The First Regiment (West) Virginia Infantry Volunteers

The First Regiment (West) Virginia Infantry Volunteers was organized in the counties that would become the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and in Southeastern Ohio in May, 1861. It was mustered into the service for the period of three months.  Shown below is the organization of the ten companies, their commanders and the date each was mustered into service:

Company    - Commander, Date of Muster, Place of Muster

Company A - Captain AH Britt, May 10, Wheeling

Company B - Captain E. W.  Stephens, May 11, Wheeling

Company C - Captain I. N.  Fordyce, May 15, Wheeling

Company D - Captain M. Stokeley, May 15, Steubenville, OH

Company E - Captain Geo. C. Trimble, May 16, Wheeling

Company F - Captain T. C.  Parke, May 17, Wellsburg

Company G - Captain James Kuhn, May 18, Wellsburg

Company H - Captain James F. Donnelly,  May 21, Marshall County

Company I - Captain B. W. Chapman, May 21, Hancock County

Company K - Captain G. W. Robinson, May 23, Wheeling

               B.F. Kelley (LOC)

     When the regiment was complete, former Wheeling resident Benjamin Franklin Kelley, who was living in Philadelphia at the time, was assigned to command the unit.  Regimental assignments included Henry B. Hubbard, of Wheeling, as appointed lieutenant-colonel, Isaac H. Duval, of Wellsburg, as major, John B. Lukens, of Wheeling, as adjutant, Isaac M. Pumphrey as quartermaster and Dr. Joseph Thoburn as surgeon.  This regiment was the first to be organized on southern “soil” for defense of the Union. 

     The companies camped in the Fairgrounds near the Back-River Bridge on Wheeling Island. This camp would become known as Camp Carlisle. The citizens of Wheeling supplied many of the men with blankets and clothes.  Arms, however were still needed. Application for these arms was made to the Secretary of War Simon Cameron.  However, due to divided loyalties, it was not thought safe to send arms directly to Wheeling.   Through the office of Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts Unionists, W. H. Brothers and Campbell Tarr received the arms, which were then shipped by steamboat to Wheeling where they were supplied to the regiment.  

     Upon receiving orders for a movement, Colonel Kelley requested transportation by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He was flabbergasted by the response.  The request was refused.  The B & O wished to remain neutral and would not carry troops or ammunition for either side. Colonel Kelley tersely replied to the agent:

“This is war. Railroad companies cannot be their own masters. They are to serve the government that guarantees to them possession and protection for their property. You have a train of cars in the depot tomorrow morning at four o’clock or I will place you in prison and take possession of your railroad by military authority.”

     The cars were at the depot the next morning.  The B&O remained faithful to the Union for the remainder of the war.

     On May 27, 1861, the 1st left Camp Carlisle, on Wheeling Island and proceeded on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad toward Mannington as General McClelland had received word that bridges on the B&O in western Virginia had been burned the previous night.  From there the regiment marched to Grafton and was joined by regiments from Ohio (14^th and 16^th Ohio Volunteers) and Indiana (6^th, 7^th, and 9^th Indiana Volunteers).

     Receiving intelligence that the Federals were approaching, Colonel George Porterfield, commanding the Confederate forces in Grafton (a pro-Union town) withdrew to Philippi (a secessionist town).  On June 2, 1861 the Federal forces, under General Kelley, attacked and completely routed the Confederates in this first land battle of the Civil War. The Confederates beat it out of town so fast that the battle came to be known as The Philippi Races.  During the engagement, Colonel Kelley was shot in the chest, a wound at first thought to be mortal.  Kelly recovered and was promoted to Brigadier General.  He would go on the command the Department of West Virginia.

     After the Battle of Philippi, the regiment was separated. Five companies advanced to Laurel Hill and served in the battles at Rich Mountain and Corrick’s Ford under General George B. McClellan.  Company G was left as a guard at Philippi.  In July and August, the regiment was scattered throughout the country.  Part of the regiment guarded the bridges between Fairmont and the Cheat River from Confederate sympathizers.  Companies A, D, and F moved east to intercept defeated rebels from Cheat Mountain.  Yet another detachment was with Colonel Tyler in the campaign against General Wise, in the Kanawha Valley.

     At the end of July, the 1^st controlled Beverly and Sutton.  From this point, until August 19, the regiment’s only activities were scouting for bushwhackers and Confederate sympathizers.  On August 19, 1861, the regiment received orders to return to Wheeling.  When the regiment arrived in Wheeling on August 21 it received “the grandest reception extended to ANY body of men by the people of Wheeling.  On August 27 and 28, the three months men were mustered out of service.  The service of these men was vital to the Union cause.  Except for times it was damaged by the enemy, the B&O was able to remain open and throughout the war was under Union control.  In addition, enemy lines had been pushed far away from the Ohio Valley. Now Western Virginia was under Union control.  The birth of a new state was near.

     Two days later, the regiment was reorganized for three years’ service under command of Colonel Joseph Thoburn of Wheeling, who was Surgeon of the regiment in the three months service. Many of the three months men re-enlisted for this year years’ service.