VIRGINIA STATE LINE AND SWANN'S BATT'N. Wayne Co. WV Major General John Buchanan Floyd, Commanding Officer Mission: To recover Western Virginia from the Federals Authorized 1862; never fully developed Disbandment, March of 1863; Many enlistees then enlisted or were conscripted into regular Confederate forces--especially, in the Wayne area, into the 45Battalion VA INF, which fought many of its battles in Southern WV. Two battalions that later were particularily active in the Big Sandy area in the last year of the war evolved from the Virginia State Line and the 45th BATT'N. VA INF: SWANN's Battalion and SMITH"S Battalion. VIRGINIA STATE LINE IN WAYNE CO., WV (No complete roster ever developed), and SWANN"S BATTALION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST VIRGINIA STATE LINE Col. Richard Radford, Commanding Officer Headquarters: Glade Spring, Washington County, Virginia, in 1863 Total Companies: 10, cavalry and infantry COMPANY A, Cavalry, mostly men from Logan and Wayne counties 1. Captain, Green W. Taylor 2. 1 Lt., T. R. Waller 3. 2LT. RANSOM LOVINS, #HH 637, with Samuel Webb; Age, 21 COMPANY C, Cavalry, mostly men from Logan/Wayne counties 1. Captain, William Chaffin 2. 1 Lt., James Meade 3. 2 Lt. John Chaffin 4. 2 Lt., M. S. Ballard COMPANY G, Cavalry, mostly men from Wayne County 1. Captain, John Rundell 2. 1 Lt., THOMAS JACKSON A Thomas Jackson, HH #872, 21, 1860 Wayne Census, served in 16 VA CAV, Co. H 3. 2 Lt., JOHN CHAPMAN, John R. Chapman, HH #124, 27, 1860 Wayne Census, enlisted into 45 BATT'N. VA INF in 1863. A Lt. John R. Chapman also enlisted into the 36 INF, Co. C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND VIRGINIA STATE LINE Col. William Elisha Peters, Commanding Officer Total Companies: 10, cavalry and infantry COMPANY H, cavalry, men from Cabell, Logan, and Wayne counties 1. Captain, Mathias Harrison 2. 1 Lt., MEREDITH BURCHETT, HH #1064, 36, 1860 Wayne Census, Enlisted into 45 BATT'N. VA INF in 1863 3. 2 Lt., James Hayes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD VIRGINIA STATE LINE AND SWANN'S BATT"N. Col. John Nicholas Clarkson, Commanding Officer of Third Virginia State Line LT. COL. THOMAS BELT SWANN, second in command of 3rd VSL Swann was in the process of forming a battalion about the time of VSL's disbandment in March of 1863; by 28 December 1864, he had his companies organized into battalion status. NOTE: In a letter dated November 15, 1864, from Col. V. A. Witcher, 34 Battalion VA CAV, to Major General Breckinridge, Commander of Western Virginia and East Tennessee, Witcher states plainly that he is raising Swann's Battalion: ". . . Indeed, in my opinon, were the local organizations in this country disbanded, the organization of a new regiment would only be a question of time--I mean a regiment in addition to the command I am now raising for Colonel Swann. My own battalion is already a regiment, and Swann will have, when I gather them together, seven companies, besides five or six unorganized squads. However, my organization of this regiment altogether depends upon the locality of my command this winter." Witcher, who wrote the letter from Logan Court House, states he will be at Wyoming Court House the next day, where he would remain ten days, before proceeding to Mercer Court House. It could be that Swann's Batt'n. was really Witcher's Batt'n. in all but name, and it does seem that Swann himself was mighty slow about doing his own raising and organizing--from