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Reliving Lives: Prestonians 1
1t .....
and the Civil War
by Dorothy B. Snyder
JOHN H. BLANEY
COMPANY C,
3RD WEST VIRGINIA IN-
FANTRY AND
COMPANY A, 6TH WEST
VIRGINIA CAVALRY
(Continued from last week)
Following their struggle at
Culpepper, it was only days
later that the 3rd West Virginia
Infantry was involved in-an-
other ferocious engagement
-this time at Manassas, Vir-
ginia on August 31. The battle
was also known as 2nd Bull
Run. Blaney's young, former
neighbor, Charles Collins, was
wounded in the left hand in this
engagement with the enemy.
The 3rd West Virginia was re-
tained in Washington, D. C. for
guard duty after the action at
2nd Bull Run and thus didn't
participate at Antietam. By fall
they were back in WV. John H.
Blaney was sick in the hospital
at Philadelphia with diphtheria
in November 1862.
During the summer of 1863 the
3rd Virginia Infantry became
the 3rd West Virginia Mounted
Infantry as they traded their
Springfields for a horse, a saber,
and a revolver. In June 1863
they were stationed at Bridge-
port for training and transfor-
mation. When orders came to
move out, they had received the
horses but not the equipment to
go with them. It is obvious that
horses could not travel over the
rugged country without shoes
and although equipment was
ordered in plenty of time, the
forges to make the horseshoes
had not arrived. This was not
one of the most illustrious peri-
ods in their history.
On July 1, 1863 Beverly, in
what by then was officially the
state of WV, was threatened
and Blaney's' newly named
regiment, the 3rd West Virginia
Mounted Infantry went to the
relief of the area. It was during
this time that the 3rd missed out
on one of the most famous bat-
des of the period--Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. However they
were put into action and went
by railroad to Cumberland,
Maryland the second week of
July. There they joined the forc-
es following and harassing Lee
as he retired south from the Get-
tysburg campaign.
By December 1863 Union
strategy demanded that the Vir-
ginia and Tennessee Railroad
be disrupted in order to relieve
General Burnside who was be-
sieged in Tennessee. General
Averell along with his com-
mand, including the 3rd West
Virginia Mounted Infantry, left
lew Creek on December 8,
1863. They comprised a four
mile long column and traveled
via Monterey, Sweet Springs
and New Castile headed for Sa-
lem, Virginia. Averell's forces
managed to destroy the railroad
for over ten miles and also de-
stroyed three supply depots in
Salem. The Confederates tried
to rush troops to deter him but
were not in time to save the
massive qtiantities of corn,
wheat, oats, meat, leather, salt,
clothing, cotton, shoes, tar, sad-
dles and 100 wagons that were
stored in Salem.
Averell's forces left Salem af-
ter the December 16 raid and
retreated back into WV. But that
was not in time for Charles Col-
lins as he was captured by the
Confederates at Jackson River
on December 19. He was con-
fined at Richmond by Christ-
mas Day and then became one
of the earliest prisoners sent to
the new prison at Anderson-
ville, Georgia. He arrived there
on February 10, 1864. The
inhumane conditions there de-
stroyed his health and he died
there of scurvy on July 25, 1864
only days after his neighbor
Henry Wilkins, stepson of John
Blaney arrived there after being
captured on June 24..
Union General William G.
Averell's forces during the De-
cember 1863 campaign had
to avoid more than 12,000 en-
emy troops, cross rain swollen
Craig's Creek over seven times
dragging artillery and swim-
ming troops. However the raid
dealt the south a devastating
blow when they could not af-
ford to lose any provisions.
In Averell's words, his men,
"marched, climbed, slid, and
swam on that raid.
A major change occurred at
Martinsburg in January, 1864
when the 3rd West Virginia
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Mounted Infantry was consoli-
dated with other units to form
the 6th West Virginia Regiment,
Cavalry; thus the 3rd was again
reorganized and thereafter des-
ignated as the 6th Regiment
West Virginia Volunteer Cav-
alry. Much of the time they did
not fight as one consolidated
unit; instead individual compa-
nies were detached to various
areas.
With so many units approach-
ing the final six months of their
initial three year enlistments,
the federal government encour-
aged the experienced units to
re-enlist as Veteran Volunteers.
They would receive a special
badge to wear on their uni-
forms, a re-enlistment bounty
and probably the most attractive
inducement was a thirty day
furlough at their home. Henry
Wilkins declined the invitation,
but his stepfather, John Blaney,
did re-enlist.
