(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
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Military History - Page Three
"I could not hear of any Confederate troops this side of the river, and heard that General Whose forces were still at the Salt Springs, beyond Union.
"Respectfully yours,
J. J. Hoffman Major, Second Battalion, Second Virginia Cavalry"
(From
Vol.
12,
Chapter
24,
Page
814)
From
Colonel
George
Crook,
Commanding
Brigade,
to
Captain
G.
M.
Balszcom,
Assistant
Adjutant
General:
"Headquarters Third Brigade Meadow Bluff, July 12, 1862
"Capt. G. M. Bascom, Assistant Adjutant General:
"I
sent
two
companies
of
cavalry
with
Captain
Harrison.
They
met
the
rebel
cavalry
at
Alderson’s
Ferry;
had
a
skirmish,
killed
and
wounded
7
rebels,
got
some
10
or
12
horses;
only
got
two
of
his
children;
others
scattered
about
the
country
near
Union,
and
the
oldest
rebels
have
in
prison.
Do
you
wish me to get the children for him? I would like, if possible, to have Captain Harrison’s Company here since he is so familiar with the Country.
"Very Respectfully,
George Crook, Colonel, Commanding Brigade."
This is a puzzling report. Who was Captain Harrison? Whose children were held captive by whom in Alderson’s Ferry?
William
Taylor
Reed,
97,
died
January
14,
1951.
He
was
the
last
Confederate
Veteran
in
Alderson.
He
had
served
3
years,
6
months,
in
Co.
F,
46th
Virginia Cavalry, and fought at Cold Harbor, Gettysburg and Winchester.
Following
the
collapse
of
the
Confederacy
the
defeated
soldiers
came
home,
embittered,
sick
or
wounded,
penniless,
to
a
bankrupt
homeland.
They
could
not
vote,
hold
public
office,
practice
law,
teach
school,
or
bring
a
suit
in
court.
Then
the
carpetbaggers
like
a
plague
descended
upon
the
land.
The
head
of
this
infamous
gang
was
Nathaniel
Harrison,
an
attorney
before
the
Civil
War
in
Monroe
County,
who
became
the
Circuit
Judge
of
Mercer,
Greenbrier,
and
Monroe
Counties.
He
was
as
corrupt
and
vena]
a
man
as
can
be
imagined.
Harrison
imported
another
crook
to
come
to
this
area
to
practice
law,
Major
Cyrus
Newlin,
and
together
they
plundered
the
whole
section.
The
judge
finally
was
forced
to
resign
when
articles
of
impeachment
were
preferred
against
him
in
1866.
It
was
not
until
April
1871,
that
former
Confederate
soldiers
were
granted
the
voting
franchise.
Some
idea
of
how
few
could
vote
is
shown
in
the
election
of
1868
when
the
polls
were
guarded
by
Federal
troops.
In
Monroe
County
but
326
men
voted; 1511 were not allowed to vote. Ref: War of the Rebellion, Series One, Volume l2, Part 3, Page 470
The
carpetbaggers
who
plundered
the
local
area
were
composed
of
local
bands
of
trash
who
traveled
about,
frequently
masked,
stealing
and
plundering.
They
claimed
they
were
collecting
"government
property".
A
company
of
supposedly
Union
retainers
known
as
"Home
Guards"
under
Captain
Lorenzo
D.
Garten
also
hounded
anyone
they
desired
by
saying
they
were
collecting
government
property
for
the
Federal
Government.
In
April
1871,
an
amendment
to
the
State
Constitution
was
adopted
known
as
the
Flick
Amendment
which
enfranchised
the
Southern
sympathizers,
and this area began a good recovery.
The
Spanish-American
War
in
1898
lasted
but
a
short
time.
It
is
known
that
four
men
from
Alderson
served.
As
far
as
is
known,
none
were
killed
or
wounded.
They
were
William
E.
Keadle,
Ross
Henderson,
Charlie
Mann
and
Charlie
Hudson.
Hudson
is
reputed
to
be
the
man
who
carried
the
flag
up San Juan Hill in the famous charge by Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.
By
1917
when
World
War
I
commenced,
Alderson
had
increased
in
population
to
about
1400.
A
roster
of
47
World
War
I
veterans’
names
has
been
compiled
from
memory
of
several
persons.
Walter
B.