March of 1863 to December of 1864. It wasn't too long after Witcher wrote this letter that Swann's Battalion was organized. SWANN'S BATTALION (Very incomplete roster) Lt. Col. Thomas B. Swann, Commanding Officer G. S. McCutcheon, Chaplain Some officers/NCO's: CO. C, Cap't. P. M Carpenter (See 4 VSL, Co. A) 1 Lt. William F. Butcher 1 Sgt. M. M. Austin CO. H, 1 Lt. Moshier Tabler 2 Lt. John N. Tabler CO. I, 1 Lt. John H. Holmes CO. L, Cap't. Jonathan Lilly (mostly Mercer County men) 2 Lt. William Houchins Sgt. Isaiah Meadow Sgt. A. G. Hughes CO. S, Cap't. William J. Sweeney Sgt. A. S. Hedrick, Sgt. John Kinzer CO. V, Cap't. Elias Vincent/Vinson (Wayne men; Logan?) CO. W, Cap't. Watkins 1 Sgt. William F. McCoy WAYNE COUNTY ROSTER, VINCENT'S/VINSON'S COMPANY GEORGE W. FERGUSON, s/o John and Jane Vaughan Ferguson HH #3?8, 19 CO. V FRANCIS MARCUM, s/o Joshua and Mahala Fluty Marcum HH #778, 14 Co. V SYLVESTER MARCUM, s/o Joseph Marcum HH #807, 24 CO. V HARVEY MAY, s/o Jacob and Elizabeth and brother to John HH #915, 21 CO. V JOHN MAY, s/o Jacob and Elizabeth and brother to Harvey m. 1865 Elizabeth Vinson, Elias Vinson's sister, d/o James and Sarah Parsons Vinson HH #915, 17 CO. V KENIS F. MEED/MEADE, s/o Benjamin F. and Martha Perry Meade HH #1049, 17 CO. V SAMUEL F. NELSON, s/o Isaac and Margaret Stephenson Nelson HH #1060, 27 CO. V HENDERSON ROWE, s/o Joseph and Elizabeth Rowe HH #713, 12 CO. V MINVILLE THOMPSON, s/o Fleming and Zilla Ferguson Thompson HH #634, 18 CO. V ELIAS (Ali) VINCENT/VINSON, s/o James and Sally Parson Vinson NOT in WAYNE CENSUS, related to Wayne Vinsons CO. V, Captain Also served in 34 Battalion VA CAV, Co. B LINDSEY WILSON, s/o Leander and Martha Wilson HH #7?0, 12 CO. V ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOURTH VIRGINIA STATE LINE Col. Nathaniel McClure Menifree, Commanding Officer Replaced by Col. David Stuart Hounshell Total Companies: 10, cavalry and infantry COMPANY A, infantry, men from Logan and surrounding counties 1. Captain, Peter M. Carpenter 2. 1 Lt., John Love 3. 2 Lt., D. T. Angel (Angle?) 4. 2 Lt., Isaac Tinsley COMPANY G, cavalry, men from Cabell and Wayne counties; Many served with 45 Battalion Infantry after disbandment 1. Captain, WILLIAM B. HENSLEY, in 1850 Cabell Co. Census, Relatives in 1860 Wayne County Census; Age, 1860, 21 Enlisted into 45 BATT'N. VA INF, in 1863, Captain, Co. F 2. 1 Lt., William Adkins 3. 2 Lt., R. Blackwood -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTH VIRGINIA STATE LINE Col. David Stuart Hounshell Lt. Col. David Edmundson COMPANY E, cavalry, men from Logan County and, maybe, Wayne County Many collaborated, still under Capt. Lawson, with 10th KY CAV after disbandment and served with SMITH'S BATT'N., led by "Rebel Bill" Smith. 1. Captain, Melvin B. Lawson 2. 1 Lt., J. Gosling 3. 2 Lt., THOMAS McCOY A Thomas McCoy, HH# 1082, 17, 1860 Wayne County Census, enlisted into the 45 BATT'N. VA INF in 1863. He was the brother-in-law of 1 Lt. Meredith Burchett, 2 VA STATE LINE, Co. H. Sources Ancestry. com, Civil War Service Records Library of Virginia, On-line Digital Database, Confederate Rosters Mullins, Billie Hill. Wayne County, West Virginia, 1860 Federal Census. Logan, WV Osborne, Randall and Weaver, Jeffrey C. Virginia State Line, H. E. Howard, Inc, Lynchburg, Virginia, 1995. (On-line, members aol.com/jweaver 300/grayson/vaoth.htm) War of the Rebellion Series, on-line, Cornell Univesity. Submitted by June White, juja@inetone.net