The Raid On The Virginia State Line 1862 - Pike County Historical Society

General John B. Floyd’s 119 Unionist Prisoners Captured During the Raid of the Virginia State Line Up in the Big Sandy Valley in December of 1862

Sources and Works Consulted:

The Richmond Daily Enquirer, Dec. 29, 1862. (Published between 1804 and 1877.)

Typescript of a letter dated Aug. 7, 1863, from (Godfrey) Daniel Dotson, Co. H, 39th Kentucky, to the Stewards of the General Hospital of Annapolis, MD, in the collection of Josh Branham.

ARRIVAL OF STATE PRISONERS – By the Danville train, on yesterday morning, at 3 o’clock, one hundred and nineteen prisoners, (soldiers and citizens,) captured by Gen. Floyd, in Kentucky and Western Virginia, arrived in this city, under charge of Capt. Oliver, of the Virginia State Line. They were met by Sgt. Denton, with a detachment of the Public Guard, and escorted to the Virginia Armory building, on the corner of 7th and Cary streets, where in accordance with instructions from the Adjutant General some weeks ago, Capt. Coghlan, the officer in charge of the Ordnance Depot, had fitted up the second and third stories for their reception, and also provided subsistence, &tc., for their proper keeping. A number of them, we understand, will be sent to the State prison, and there held as hostages for the gallant Col. Zarvona, who still languishes in a Northern dungeon.
The following are the names of the prisoners.

Under charge of Captain John M. Oliver, Virginia State Line.

Capt. Wm. Gramm, Phila., PA, 8th WVI
Lt. Isaac Wade, Putnam Co., 8th WVI
Pvt. George W. Douglas, Boone Co., 8th WVI
Mike McCarthy, Kanawha, 8th WVI
Joseph H. Forster, Boone, 8th WVI
John H. (or A.) Cook, Wyoming, 8th WVI
Presley D. Gue, Cabell, 9th WVI
Jas. S. Steel, Putnam, 8th WVI
Jno. Whittington, Putnam, 8th WVI
Joseph Hall, Mason, 8th WVI
Vincent Gillespie, Putnam, 8th WVI
Robert H. Harris, Putnam, 8th WVI
William Little, Putnam, 8th WVI
Martin Barbour, Putnam, 8th WVI
(All of the above were capt. 11/25/62, Logan Co., WV, except for Gue.)
Owen Hatfield, Floyd, 39th, capt. 12/5, Pike Co.
Henry Bond, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
Henry Cassaday, Johnson, capt. 12/5, Floyd Co.
Thomas Bingham, Carter, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
William Sturgeon, Johnson, 39th[1]
Jesse Price, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4
Chockley King, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4
Alex Stafford, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/4 or Aug./62, Pike Co.
Isaac Goble, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
Eli Dials, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
James DeLong, Floyd, 39th[2]
Squire (Esquire) Coles, Johnson, 39th[3]
David Dials, Magoffin, 39th, capt. 12/4
A. J. Ratcliffe, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/4
William McGuire, Lawrence, 39th, capt. 12/4
Mike Blankenship, Floyd, 39th[4]
Samuel Hamilton, Floyd, 39th, capt. 12/5, Floyd Co.[5]
Enoch Cassaday, Logan, 39th, capt. 12/5, Pike Co.
Richard Roberts, “Washington”, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.[6]
David V. Auxier, Johnson, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
Alex Hall, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/4, Floyd Co.
William Powers, Carter, 39th, capt. 12/6, Pike Co.
Robert Hillman, Lawrence, 39th, capt. 12/4
James Thompson, Johnson, 39th, capt. 11/20, Lawrence Co.
Peter? Rakes, Pike, 39th, capt. 11/29, Pike Co.
George Wolford, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/7, Pike Co.
John McCoy, Pike[7]
George A. Estep, Pike, 39th[8]
John Cook, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/16/62, Peter Creek, Pike Co.
William H. McCoy, Pike, 39th[9]
Daniel B. Coleman, Pike, 39th, capt. 12/5, Pike Co.
Capt. Thomas Dameron, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt., “bushwhacker”[10]
Lt. Wilson Dameron, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt., “bushwhacker”[11]
Larkin Maynard, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt. – Lightburn, “bushwhacker”[12]
Wyatt E. Atkins, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt. – Lightburn
Alvin Maynard, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt. – Lightburn
William Pennicks, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt.
James R. Maynard, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt.
Elijah Matthews, Johnson, 39th
James? Stepp, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
Thomas Crum, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
Thomas Spalding , Wayne, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
Aaron Brewer, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
Samuel W. Muncy, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
George L. Peck,[13] Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s
Davis Pack, Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt. – Millroy’s[14]
Thom. S. Dameron, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt.[15]
Allen Preston, Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt.
James M. Preston, Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt.
John Pack, Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt.
Samuel Pack, Lawrence, 5th Va. Regt.[16]
William R. Spalding, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt.
Harrison Muncy, Wayne, 5th Va. Regt.
Eliphus Muncy, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt.
John Maynard, Wayne, 4th Va. Regt.

