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4-PRESTON COUNTY JOURNAL-Wednesday, June 22, 2011-Kingwood, WV
Reliving Lives: Prestonians I
and the Civil War ,o
1865
by Dorothy B. Snyder
FAMILY OF JACOB AND
ELIZABETH BLANEY
LAWRENCE $. BLANEY
COMPANY I, 14TH WEST
VIRGINIA INFANTRY
According to the census of
1860 taken in District 2, Monon-
galia County, Virginia with post
office at Morgantown the fam-
ily was Jacob M. Blaney, age
48, Elizabeth Blaney 47, John
E. Blaney 22, Samuel Blaney,
21, and Lawrence Blarley 20.
We can also document the fact
that John E., Samuel and Law-
rence were brothers by the affi-
davit of John E. and Lawrence
Blaney which was submitted to
the pension office on May 25,
1886. Samuel J. Blaney's two
brothers, Lawrence S, and John
E. Blaney made this affidav R on
which they stated they were res-
idents of near Reedsville, Pres-
ton County and that, "We are
well acquainted with Samuel J.
Blaney having known him all
our lives."
Lawrence S. Blaney enlisted
August 12, 1862, and was dis-
charged June 27, 1865, with
chronic diarrhea and disease of
the lung, which resulted in dis-
ease of the head and which was
caused in service. Lawrence
Blaney was on the muster roll
to October 3, 1862 as a private,
absent with leave, "at home be-
ing sick." From December 3,
1862 to April 30, 1863, he was
carried as present. During those
months there was very little
contact with any enemy forces
as they were primarily protect-
ing wagon trains and the rail-
road in eastern West Virginia.
It is fairly easy to document
Lawrence Blaney's history as
a soldier. When asked which
battles he was in, he named
Lexington and Lynchburg. Also
William M. Merrifield, late a
prixate of Company H 14th
West Virginia Infantry volun-
teers stated he was acquainted
with Lavrence S. Blaney of
Company I, 14th WV Inf. say-
ing: "I knew and believe that
said Blaney was a stout, able
bodied man at the time of the
Hunter Raid of Lynchburg in
the summer of 1864 and that
from the fatigue, and exhaus-
tion to which he was subjected
on that raid he was very much
disabled, resulting in what, I
thought at that time, consump-
tion."
On April 18, 1881 Lawrence
Blaney submitted an affidavit
when applying lor his invalid
pension in which he claimed
disability from chronic diar-
rhea and disease of lungs con-
tracted on the Lynchburg Raid,
in July 1864. He was treated
as follows: in the hospitals at
Clarksburg, (West) Virginia in
August 1862 and in the hospital
at New Creek in January 1863.
He was also treated in the hos'-
pital at Clarysville in Febru-
ary 1863. He was admitted to
G.H. Cumberland/ Clarysville
May 11, 1863, with inflamma-
tion of lungs and the diagnosis
also stated' as consumption and
returned to duty, December 8,
1863. In July 1864 he was in the
General Hospital, Cumberland.
He was also in the hospital dur-
ing September and October
1864 and then transferred to the
hospital at Grafton, West Vir-
ginia in October 1864.
The 14th West Virginia Infan-
try saw duty in eastern (West)
Virginia and rarely saw a Rebel
soldier from the time the regi-
ment was mustered in during
the fall of 1862 until drastic
changes in the late spring of
1864. That was when Union
General U. S. Grant ordered
Brig. Gen. George Crook on a
raid toward southwestern Vir-
ginia to destroy the vital Vir-
ginia and Tennessee Railroad.
Crook had an army of three bri-
gades, one of which was com-
manded by future United States
President, Rutherford B. Hayes.
This army marched from
Camp Piatt, West Virginia on the
30th day of April with the mis-
sion of destroying the railroad.
For over a week the Federals,
drenched by rain and snow-
storms, slipped and slithered
through the difficult, forbidding
terrain. The unimproved roads
turned into oozing troughs of
mud, but General Crook pushed
his men.
It was a tough battle at Cloyd's
Mountain on May 9 when the
Union command encountered
a patchwork line of Confeder-
ate troops under the command
of Gen. Albert G. Jenkins. They
fought well in what was the first
major confrontation with the
enemy for many of the men and
the Confederate line collapsed.
But, it was a near tragedy for
their sister company, Company
B of the 14th, which lost, one
killed, nine wounded and 18
prisoners (most of who ended
up at Andersonville.) Many of
them were from Preston Coian-
ty. The rest of the army movec
on and burned the New River
Bridge, another major objective
of the raid.
