Editor’s note: — Wyoming County was one of the border counties between the armies of the north and south and, while no major battles were fought in this section, Wyoming was the scene of much sectional strife and “guerilla” warfare between the marauding thieving “Home Guards” of the two contending sides.

In Wyoming County, both sides maintained small squads of Home Guards. The commanders of the Union Home Guards were Lt. Ferdinand Neumann, Richard M. Cook, Thomas Godfrey, Charles Stewart, Hiram Lambert and Sanders Mullens. On the Confederate side there were Major Dick Stratton of Logan, the “Logan Wildcats,” Andrew Gunnoe, Charles S. Canterbury and Russel Cook, who commanded Home Guards.

Home Guards were consumers and very poor producers. They felt that they had to live as well as other people, consequently, their captains on both sides allowed their soldiers to rob the corn cribs, smoke houses, granaries and chicken coops of the folks whose sympathies were on the other side in conflict.

This confiscation of property led to the guerilla warfare and the killings that took place in Wyoming County.

The families of every member of our history were involved in this war feud. Some of us have been trying for 81 years to outlive it and forget it, but the regrettable facts continue to bob up, so we have decided to make a clean breast of it and let the world know the facts as they are now history.



First Man Killed

This sectional feud took many lives on both sides. One of the first men killed in these skirmishes was John Allen Jr., generally known as “Crap” Allen. Allen lived on the Perry McGraw place near Glens Fork Gap. His brother-in-law, Ralph Laferty, with some of Lt. Neumann’s men (Union), captured him in early 1862 and took him prisoner to Charles Stewart’s on Laurel Fork.

Here he was given charge as a prisoner to Laferty, Dick Elkins, Owen Smith, and John J. Mitchell, who were to deliver him to the Union forces in Kanawha County.

In Walnut Gap, on the Wyoming-Boone line, they told Allen that he might run for his life, and as he started running, Laferty and Elkins shot and killed him and left him lying in the woods.



Lt. Neumann Killed

Perhaps the second man killed was Lt. Ferdinand Neumann, a German, who was killed on Indian Creek on April 11, 1862 by George W. Morgan. Lt. Neumann had been on a raid in Tazewell County and was returning, riding down Indian Creek with Lt. W.N. Henderson, six miles in advance of their men.

Neumann had sent word in advance that he intended to burn all Rebel homes as he came to them, including Morgan’s.

That morning, Morgan sent his son-in-law, Davidson Smith, along with George Hatfield to the home of Andrew Hatfield, a half mile above his own home to watch for the coming of Neumann. When they saw Neumann and Henderson riding down the creek, they crossed the point and told Morgan.

Morgan and the two boys took their guns and went down on the point where they could conceal themselves and watch the house. A half mile below the home, Neumann saw Morgan standing half concealed behind a small white oak tree, near the road. The boys were concealed higher on the hill. When Neumann saw Morgan he dismounted, advanced a step, and raised his army pistol, and cursed Morgan and ordered him to come down.

On Morgan’s refusing to do so, Neumann took aim and fired two shots at Morgan, but missed. One shot, however, grazed the bark near Morgan’s side. Neumann advanced up the bank toward Morgan, and just as he was crossing a small log, his foot slipped. Morgan had taken deadly aim at Neumann’s heart, but when his foot slipped, he pitched forward. Morgan’s rifle ball struck him in the forehead. Neumann rolled back into the road, dead.

George Hatfield fired at Henderson, hitting him in the shoulder, but he did not fall from his horse. Henderson road rapidly away and spread the alarm.

Morgan, urged by his wife, Aunt Juda, went into the Confederate lines and remained away until January 1863, when he came home for a visit. While at home on the night of January 26, some of Neumann’s men at home on scout duty surrounded his home and made him prisoner; thrust their bayonets into hams and sides of meat taken from his smoke house and took Morgan away. He was confined in the Union prison at Camp Chase, Ohio, where he died of small pox the next spring.



Dave Meadows Killed

In the fall of 1862, David Meadows, who lived on Cabin Creek, while at work in his field, was shot from ambush. Some men were suspected of the crime, but it was never known who did the killing.

During the year 1861, Captain Sanders Mullens, of the Union Home Guards, met with some of Captain Duncan’s men near the mouth of Elkin’s Branch above Jesse. A skirmish took place in which Reuben Phink (Rebel) was killed. He was buried on the hill above where Herbert Cook now lives at Jesse.

Shortly after the above skirmish, Captain Blaxen’s men (Union) killed Dudley McMillon (Rebel) on the hill above the old Joshiah Cook home near where George R. Stewart lived.