(The following prisoners did not have any unit associations listed, though some are easily identified. They may not have been in any unit at this time, or just refused to self-identify, though that may have been dangerous. It seems that Floyd was also picking up civilian rabble-rousers and agitators.)

[1] No notes regarding where or when captured.
[2] No notes.
[3] No notes.
[4] No notes.
[5] Died 2/5/63, Richmond, VA.
[6] “Captured in Johnson Co., Ky. deserter from Co. B 37th Va.”
[7] There are two in the unpublished 39th roster…neither listed as captured in those records.
[8] No indication of capture in 39th roster.
[9] No notes.
[10] Later operated a militia or poss. scout company and served in the 45th KY Mtd. Inf.
[11] Later served in a militia or poss. scout company and served in the 45th KY Mtd. Inf.
[12] Later served in a militia or poss. scout company.
[13] George Pach was previously captured with his nephew Samuel by Vincent Witcher on October 27, 1861. George told the Confederate authorities at that time: “Prisoner says he was born in Giles County, Va. Removed to Lawrence County, Ky., and then to Wayne County, Va. [He] Is the uncle of Samuel Pach. Lives near Sandy, across from Louisa, Ky., and about twenty-eight miles distant on Twelve Pole River from that town. Says he voted for members of the convention held at Richmond and never voted since. Is a Southern man. Never had anything to do with the Union men of Kentucky or of his neighborhood. Says some of his neighbors went to Ceredo and got arms from Zeigler. He remonstrated against it as the beginning of bloody times at home. Took the part of the South. I have no information in reference to this man except from his own examination and his manner creates some doubt in my mind of his sincerity. But he is a very old man (near seventy) and his health much broken by his confinement. He is willing to take the oath of allegiance. I recommend he be discharged on taking the oath of allegiance.” (OR, Ser. 2, Vol. 2, 1443)
[14] Not carried on the Daily Dispatch roster.
[15] Later served in the 45th KY Mtd. Inf.
[16] For Samuel Pack as well, nephew of George W. listed above, this was also the second time he had been arrested. Samuel was also interrogated and allowed that, “he was arrested by Captain Witcher on suspicion of being a Union man. Denies he is a Union man. Says he is with the South. Affirms he never had any connection with the Northern army or the Union men of Kentucky or his own neighborhood. He lives near the Kentucky line on the Sandy River. I can procure no information about him and judging from his conduct under examination I should think he was an honest man. I recommend his discharge on taking the oath of allegiance.” (OR, Ser. 2, Vol. 2, p. 1442)
[17] Methodist preacher and well-known Unionist.
[18] Brother of Colonel John Dils, Jr.
[19] Elderly member of Big Creek, Pike County, Unionist clan. Died in prison in Richmond, VA, per lengthy account by Rev. M. T. Burris.
[20] Brother of Colonel John Dils, Jr.
[21] Carried on Daily Dispatch roster as “Wm. Haden.” Very active Unionist agitator, recruiter, and captain of Co. I, 39th KY Mtd. Inf…very interesting here for no self-identified unit association.
[22] This was the very ardent Tug Valley Unionist, brother of feudist Randolph McCoy, identified in many sources as the first “official” victim of the Hatfield-McCoy feud—at this point, he was still suffering from a severe gunshot wound received the previous March while a member of “Capt. Cline’s Co.,” probably Uriah Runyon’s WV Militia Company recruited around Pond Creek, Pike Co., KY. Despite laying prostrate in his bed with a suppurating wound, he was deemed dangerous enough to roust and send to prison in Richmond, Va. When examined by a Union surgeon the following April, his wound still appeared so severe that it was recommended that he be discharged from the service. He would re-enlist in the 45th KY Mtd. Infantry, Co. E, the following October 20th.
[23] Not carried on Daily Dispatch roster.
[24] This man was a spy, without a doubt. Listed as a “citizen of Ky.” in his 39th CSRs which indicate that he was paid for his two or three months’ of service prior to muster in. He was part of the Lambert family involved in a land feud (over gold mining rights) that began in the late 1850s with the Harmans. Isaac was married into the Cline family.
[25] Related to Isaac listed above; one of the parties in that McDowell County land feud mentioned above. Phillip was a surveyor, giving him information about the worth and access to thousands of acres of land in several counties.
[26] Was a very influential Unionist leader. There is much documentation in WV militia papers and elsewhere for his activities. He may have been related to Union Captain Alfred Carter Hailey who guided Ms. Breckinridge (daughter of the ex-vice president and Confederate general) and Mrs. Johnston (wife of the Confederate officer and author of the first definitive Confederate war history) through Confederate territory under a flag of truce to Richmond, VA.

