The Civil War in Logan County

By Dwight Williamson

Dwight Williamson, Logan County MagistrateAlthough during the Civil War Logan Countians were predominantly southern sympathizers, there were those persons of the area who actually believed in the northern cause and enlisted with the northern forces. The names of people like James A. Nighbert, John William Stratton, Henry Clay Ragland, and certainly, Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield, are familiar as participants in the War Between the States, and for fighting for the old Confederacy. James Hinchman, whose grandfather (William Hinchman) settled the area of Rich Creek in Logan County when the entire area was wilderness in about 1808, fought for the Union and was a Captain for the Northern forces.

During the Civil War, neither Northern nor Southern armies occupied the county regularly, but several visits were made by different commands, and guerilla raids were not infrequent by either side. Of course, the Logan Courthouse was burned by Northern forces in 1862 after they were fired upon from across the Guyandotte River as they moved from Chapmanville to Logan. While some of these encounters have been handed down by word of mouth over the many years, others have been recorded militarily; yet, even more have been lost in time. One story, which thankfully has not been lost, was told by George R. Hinchman in The Logan Banner back in 1933. The incident took place at what is now the community of Taplin; a place which was called Henry’s Branch at the time of the Civil War.

A band of Southern guerilla forces stopped at a home occupied by the McCasson family at Henry’s Branch. The leader of the band of guerilla forces was Dave Walker, who announced his intentions of taking the McCasson family’s finest horse as the group prepared to leave. When the owner protested, according to The Banner account, “he was beaten with a gun butt and killed.” The wife and a daughter also were dreadfully beaten causing the daughter to become insane. The news soon spread and a posse of neighbors, consisting of both Northern and Southern sympathizers, set out in pursuit of the murdering band. They overtook them on Huff Creek and brought them back to the scene of the crimes.

After his guilt was established beyond reasonable question, and it was determined that the other men had at least mildly protested Dave Walker’s actions, it was decided—without lawyers, a judge or jury—that Walker was to be hanged. He was forced to mount the horse he had stolen, which was then led beneath a sycamore tree. Tobias Riddle climbed the sycamore with a rope which he tied around a limb. The other end of the rope was fastened around the murder’s neck, and the horse was led from under him. The Banner reported that, “Nobody was masked and no participant denied his acts, but everybody was convinced that only simple justice had been done, and no one was ever arrested.” Walker was buried near the river on property at Rich Creek owned by Oliver Perry.

The remaining men that came with Walker were allowed to leave unharmed. It is interesting to note that the name of Rich Creek came about because of the millions of passenger pigeons that had for many years roosted at the mouth of the hollow. The birds’ droppings contributed to the rich, dark soil that proved valuable in farming the area. It was said that the birds darkened the air as they flew, and were so much in each other’s way in flying that many collisions caused them to fall to the ground, while thousands of others “were knocked down with sticks.” The largest roosting area for passenger pigeons, however, was said to be at Copperas Fork of Island Creek at what later became the community of Holden.

Although America once was filled with multi-millions of passenger pigeons, it has long been a mystery as to their sudden disappearance. Some scientists theorized that a great storm may have overtaken them in their migration to South America, while others hazard to guess that they all died of some contagious disease. Either way, the birds, like the story behind the hanging of Dave Walker, are now just a part of our local history.

Dwight Williamson is a contributing writer and a former reporter for The Logan Banner. He currently serves as a Logan County Magistrate.

*Published with permission.


Articles by Dwight Williamson on this site.

6 thoughts on “The Civil War in Logan County”

  1. Keith, which Union unit was your grandfather in? There were two Buchanans from Logan County that fought for the Confederacy (both in Co.B, 45th Battallion) I am unaware of any organized Union unit from Logan Co. (then including Mingo County) so if you know the unit he was in it may shed more light on your ancestor. There were many Union units from E. Ky. so it may have been one of those.

  2. This is the first I have ever heard that there were men from Logan County that served in the Union army. Those from Logan who fought for the Confederacy were enlisted in regiments that have foster and we can easily identify their name, rank, home county and unit the fought it. I am unaware of any Union regiments that came from Logan and other southern W. Va. counties. What were the units that the Union men fought in?.

    1. West Virginia with Logan County residing in it is an unlawful legal invention, nothing more. Read the history of Benjamin Harrison Smith from Spilman Law’s website. According to the historical account 15 Logan residents appointed him to represent them as a delegate in the Union Convention along with a letter from a Buckeye (Ohio) Colonel.

      If majority rules, it didn’t in those days. Furthermore, Smith wasn’t even a resident of Logan, he was from Kanawha County. James Brown, a delegate from Kanawha, lied at the Convention in order to seat Smith. The lying continues today.

      Logan County belongs to Virginia. The new state should more appropriately be called East Ohio on account that many of the so called West Virginia regiments were actually manned by Buckeyes. Consider if any or how many West Virginia union soldiers had trouble receiving their pensions leading to congressional records of a complaint. You’ll certainly see Ohio representatives complaining at that time.

  3. I absolutely loved reading this. I have lived in Logan county for 67 years now and my Great Great Grandfather, Thomas Buchanan was a lieutenant in the union army. My cousin still has what is left of his sword and a 45/70 rifle he owned. Thank you for posting this, sir.

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