Nineteen days after they left
camp, they returned to West
Virginia. Crook's army had
marched a distance of 254 miles
in 19 days. After returning from
their devastating foray south
they were sent to the Shenan-
doah Valley where they joined
the Army which had been under
General Siegel's command and
badly defeated at the Battle of
New Market. That command
was now under General David
Hinter.
Needless to say, General
Crook and General Hunter did
nora see eye to eye on many is-
sues. Hunter's intent was to cut
the Southern supply lines, com-
munication lines and railroad
lines as he moved through the
valley. He didn't limit himself
to the objectives, but terrorized
civilians in his path. He was
victorious at the Battle of Pied-
mont, but stories of his ruthless
devastation in the past begin to
reach the average soldier and
they were apprehensive of what
their role under him might be.
The Battle of Piedmont was
fought on June 5, 1864. The
battle is named after a little vil-
lage north of Waynesboro and
southwest of Port Republic. It
was significant in that it was the
battle for control of Staunton,
an important Confederate store-
house and railroad hub.
The Confederate forces, under
William E. "Grumble" Jones
were badly outnumbered (by
30% to up to over 100%, de-
pending on the source) by the
United States forces under Da-
vid Hunter. Short on men, Jones
called in the Home Guard units,
including Augusta County's
3rd Battalion Valley Reserves,
to protect Staunton. (The 3rd
Battalion at this point was a
six-week old assemblage of 17
and 18 year-old boys and 45-50
year-old farmers.) The battle
front shifted back and forth but
ultimately ended in a rout of
the Confederates, with General
"Grumble" Jones dead with a
bullet through his forehead and
General Hunter preparing to
move on to Staunton. By this
time, Hunter acquired the nick-
name of "Butcher"
June 10, Hunter's army
marched through Lexington
where the Virginia Military
Institute was located and it
was there that General Hunter
showed his true colors. The
armies laid over at Lexington
for a day to wait for 200 wag-
ons of supplies. The men of the
14th who were in their first.real
month of brutal warfare were
beginning to learn what real war
was about.
A letter written by Governor
Letcher describes the burn-
ing of his home. It wasn't only
his house that was torched but
nearly every building on the
campus of the Virginia Military
Institute. Not in the 14th, but
in other regiments were many
soldiers, including my great
grandfather, Henry Bolyard,
who were at the Battle of New
Market in May. At that time
they were essentially smitten by
cadets from the VMI.
Hunter claimed he torched
the house in reprisal for bush-
whackers burning the home
of Governor Pierpoint of West
Virginia. I have no direct evi-
dence that the men of the 14th
were involved in the burning of
Gov. Letcher's residence, but
Lawrence Blaney stated he was
at the battles of Lexington and
Lynchhurg.
I found a reprint of an article
from a newspaper at the time
that tells better than can I part
of what happened in Lexington.
The Vindicator, July 22, 1864,
p.l,c. 6
The Residence Burning
of Gov. Letcher's Home
We print below a document
destined to become historic.
The calm, dispassionate and
truthful recital it gives of one of
the most wanton and barbaric
acts of the war needs no com-
ment to awaken the indignation
of every manly bosom.
Our soldiers in Maryland, who
are reported to have had in ash-
es the residence of the Yankee
governor of that State, by way
of retaliation, have given prac-
tical expression to the feeling
of our people, and anticipated
the judgment of mankind and
the verdict of history. It is due
to Gov. Letcher to say that this
letter was written with no view
to publication, and in response
to a private commuriication ad-
dressed him by the Mayor of
this city.
The passages omitted relate to
personal matters--Whig:
LEXINGTON, VA., JULY
5TH, 1864. Finding the Yan-
kees would take the town on
Saturday (June 1 lth) I left home
near midnight Friday night and
went to Big Island, in Bedford,
where I remained until Wednes-
day morning following, when,
hearing the vandals had left, I
returned. I had previously heard
that my house had burned, with
all its contents. The threats
made by the Yankees against
me, for the past two years, satis-
fied me that they would destroy
my house when they came to
Lexington; but I always sup-
posed they would allow the fur-
niture and my family's clothing
to be removed. In this. however.
I was disappointed.
When the Yankees took pos-
session of the town. Dr. Pat-
ton, medical director for Hunt-
er's army, and who hails from
Marion County, Va.. went to
my house, told my wife he was
unwell, and said he must have a
room in the house. He took the
room, supped and breakfasted.
and, when breakfast was nearl)
over, remarked, in a manner
half-jocular, half-earnest, to
.Lizzie, that it was the last meal
she would take in the house.
Shortly after, he left, without
taking leave of any of the fam-
ily, nor was he again seen by
any of them.
(To be continued next week)
Copyright: Dorothy B. Snyder
9 Douglas Court, Dover DE 19901
Email: DBonafield@aol.com
Phone 302-697-3797
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