Captain William Francis, Jr.’s, Company of the 167th Wayne County, Virginia, Militia

“One of the most noted home guard chieftains operating on the Tug was Capt. William Francis Jr. of Pike County. A prominent local official in the Peter Creek community. Francis, who owned more than 1,300 acres on the left fork of the stream, was operating a store on the Tug when the war broke out. Sometime in the late summer of 1862 he organized a company of fifty-seven men that included three of [Devil] Anse’s Kentucky cousins, James, Joseph, and Thompson Hatfield…The great Confederate invasion of Kentucky that fall, which forced the Federals to completely abandon the Big Sandy Valley, totally isolated these home guard units. Driven down the Tug sometime in September, Francis…formally attached [his] compan[y] to one of the few regiments still operating in the region—the 167th Militia of Wayne County, western Virginia…Although based far downriver, the Tug Home Guards apparently led forays into Pike and Logan counties during the fall of 1862.” (Prichard in …Virginia: 1863, 60-1)
William Francis, Jr., 32 yo, owned $200 real estate in Tazewell Co., VA, in 1850, HH#974; 42 yo, owned $2,000 real estate in Pike Co., KY, 1860, HH#752.
Barbara Vance Cherep and Randall Osborne believe that Captain Francis was killed in April of 1863. Geraldine Francis Davenport, a direct descendant, narrowed down the death date of Captain Francis to April 27th, 1863.

57 men
Name                                   39th Co. Assoc.
Baker, Andrew                      H
Baker, Henry                        None
Baker, Thomas                     D
Baker, William                      D
Bray, James
Browning, Miles                   D
Carter, E. C.
Carter, H. S.                          H
Carter, L. W.
Charles, George                   H
Charles, John                       H
Coleman, Curtis                   D
Coleman, Daniel                  D or H
Coleman, Isaac                    D
Coleman Joseph                  D
Coleman, Moses                  C
Coleman, Moses, Jr.             D
Coleman, W. F.                     H
Daugherty, D. J.                    D
Daugherty, H. M.                  H
Dotson, E.                             H
Dotson, George, Jr.
Dotson, George W., Sr.        H
Dotson, John                        H
Dotson, R.                             H
Duty, Isom
Duty, J. H.
Estep, James                        H
Francis, J. M.                        H
Harris, Coleman                   H
Hatfield, James                    H
Hatfield, Joseph
Hatfield, Thompson             H
Hurley, Joseph
Justice, Basil                         H
Layne, David                         H
Layne, John                           H
Norman, William                 H
Scarberry, Jacob                   H
Scarberry, John                    H
Scarberry, Thomas               H
Scarberry, William              H
Smith, Curtis                        D
Smith, Isaac                          H
Smith, William                     C
Stump, George
Stump, James                       H
Stump, L. D.                          H
Wilson, Henry
Wolford, Andrew
Wolford, Daniel                    D or H
Wolford, Daniel, Sr.             D or H
Wolford, Fred                       I
Wolford, James
Yates, John                            I

Captain Uriah Runyon’s Company of the 167th Wayne County, Virginia, Militia
Pond Creek/Mouth of Pond on Tug River

Cassiday, Enoch
Christian, William
Cline, Jacob
Cline, Peter
Cravens, William R.
Daniels, Lewis
Daniels, M.
Daniels, Richard
Daniels, William
Fane, N.
Hagerman, William
Johnson, Payton
Johnson, W. P.
McCoy, Asa –
McCoy, John
McCoy, Pleasant
Mounts, Asbury
Mounts, Charles
Mounts, Conley
Mounts, David
Mounts, Ely, Jr.
Mounts, Ely, Sr.
Mounts, Harrison
Mounts, M.
Mounts, William
Mounts, William, Sr.
Near, David
Near, Isaac
New, Andrew
Newman [Runyon?], Adam, Sr.
Newman [Runyon?], Saulsberry
Robert(s), J. H.
Robert(s), William
Samson, Elias
Stafford, Elisha
Stafford, Ferrel
Stafford, Fle(ming)
Steele, John
Wallace, Amos
White, David
White, Edward
White, James
White, Parris
White, West
Wilson, Asa
Wolford, George
Yates, Hiram