piedmont, battle of). At
Staunton,
Crook and
Averill joined
Hunter, when the
National forces concentrated there, about 20,000 strong, moved towards
Lynchburg by way of
Lexington.
That city was the focal point of a vast and fertile region, from which
Lee drew supplies.
Lee had given to
Lynchburg such strength that when
Hunter attacked it (June 18) he was unable to take it. Making a circuitous march, the Nationals entered the
Kanawha Valley, where they expected to find 1,500,000 rations left by
Crook and
Averill under a guard.
A guerilla band had swept away the rations and men, and the
National army suffered dreadfully for want of food and forage.
Western Virginia had remained loyal to the
Union, and in 1861 a new State was there organized (see
State of West Virginia). After the war
Virginia was under military control.
A new constitution was prepared, and was ratified on July 6, 1869, by a majority of 197,044 votes out of a total of 215,422.
The constitution was in accordance with the Fourteenth Amendment of the national Constitution.
State officers and representatives in Congress were chosen at the same time: and in January, 1870,
Virginia was admitted to representation in the
Congress.
On Jan.
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26, 1870,
General Canby, in command of the department, formally transferred the government to the civil authorities.
Population in 1890, 1,655,980; in 1900, 1,854,184.
See
United States, Virginia, in vol.
IX.
governors under the colonial government.
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