The Civil War In Summers County, West Virginia

Confederate soldier Joseph Floyd Young was shot through the head and had a silk handkerchief run through the hole to remove the debris—he then lived to be an old man!

Billy Blane Basham, also a Confederate soldier, went AWOL in order ro rescue his family back home who were being harassed by a witch over in the next holler.

These are just two of over 80 stories, most heretofore unpublished, about the Civil War in Summers County, assembled by the Summers County Historical Society.

Also included in the book are

• A list of over 800 soldiers with their units, 100 with photos

• Numerous unpublished letters of soldiers plus diary entries

• Sketch of a battle scene drawn by a soldier who was there

• Official dispatches from both Union and Confederate officers describing the same battle to their superiors—what a difference they both are!

This book is a must have for those interested in the Civil War, in the history of Summers County, and in genealogy. It is also simply a delightful read for everyone!

The Summers County Historical Society has released a book on the Civil war in the County. The book details the stories of soldiers and their families during the Civil War, with hundreds of soldiers mentioned in the book.

“We have a lot of stories of people that were left behind. There’s other funny stories and serious stories in the book, as well as a list of about 800 soldiers from Summers County,” member Gayley Vest said.

The Civil War was a very important time for Summers County. Many soldiers moved to the area immediately following the war, and built it into the region that it is today.

“Some of them were not here at the time of the Civil War but moved to Summers County after the war and were long-time permanent residents, probably most of them working for the C&O Railroad.”