Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
Undated
May 1863

Resolved, 1st. That a crisis has arrived in the affairs of the Nation, which requires all loyal men to define their position, and to unite their efforts to crush out the most causeless and infamous rebellion that ever cursed a nation; and with a view of giving expression to our opinions, we do, hereby, declare and set forth the following resolutions, league and covenant, pledging ourselves to stand by each other in the cause with our fortunes, our honor and our lives:

2d. That our attachment to the Federal Union is unabated, and that we will adhere with unflinching devotion to the National cause; that we believe the safety of the country, and the preservation of our liberty, under Providence, depend upon the perpetuity of the Union, and that we, in view of every proposition for compromise with armed rebels, on any basis, short of unqualified submission to the laws and National authority, wholly inadmissable [sic] and fraught with the most dangerous consequences to the country.

3d. That the highest interest of West Virginia demand the preservation of the Union, not only the great Valley of the Mississippi, from its source to its mouth, but that all the States of the Union, from the eastern border of Maine to the Gulf, and from the Atlantic to ths [sic] Pacific, shall remain under one government and one flag, and that the government and the flag of our fathers, the Star Spangled Banner, with not a star effaced, or one State obliterated.

4th. That the attitude of the gallant soldiers of the country, in the various armies of the Republic, in view of the disloyal and treasonable efforts to create disaffection amongst them, and the manner in which they have sustained the honor of the country on every battle field, challenge our admiration and excite our gratitude. The voice that comes to us in ringing accents of preparation, evinces the highest resolve of our citizen soldiery, to sustain the government of their fathers, and to restore the supremacy of the flag of the Republic over every foot of soil embraced in the Federal Union, and we hereby pledge ourselves to defend their characters and reputation at home, while they are crushing out rebellion and treason.

5th. That, in view of the condition of disaffected persons claiming to be citizens of the United States, yet zealous only to embarrass[s] and impede the action of the legally constituted authorities, and in the utterance of treasonable sentiment; men who have no word of comfort for our soldiers, nor pride for their valor; men who are always ready to disparage our victories and magnify our defeats, and who, under the name and garb of a once glorious party, are giving aid and comfort to the rebels. We earnestly warn all such sympathizers that there are laws for the punishment of treason at home as well as in the army, and that there is a time when loyal men will have to see the law executed. Every citizen owes allegiance to the Government, and he who denies its authority, or fails to uphold the honor of its flag, is an abettor of treason, and shall suffer the penalty due his crimes.

J. Jamison, President.
J. S. Crawford, Secretary.
Washington, (Pa.,) Tribune and Reporter please copy.

Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: Undated: May 1863