The governor's pawns : hostages and hostage-taking in Civil War West Virginia / Randall S. Gooden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gooden, Randall S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hostages--Legal status, laws, etc--United States.

Hostages.

War crimes--United States--History--19th century.

War crimes.

Hostages--West Virginia--History--19th century.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Law and legislation.

United States.

West Virginia--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Law and legislation.

West Virginia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (273 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, [2023]

Summary:

An in-depth look at the unique actions of the newly formed state of West Virginia during the Civil War While the taking of hostages by both the Union and the Confederacy was common during the Civil War, it was unique for an individual state government to engage in this practice. The Governor's Pawns examines the history that led to the taking of political prisoners in western Virginia, the implementation of a hostage law by Virginia's pro-Union government in 1863, and the adoption of that law by the newly recognized state of West Virginia.The roots of state hostage-taking took hold prior to the Civil War. Sectional politics between eastern and western Virginia and their local communities, as well as long-standing family rivalries, resulted in the extreme actions of secession and war. Randall Gooden uses genealogical sources to tell the fascinating stories of individuals swept up in the turmoil, including hostages and their captors, freedmen, and government and military officials. Gooden emphasizes the personal nature of civilian arrests and hostage-taking and describes the impact on communities and the families left scarred by this practice.The Governor's Pawns takes readers into the city streets, state and national capitol buildings, army camps, jails and military prisons, hospitals, and graveyards that accompanied the tit-for-tat style of pointedly personal warfare.

Contents:

Cover

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Roots of Division and Animosity in Virginia and West Virginia, 1787-1861

Chapter 2: Pro-Union Virginia and the Move toward Hostage-Taking, 1861-63

Chapter 3: Judge George W. Thompson, Governor Pierpont, and the First Hostage Case

Chapter 4: The New State and Hostage-Taking after the Jones-Imboden Raid of 1863

Chapter 5: Hostage Politics in Barbour County in 1863

Chapter 6: Guerrillas and Retribution in Gilmer and Doddridge Counties, 1863-64

Chapter 7: Rebel Rangers, Union Scouts, and Hostages on the South Branch

Chapter 8: The Plight of Southwestern West Virginia in 1864

Chapter 9: The Union League Raid in Berkeley Springs in 1864

Chapter 10: Governor Boreman and George Buchanon

Epilogue: The Endgame

Appendix: A Chronology of Hostages and Hostage-Taking in Civil War Western Virginia and West Virginia

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Gooden, Randall S. The Governor's Pawns

ISBN:

9781631015113

1631015117

OCLC:

1390558137