Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
August 9, 1862

Buckhannon, Aug. 9, 1862.

The call on the citizens of Upshur county, to meet en masse at Buckhannon on Saturday, August 9th, 1862, was liberally responded to, the citizens arriving at an early hour in the morning, and at the ringing of the bell wended their way to the Court House, which was densely crowded.

The meeting was organized on motion of D. D. T. Farnsworth, who nominated Squire R. Fretwell as President. The nomination was confirmed; and Henry Dight, 10th Virginia, was appointed Secretary.

D. D. T. Fornsworth [sic] took the stand and said, a preliminary meeting held on the 2nd inst., a resolution, was passed that a committee of two from each magisterial district be appointed to draft suitable resolutions for the business of this meeting, and for the action of the people. During the time the committee was absent drafting the resolutions, Col. Harris of the 10th Virginia, was called upon to address the meeting, which was responded to which an eloquent speech showing the citizens of Upshur the danger in which the country was placed, also showed to them the necessity for volunteering, and urged on them to respond to the President's call for aid in crushing out this unholy rebellion. The Colonel retired amidst vociferous cheering, after which the following resolutions were read and adopted:

Whereas, The President of the United States, by authority, has called for 600,000 additional forces to assist in suppressing the present unholy rebellion; and whereas, we fell that every patriot and lover of his country, of home and all that is dear in life, should induce a prompt response to the president's call; and whereas, we acknowledge our first allegiance to our country, that our lives and all that we hold sacred on earth, will we offer as a sacrifice on its alter [sic], before we will see the star and pride of Washington sink in the secession swamps of South Carolina; and whereas, the destiny of loyal West Virginia is so inseparably connected with the Union that we would pray the next Congress to deliver us from the rebels of Eastern Virginia, by granting the new State of West Virginia. Therefore,

Resolved, 1. That as American Independence was the price of revolutionary blood, that we the sons of '76 will never permit that rich legacy to be taken from us by the ruthless hand of traitors; nor the flag of our country to trail in the dust.

2. That this rebellion is unholy and without cause, the South attempting to build up a Southern Confederacy, the chief corner stone being the negro, to make the poor white man the mudsills of the South, and establish a negro oligarchy.

3. That we heartily approve the call of the President for an additional force of 600,000 men or any number that may be needed to save our country.

4. That an appeal be made this day to all the true patriots of Upshur county, in co-operation with her sister counties of loyal West Virginia, to immediately respond to our country's call.

5. That in order to encourage volunteering, that the next County Court be petitioned to summon all the justices of the county to convene immediately, and lay a levy sufficient to pay an additional bounty of twenty-five dollars for each volunteer raised in the county, and that suitable persons be appointed by the court to borrow or advance the money so levied for, and that the Chair appoint one from each district to memorialize the next County Court for that purpose, and that the property of such volunteers be exempt from such levy.

6. That apart from the great object of this meeting in raising volunteers, we desire the people en masse to express themselves in regard to the acts of Senator J. S. Carlile, against the new State of West Virginia, and in accordance to the 4th resolution of a primary meeting held on the 2d instant, that preferred a charge against Senator Carlile, for not representing his loyal constituents in the late Congress of the United States. That we, the people of Upshur county, upon a careful investigation of his acts against the new State of West Virginia, as being traitorous to the known wishes of his loyal constituents, and that we do this day denounce him as a traitor to the best interests of those who gave him the position which he now holds, and we would respectfully request him to resign his place as Senator of the United States, and give place to one who will represent the loyal people.

7. That we also denounce that new fangled political party, headed with such as Valandigham, Voorhies, and others, and tapered off with a Carlile, as working distruction [sic] to the best interests of our country, pandering to and strengthing [sic] the South in her unholy rebellion. And we would respectfully suggest that the government dismiss from all military posts of honor and profit those who are going about and advocating the doctrines of that unholy combination.

8. That all honor is due our Senator W. T. Willey and to the honorable Senators Wade, Hale and others, and in Congress to the noble efforts of a Brown, Whaley, Blair and others, who so ably defended the new state of West Virginia, and that we fully endorse the bill as amended by Senator Willey with its emancipation clause.

9, That in the opinion of the Commissioners of the Constitutional Convention, it be thought best to convene the same and ratify the Senate's amendment to the Constitution for the State of West Virginia [missing] vast majority of the people of the proposed new State, the misrepresentotions [sic] of Senator Carlile to the contrary notwithstanding.

After the above resolutions was read and put to the vote of the meeting, they were carried unanimously. After which Dr. D. S. Pinnell made a patriotic speech, calling on the Loyal men of the county to respond to the President's call. He was also followed by Capt. A. C. Moore, 3rd Virginia, and others.

On motion of D. D. T. Fornsworth [sic], it was proposed that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Wheeling Intelligencer.

The meeting then broke up with a vote of thanks to the President and Secretary.

Before leaving the Court House a great number came forward and volunteered into the service.

R. Fretwell, President.
Henry Dight, Secretary.

Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: August 1862