8th Virginia Cavalry- Pg 10
Spencer
By the end of the year they had a telegraph line "running down to civilization," and got papers from Cincinnati irregularly from four to ten days old. The forts were almost finished, and the men were well fed. Plans were being made to make an expedition through Raleigh County to Princeton to capture what was left of the enemy, and perhaps strike at the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
On December 29, Major J. M. Comly took two companies of the Thirtieth Ohio, and one company of the Twenty-sixth Ohio to occupy Raleigh Courthouse, which left five hundred and twenty men at Fayetteville. The officers and soldiers kept in good spirits and were optimistic about a victorious ending soon.
On December 23, Hayes said, "If England does not step in, or some great disaster befall us, we shall conquer the Rebellion beyond doubt, and at no distant period."
With the close of 1861, the Federals were not only in undisputed control of the Kanawha Valley, but also controlled most of the trans-Allegheny section of Virginia. Loring had been sent to Winchester and Floyd was detailed to the Confederate army in the West. The only effective opposition to Federal control was that of General H. R. Jackson at Allegheny Mountain. But for this, the Federals were in position to push toward Staunton and strike at the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, which connected Richmond, Virginia, and Nashville, Tennessee.
1862
1862. Early in 1862, General Floyd disbands Alfred Beckley's militia at Jumping Branch.
Feb. 8, 1862. Alfred Beckley resigns his commission at Richmond.
Upon arriving near Spencer, the advance halted and waited for Command to come up as we had learned the fact that Rathbone's regiment 11th West Virginia Infantry and Captain John P. Baggs' Company Independent Scouts. The General then spread the Command out so as to show off as large as possible. We did look as if we were some three thousand strong and we were in plain view of Spencer. The General sent in flag of truce demanding the surrender of the force. Colonel Rathbone finally stacked arms and ran up the white flag. We marched into town and was received by the citizens as their deliverers as the Southern people had been treated badly especially by Baggs' Company. Our Company was detailed to look after the prisoners that night and to pay particular attention to the Independent Company which we did and the full complement of prisoners was there next morning. We had to agree to guard the prisoners to the Ohio river before parolling as they said they would all be killed in making the march without arms to Ripley. The advance spread the report that we was following with the Yanks as prisoners. The whole country turned out to greet us men, women and children. In passing through the Parsons neighborhood one of the ladies pointed out a Yank that had visited them the day before and mistreated her to her husband. He wanted satisfaction there and then. The officer in command asked the Yank about it. He denied the story but the lady told him he was the man. The officer asked the Yank if he was willing to fight Parsons. He said yes if he had fair play. The boys formed a ring around them and the Southern man had the best of the fight. It was a bare knuckle fight to the finish. The lady told her husband she was proud of him and she reckoned the Yankees would let her alone in the future.
(footnotes, quotes, etc. omitted for ease of reading)
The Bully Seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Ed. Staats
Fayetteville, West Virginia, During The Civil War, Mary E. Kincaid , West Virginia Archives
Solder of Southwestern Virginia, The Civil War Letters of Captain John Preston Sheffery, Ed. Robertson, 2004
Salem Light Guard, Company G, 36th WV, Ed. Kemper
War-Time Reminiscences of James D. Sedinger ; Company E, 8th Virginia Cavalry, Border Rangers West Virginia Archives
Amick Ranger Bibliography