When he enlisted as a Veteran
Volunteer, John Blaney claimed
he was born in Preston County
and his occupation was as a
farmer. This was on March 27,
1864 at Martinsburg. He was
described as having blue eyes,
dark hair, and was six feet two
inches tall. His military records
indicate that in March, 1864 he
was present, and May and June
1864, dismounted, absent at
Beverly.
It was on June 26, 1864 when
his stepson, Henry Harrison
Wilkins was captured along
with others at Springfield, WV.
October 5, 1864 he joined his
company from desertion No-
vember and December 1864 he
was present as well as Jan. Feb.
65 present, March through June
1865 present.
The 6th West Virginia Caval-
ry was not mustered out as the
largest numbers of Regiments
were. They were very unhappy
to learn they were being sent
west to guard the mails from
Indian attacks. Many of the
soldiers of the 6th WV Cavalry
refused to follow orders and
mutinied. Blaney was one of
them and arrested at Fort Leav-
enworth on July 15, 1865i July
and August 1865 he was held in
confinement.
September and October 1865
absent, enroute from Fort Leav-
enworth since September 27. I
have no indication of how far
he made it on the way to points
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011- Kingwood, WV- PRESTON COUNTY JOURNAL- 5
west because by November, De-
cember muster, 1865 he was in
the Hospital, Fort Leavenworth
("sick at Sand Hill, Nebraska
65/66.) He must have recovered
enough to again join his regi-
ment because January and Feb
1866 detailed at Alkali, N.T.
March and April 1866 present,
mustered out at Fort Leaven-
worth, May 22, 1866 with his
regiment. And so he went home;
but he was not a healthy man.
John C. Greathouse testi-
fied that he was employed by
Blaney to get out timber on or
about October 20, 1866 and re-
mained in his employ until his
death and had knowledge of his
condition for only that time.
Greathouse stated that Blaney
was unable to labor.
It was on February 11, 1867
that John H. Blaney died in his
bed at his home near the Bea-
ver Hole, Preston County, WV.
On June 30, 1880 Dr. James
Manown of Kingwood testified
he was called to examine the
soldier, he thinks on February
10, 1867 and found him very
sick with intermittent febris, "a
very severe attack and I think
he died on the llth of the same
month. Affiant did not treat sol-
der at any time during his enlist-
ment."
August 22, 1883, Samuel A.
Dill testified he was 1st Sgt of
6 WVW CAV. He stated that
Blaney did contract a disability
in the small of his back caused
by exposure while the com-
pany was doing provost duty
in the town of Buckhannon and
was treated by the regimental
surgeon by cupping the small
of his back. This was in Janu-
ary 1862. Soldier had an attack
of the same disease in January
1865 at Sutton, WV while on
picket which was so severe he
was totally incapacitated from
doing any duty and in a helpless
condition.
Dill stated he knew these facts
as he served in Co. C, 6 W.Va.
first, then Company A in which
affiant was Sergeant. He knew
that the soldier had frequent at-
tacks of the same disability at
intervals as long as he remained
in service. Affiant knew soldier
from 22 day of June 1861 at
which time he was a sound able
bodied man so far as he knew,
free from any signs of physi-
cal disability. All the time from
some trouble in the back which
grew worse up to the time of his
death and after he was confined
to his bed. Affiant nursed sol-
dier until he died and he com-
plained of his back which got so
bad he was ordered to lift and
turn him in his bed and the night
before he died he had a very se-
vere chill which lasted about an
hour.
Blaney's stepson, Henry H.
Wilkins, made a statement, on
Jan 9, 1883 to the effect that
Since discharge in June 1866
his stepfather still complained
and was unable to do any kind
of farm labor until in the fall of
1866 he was confined to his bed
and house. So helpless he had
to be turned in the bed. Blaney
complained of the same until
his death on Feb 1 l, .1867.
Then on Nov 17, 1883 Henry
Wilkins said, while at Buckhan-
non about Jan 20, 1862, while
on provost duty in the town of
Buckhannon from exposure said
soldier contracted a disability
which affected the small of his
back to such extent he was us-
able for duty for about a month.
Also while the command lay at
Sutton in Braxton County in the
winter of 1863, he had another
attach of the same kind.
William H. Devers testified
that John H. Blaney was sick
at Sand Hill, Nebraska in July
2865 and unable to do duty un-
der he was discharge. I did not
know the nature of his disease.
Never saw the soldier after dis-
charge.
(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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