Rogers,
Jr.,
and
E.
R.
Fletcher,
Jr.,
have
been
the
best
sources
for
names.
This
list
is
not
complete.
Three
men
were
killed
in
France.
Lt.
Lee
C.
Tait
was
wounded
November
2,
and
died
November
12,
1917.
Sterling
Baker
was
also
killed
there.
Asa
Charles
Moffet,
son
of
Jean
B.
Modet,
was
killed
in
France
while
serving
with
a
Cincinnati
Ambulance
Company.
One
man,
White
Holt,
died
in
service. Among those wounded were: Tommy Knapp, Everett Roach, Carl Eades, Carl Clark, L. H. Basham, and Charles Nash.
By
far
the
greatest
number
of
men
who
have
served
in
the
nation’s
wars
were
in
World
War
II.
That
war
began
on
the
"date
that
will
live
in
infamy",
December
7,
1941,
and
ended
in
August
1945.
Alderson,
along
with
the
rest
of
the
country,
was
drained
of
able-bodied
men
of
military
age.
A
list
was
compiled
several
years
ago
of
the
veterans
of
the
war
from
Alderson.
Two
hundred
and
fifty-two
men
and
six
women
served.
Of
these,
sixteen
lost
their lives. They were:
Henry Smith - Frank Eary, Jr. - Thomas Shawver
Thomas Harnes -
Robert Calvin Perry - Charles W. Arbaugh
Dewane Pence - Tom Raine
Leland Snyder - Ray Taylor
Ralph Burdette - Herbert Newton Perry
Aubra Russell Perry, Jr. - Jack Fletcher
Earl D. Kirby - Arnold Baker
At
least
thirty
men
were
wounded.
Of
those
who
served
in
World
War
II,
the
fighting
sons
of
three
Alderson
families
should
be
mentioned
especially
and
their
illustrious
record
reported.
E.
R.
and
Bess
Huddleston
Fletcher,
at
one
time
in
World
War
II,
had
six
sons
in
uniform;
three
in
the
Army,
and
three
in
the
Navy.
Edwin
R.
(Pike)
Fletcher,
Jr.,
Army,
in
Europe
won
the
Bronze
Star
and
the
Purple
Heart
when
he
lost
part
of
a
foot.
James
J.
(Jack)
Fletcher,
Army,
killed
in
France,
won
the
Silver
Star
awarded
posthumously.
Richard,
Army,
Joseph
L.
and
William
G.,
both
Navy,
were
in
the
Pacific Theatre. Charles B., Navy, won the Navy Cross at Anzio.
Mr.
and
Mrs.
R.
O.
Burdette
had
four
sons
in
service
during
World
War
II,
and
another
in
the
Merchant
Marine.
Four
of
the
Burdette
boys
served
in
Army
Infantry
in
Europe:
Ralph
was
killed
in
France;
Herbert
was
wounded
in
Belgium;
Fred
C.
had
frozen
feet;
and
Paul
who
retired
after
25
years
service.
Robert
was
in
the
Merchant
Marine,
and
after
the
war
joined
the
Air
Force.
Fred
C.
was
killed
after
19
years
service,
in
an
automobile
wreck
in France in 1959. Two other Burdette sons worked in Radford Arsenal during the war making powder.
Probably
the
most
remarkable
record
of
a
family’s
participation
in
World
War
II
in
or
near
Alderson
was
that
of
the
sons
of
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Aubra
Russell
Perry of Alderson and Riffe’s Crossing.
Six of the Perry boys simultaneously served, and three were killed in action:
Aubra Russell Perry, Jr., Navy, was killed June 16, 1943, near Australia.
Herbert Newton Perry, Army, was killed in North Africa, 1944 (?).
Robert Calvin Perry, Navy, lost his life on a submarine at an unknown location in the Pacific in 1944 (?).
William Lacy Perry served in the Navy. Samuel Richard Perry and Theodore (Ted) B. Perry served in the Army.
Ref: History of Summers County, Miller History of Monroe County, Morton Records, Dept. of Veteran's Affairs, E. R. Feltcher, Jr., representative
Main Index
The contents contained in this series is copyrighted and the sole property of The Greenbrier Historical Society - Lewisburg, WV Used by permission - November 18, 2008
The History of Alderson, West Virginia
From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On Alderson, West Virginia
Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell
